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Other Was not prepared for that, can't go back and think I need to report him.

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FauxLiz

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I went to see the dr today as I have had pain in my ankle/heel area for a couple weeks that felt very similar to when I had tendinitis in the Achilles of the other leg. My PCP dr was great and after a physical inspection and knowing that I made a three hour drive to see him he reached out to a partner podiatrist to refer me for a cortisone injection. I wasn't expecting that but I have had enough injections for different injuries/issues that shots don't bother me as much but I also knew I would partially disassociate just because it was going to be an strange man touching me.

I was very grateful that they could fit me in but while I was there he noticed a planter's wart on the bottom of my other foot, inquired about it and I thought would tell me to go home and get one of those over the counter medicines to take care of it at home. Instead, he was like well I will just take care of that right now. He gets a scalpel out of what looks like a tool box sets up a tray with a drape over it and starts "shaving" it down. Okay, I had read about the treatments types and understood what he was doing but then he seemed to go too deep and it started to bleed and really hurt because he was at live tissue. At this point it hits me: He took the scalpel out of this tool box, it was not individually wrapped like you some times see medical equipment, it did not appear to be taken from any sort of sterile environment, now my foot is bleeding, the doctor does not have any gloves on, had not done the traditional washing his hands or sanitizing them when he walked in for the physical evaluation.

Now all of these things would have concerned me pre-COVID, now not only did I have a "minor surgery/biopsy" done on my foot without any numbing medication, and while the doctor was nice enough to be wearing an KN85 mask, the lack of basic sanitary procedures has me worrying that I could have been exposed to heaven knows what germs because he didn't wash his hands that I know of, to complete a procedure that caused me to bleed and exposed us both to the potential for the transmission of so many things now through an open wound. I am supposed to go back in a couple weeks for a check up but I don't trust him, I can't afford to get ill whether it is COVID or something else. I also wonder if I should report him to the county health department as well as the state medical board. I sat there during the entire procedure like I was outside of myself and it really didn't sink in until I left the extent of what happened.

I thought that I had been so careful to really following the quarantine requirements and not do anything that isn't essential. Now I am terrified that I have been exposed by a careless healthcare provider.
 
I'm sorry you had to go through this, @FauxLiz. I don't really have any advice except that I probably wouldn't go back to that doctor...do you have an urgent care or somewhere like that you can go to have them check our your wound?
 
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