Wittnam Charles A MD Dbc West

Beware of Dr. Wittnam! I went to him today to remove a cyst on my lower back; he asked me what medication usually works to numb my skin, and as I’ve had cysts removed before, I told him that a lidocaine injection is what works best for me. Then, he stated that there was a new topical numbing agent he’d been using that had been pretty effective for many of his patients, and asked me if I’d like to try it. I told him no, because I’m familiar with numbing creams, and they really don’t work for me– and as I had to return to work later that day, I didn’t want to be in pain. Still, he insisted that this cream was different than any I’d used before, and that it would save me the pain associated with the lidocaine injection. Not wanting to argue or further delay the procedure, I said OK. After applying the cream, he touched my skin, asked me if I could feel his touch, and I could. He applied some more cream, tried again; I could still feel his fingers touch my skin. Suddenly I felt him pressing his scalpel into my back– it was so painful, I was yelling, all of my muscles were tensed and my heart was racing. The RN in the room kept saying, «He can feel it,» and looked very uncomfortable. After a few minutes of this Dr. Wittnam stopped and got the lidocaine.
Afterwards, as I was checking out at the reception desk, I was asked to fill out a survey for this new drug that Dr. Wittnam was using, and it occurred to me that he had used me as a test patient for this new drug without thoroughly explaining to me what he was doing. My sister is a nurse, and after speaking with her, I realized that what happened to me was a violation of patient rights. I do not recommend that anyone who values his or her autonomy or right to adequate pain management before a surgical procedure (no matter how minor) should ever see Charles Wittnam. Shame on this man for valuing profit over patient!