When Paul Lamblin was first scheduled to see Dr. Nandita Gatla at SOMC, he and his wife both assumed that meant she’d be physically at the hospital. When they found out the appointment would be conducted through Teladoc, with Dr. Gatla examining Paul remotely, they were skeptical.

“I didn’t think we would like her,” Paul’s wife Brenda said, noting that Dr. Gatla wouldn’t be able to physically examine her husband through a monitor. “But then we met her, and we both loved her.”

Paul and Brenda ended up with nothing but praise for Dr. Gatla. They were surprised that Dr. Gatla being remote didn’t detract from their experience at all. “She listened, she had a great attitude, and even though she wasn’t there she told us if we needed anything, her staff was there and they could do blood work and things.”

In the end, Brenda felt like it was as if Dr. Gatla was in the room with them. In fact, she was caught off guard by just how well she was able to interact with her patient through a screen.

Brenda said that, when they first arrived for the appointment, she adjusted the monitor so Dr. Gatla would only see Paul. Midway through their interaction, however, Paul turned to Brenda for help answering a question – and once Dr. Gatla realized Paul was not alone, she was able to turn the monitor so she could see both of them.

“I didn’t know she could do that,” Brenda admitted with a laugh.

It wasn’t just the in-office experience that exceeded their expectations: Paul’s treatment was also exceptional. He had been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and in a lot of pain. “It was in my shoulders, my arms, my wrist, everywhere,” Paul said.

After seeing Dr. Gatla and being prescribed medication, however, Paul’s life is completely different. “I can get up quicker, and rassle around with the dog,” he said. “I walk the dog every day. I take her for a long walk, and sometimes I even run with her… I told Dr. Gatla, the medication she put me is a miracle medicine because I did not hurt anymore after I started taking it.”

Brenda and Paul Lamblin left their experience with Dr. Gatla with nothing but praise, and encourage others not to be concerned about the fact she’s remote. “I would recommend her to anybody,” Brenda said. “We didn’t feel like we were missing anything from her being remote.”

Dr. Gatla practices as part of SOMC Rheumatology Associates, which is located in Suite 401 of the Braunlin Building on SOMC’s Main Campus. For more information, call 740-356-8811.