For a life worth living......

Thank you MDVIP for this opportunity to express my appreciation to Dr Karen Dantin for the over 25 years of loving care she has given my family and me. Thank you especially for taking care of my mother. She thought the world of you and it meant more to me than you can imagine to know she was in such capable, compassionate hands. And...... #Thank you for making my life's journey so much better than it would have been without you. #Thank you for being the first to ask me if I had considered seeing a rheumatologist when it became apparent the injections and ablations from the specialist (a good specialist) I was seeing weren't really helping. #Thank you for the many times you did the appeals and whatever else was needed to insure I got the right medications or treatment when I needed them. #Thank you for being willing to coordinate with my specialists to consolidate my prescribing where possible. #Thank you for having the staff you have. #Thank you for training young health care workers, student nurses and the like, giving them real world experience in a clinic focused on wellness. #Thank you for taking the wellness message to the community and speaking at clubs and organizations, libraries and directly to your patients like me. #Thank you for all the trust you have shown in me over the years and the respect you've given me. A few Key Highlights: When I went to the rheumatologist and they made a definitive diagnosis based on genetic markers, he told me (and the internet confirms) that it is not uncommon for A.S. to go misdiagnosed for 3-5 years. Thanks to your suggestion to see a Rheumatologist, and catching this when we did, it may well have kept it out of my heart and lungs. This is one reason I can say without drama, I may not still be here were it not for you. There is no question in my mind that my life's journey would have been much worse without you for this and many reasons. I had asked the Rheumatologist (when he seemed very cautious in talking with me) to go ahead and give me the complete prognosis. I said I could take it. I was wrong. He said A.S. would likely take 6-8 years off my life expectancy. Neither of my parents lived past their early 70's and I was already almost 60 so it hit me hard. Your intuition detected that and you worked hard to objectively show me that the length and quality of my life lay more with decisions I made than in my genes. You were right. I'm 75 and it looks like I may be here for a while. Only God knows of course but He put you in my life. Getting to the right specialist also extended my working life (thank the Lord). But ultimately I could no longer spend the time required on my feet at the state capitol or in DC as a health care lobbyist. You played a major - if not the most important role in paving the way with my private disability insurer. The person I was dealing with all but said the strength of your medical assessment laid out in writing convinced them to expedite my benefits. I don't know if they were thinking about doing what insurers too often do to try to limit benefits or make approval harder to get but I believe they saw in you a formidable foe if they were to try to deny. By the way, that income got me to SS and Medicare age - a huge benefit when fighting an expensive illness. I think it was one of the times you had a nursing student in tow as we sat in the exam room and you began the visit by describing to her what made me a compliant patient and the level of faith and trust you had in me. That touched me deeply and I hope you know I have the same in you. Your commitment to helping others has helped me too. The time you gave the Louisiana health Care alliance in a leadership role helped me move the organization toward getting even more doctors involved. I cannot thank you enough for being the first physician chairperson of the Wellness Committee (as it should be) and helping forge a broader community partnership. You have done so much to educate so many - patients or not - I have to feel it has made a difference. It has for me. (For one thing, I now think of food as medicine (thanks a lot - LoL). That's tough in a state like Louisiana.) I wish we had more space but let me use what's left to thank you for having the staff you have that so closely reflect the love and consideration you have for your patients. I have never been to the clinic that I wasn't made to feel (by everyone) that I was the most important person there. Over the years, I have been to a lot of physician offices for a lot of reasons - professional and personal. I know from experience that a doctor's staff often reflect his/her temperament and disposition. The fact that your staff is so friendly and happy is probably the greatest tribute you could get from anyone. It has been a privilege to be your patient and I hope you continue in practice for many more years. I need you; health care needs you. My love and admiration.