Dr. Rupali Patnaik

For months, I just felt off—tired, achy, nothing specific. My old doctor kept saying it was stress. Dr. Patnaik was the third opinion I sought. She actually sat and mapped out all my symptoms on a notepad, asked about stuff no one else had, like a weird rash I'd had years ago. She ordered a very specific blood panel. Turns out it was an autoimmune thing that's manageable, but had been missed. She called me herself with the results and explained it in a way that finally made sense.

I needed a mole removed from my back. Simple thing, but I was nervous about the scar. Dr. Patnaik's clinic was running late that day, so I waited a bit. But when she got to me, she was so calm. The procedure itself was over in minutes. She kept talking to me about my garden to distract me. Honestly, the worst part was the parking garage being full. The spot healed up perfectly, no fuss at all.

The clinic itself is nothing fancy, but it's clean and the light in the waiting area is nice. What stood out was the nurse, I think her name was Sarah. I was there for a flu shot and was feeling pretty anxious. She saw me fidgeting and just started telling me about her dog's latest mischief while she prepped everything. It was such a small, human thing that completely took the edge off. Dr. Patnaik has a team that really gets it.

Look, I don't like doctors. I find them intimidating. Dr. Patnaik has this way of just... listening. She doesn't look at her computer the whole time. When I told her I was scared about my blood pressure numbers, she didn't just hand me a pill. She asked about my job, my sleep, even what I eat for lunch. We made a plan together. She remembers my kids' names. It feels less like a transaction and more like someone's actually on my side.