Kenalog and ultrasound

I do understand that this medication can be helpful for some people and for them, the benefits out-weigh the side effects. For this reason, I don't think that this med should be taken off the market, but I DO think that we, as patients, deserve to be explained these side effects before we are just injected with such a powerful drug!!
I went in to a walk-in clinic with allergy symptoms that were not relieved by OTC drugs. Nothing super- severe that I couldn't stand, but I was looking for something to make me feel better and the Dr. prescribed Kenalog. No side effects were mentioned/discussed. A nurse came in and gave me the shot. A few months later, I noticed the dent on my left buttocks area. I was very worried because it looked SO bad! The dent has increased in size and depth over the months. My PCP told me that it was most likely from the Kenalog injection but I have an ultrasound scheduled to find out how extensive the atrophy is! She says that it only destroys the tissue and fat but I know for a fact by feeling the area that the muscle underneath is completely gone!! How can this shot be given to patients without a verbal description of possible side effects and a written consent!!
I've read that some people have been lucky enough to have the "dent" go away! How long did that take?? I am only hoping that I am as lucky!!! It is such an UGLY site!! Luckily it is covered by a swimsuit and my fiance doesn't find it as ugly as I do!!

I was having Kenalog injections into my knee. On the ninth injection within a years time,with a few Aristospan injections in between, my knee to my foot blew up. Tripled in size, and the skin was bright red with purple marks all over the skin from my upper shin to the ankle bone. I had a big depression in the shin too, which I can not figure out because the injection was into my knee.
I went to my GP who sent me to the ER to rule out a blood clot-ultrasound.
NO blood clot. I was given no medication, nothing, and it was very painful.
Actually, I saw three doctors and not one of them seemed to care. One doctor said, "Steroids are Powerful Drugs" I do not know if this reaction was do to an infection, some side effect, I have no idea. The swelling eventually went down within six months=long time. I still get purple round marks on the skin at the shin, and sometimes my ankle swells. The skin gets red and white marks mixed into the already rash looking skin.
I asked many times what the cause was to this all, and it was like no doctor would say anything negative about the doctor that gave me the injection.
I also discovered that Kenalog is used off label for Epidural Steroid Injections and can cause Meningitis, Arachnoiditis, bowel and bladder dysfunction and more adverse events, because neurotoxins are added to the steroid to make the compound that is injected into the epidural space. Asking other people if their doctor ever told them the drug name they were getting injected by their doctor before this procedure and each and all said "NO."
This is also true for the drugs Depomedrol and Celestone Soluspan. All three drugs are used off label for epidural injections. Neurotoxins do not belong in the spine! If one gets a dura puncture-FOR GET IT!

update to June 14th. For everyone who has just gotten the shot and think they don't have atrophy. My daughter's didn't start to appear until a few weeks after. It just looked bruised at the begining. Doctors don't want to beleive the Kenalog has done this. Gyn doctor did ultrasound and said everything looked normal, so no reason for the bleeding other than the Kenalog. It has started to get better after 4 months. Now there is a 5-7 day break between her periods. I have refused to put her on birth control to stop the bleeding. I couldn't stand for her to suffer any more side effects. The atrophy looks awful. It is such a bright purple. Doctor said it should not get any worse, but I don't think they really know. Doctor did say it would fade in color, but will never get better without plastic surgery. I can't even find a doctor who is familiar with Kenalog or the side effects. I also just found out that the Kenalog stays in your system for 3 months. Of course another thing I was never informed of. I have been taking pictures and keeping all Doctor visit paperwork. I suggest everyone do the same. It has got to be a matter of time before a lawsuit is brought against them.

My heart goes out to everyone who has been left with severe indentations from fat atrophy due to Kenalog injections. I was left with a golfball sized, deep indentation on my left hip from two Kenalog injections given one year apart, in the exact same place. It did not fill in by itself like doctors kept telling me it might. The good news is that I found an attorney to represent me against the doctor who did this (actually an assistant did it under the doctor's care), as well as a filler substance called Sculptra that has helped tremendously. Sculptra is a filler substance that has been used in Europe (where it's called New Fill) for about seven years and in the USA exclusively for AIDS patients with fat atrophy in their faces for a few years now. It was recently approved by the FDA (I think in summer 2004) for use in cases such as mine, as well as for minor cosmetic reasons, like how Collagen has been used. Sculptra lasts longer than Collagen, possibly up to two years I'm told. It works by stimulating your body's collagen growth wherever it is injected. I had one fill procedure with it in April 2005, and within three months my concavity has been reduced by fifty percent. It takes a couple months for the collagen growth to take place. The doctor said I had an unusually good response from it, and that it works differently from person to person. It may take several sessions to fill an area. I just had another fill procedure a couple days ago which I hope will be all I'll need to keep the area filled for a couple years, but since it behaves differently in every person, only time will tell. I know that I will have to keep having it filled for the rest of my life, but it beats not having anything to fill it with. As far as the legal side goes, I believe there is a two year statute of limitations on filing a claim against a doctor, and I hate to say it, but I think that's why so many doctors keep telling victims of this to keep waiting - that it will fill in by itself. If you wait long enough, you won't be able to take legal action against them! When the statute starts running is something doctors and lawyers will argue about, but it can be when you were injected with it, when you first noticed the indentation, or when you noticed the indentation was not going away. But I think it's worth checking into for anyone who has been damaged. Even if you can't take legal action, this new filler substance is helpful. It works in the face too - it's been used in AIDS patients' faces for years now. I hope this helps some of you. Good luck.