Dr. Allan Lipkowitz, MD

In 2011, I had surgery for a very large polyp in the trans colon. Nine inches of the colon were removed during the surgery and the point where the two ends of the colon were stitched together, leaked. I ended up in DRMC for two weeks during which time I saw Dr. Lipkowitz twice. The first time I have only a hazy memory of suffering pain during an exploration for infection and abscesses in my abdominal cavity and the placement of two drains. It was, I believe the third or fourth day of my hospitalization and I was very heavily medicated. The second time I remember very well because I was no longer heavily medicated and it was the most painful experience of my life. After giving me a mild local, Dr. Lipkowitz made an incision to place an additional tube in my abdomen to help in draining another abscess. He had difficulty in finding exactly where the tube needed to be placed and it took what seemed like a very long time. He also removed the two previously placed drains and replaced them,… again having difficulty in finding the right spot. I found this whole procedure to be extremely painful and asked if he could possibly give me something for the pain, which, despite my having a high pain threshold, was very intense. His response was â??Oh, you can feel that?â?? and continued on. About a half hour later, I asked once again, rather forcefully, â??please give me something for the pain!â?? His response then was that he was almost finished and a few minutes later he sutured me up, and although the local had worn off, without further pain medication. I couldnâ??t help but wonder at his obtuseness to my pain levels as I was in constant motion due to it, and wondered if he might be some kind of sadist. Interestingly, I have a friend who is a plastic surgeon in the Bay Area where I lived previously, and who advised me that he had a friend who practiced in the Palm Springs area and who might be of help if I had any medical problems there. He was horrified to hear that his friend and my tormentor were the same person, Dr. Allan Lipkowitz.