For years, my gynocologist made me feel bad about myself. She lectured me to the point where I did not want to see her until I fixed everything she criticized so she couldn't admonish me. Fast forward seven years. HMSA started sending me letter after letter reminding to take care of my reproductive health. I half-heartedly asked my friends if they liked their OBGYN or gynecologists and most of them said, "Meh." With no ringing endorsements, I dutifully called my gynecologist and to my surprise, her office number forwarded to a Dr. Lynette Tsai's office.
At first, the receptionist offered me an appointment with a midwife, not Dr. Tsai. Confused, I asked if midwives did "routine checkups under the hood." The receptionist signed and said, "Or you could see Dr. P. since Dr. Tsai is booked for months." And I was like, "Is that a midwife or a medical doctor? Is Dr. P. a woman?" The receptionist revealed that Dr. P. was indeed a medical doctor, a woman, and her name was Michele Pangilinan.
Two weeks later, I showed up to my appointment. I was nervous as pap smears are not pleasant and who knew what kind of person Dr. P. was. The office is nice and clean (you take your shoes off by the door) and the equipment was modern. The nurse who weighed me and took my blood pressure was very nice. I asked her if Dr. P. was as nice as her and the nurse said, "She's so nice! You'll love her." I was wary since I hadn't been able to find many reviews about her (they were mostly about Dr. Tsai) online.
But luckily, Dr. Pangilinan was wonderful! She was friendly, sweet and reassuring. She was professional yet very personable. She made me feel comfortable and answered my many, many questions patiently. As a bonus, Dr. P. didn't lecture me for not seeing an OBGYN for seven years. She told me, "We don't judge, these exams are tough enough!" She's relatively young (we're the same age, late 30s) but she has a lot of experience. Dr. P. is exactly the kind of OBGYN I've wanted: a cheerful, positive, kind, doctor who is competent and makes me feel comfortable.
If anyone asks me about my gynocologist, instead of the typical "meh" reply I'd received from my friends, I would instead highly recommend Dr. Pangilinan. She's awesome!
As a bonus for those who live in Central Oahu or the Westside, Dr. P. also has offices in Mililani and Kapolei! read more