Here I am at MD Anderson

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  • laughs_a_lot
    laughs_a_lot Member Posts: 1,368 Member
    #22
    MDA
    I have had no experience with them personally but here are some thoughts to consider. For me I was kind of a country girl with an affinity for the highly practical no nonsense stuff in life. (This was mostly due to my income mind you.) Fancy stuff kind of made me nervous and feel inferior because I couln't afford it. Heaven forbid that I accidently damage some of the bling. However, consider this regarding the fancy bling of the center. First of all fish tend to calm children and so many pediatricians have fish. I bet they treat children there. I don't know what they do for adults. However, when I am doing deep thinking I head for the river and put my feet in it. I pray think and wait for the fish to get closer to my feet. I figure they will get close to me when I am more centered and in line with the earth instead of running the rat race in life.

    I am also calmed by hearing the flow or falling of water. (Can you see the Native American in me?) In life we have enough stressors then we get cancer. Allow yourself to enjoy the fancy bling and the relaxation it might bring to you. Artists are offering you thier kind of genious as an offering to your recovery.

    Now the doctor. When I first met my Medical Oncologist I was not too impressed because he did not joke with me even though I opened the door to humor myself in one of my questions regarding Chemo. However, my husband was there and he probably was worried about having to impress two people and followed his agenda closely. However, after that first visit he seemed a lot less stodgy. He joked with me and was more personable.

    I am a stong believer in humor as a gift given to releive tension. I use it even in the most serious of circumstances but also show the fact that I have a real grasp on the gravity of a situation so the person I am dealing with can realize that this is no walk in the park. Perhaps Dr. Highly Educated is just nervous about making a good impression and protecting the hospital's reputation. However, She could have looked at the MRI's you gave her. I think she intended to study them for the group meeting and also might want a new MRI for comparison. (I have seen doctors do the same thing you described though and it can really put the patient off.

    Do what is right for you. You also may want to drop the hint that you are also a health care professional so Dr. Highly Educated realizes that you are pretty sharp when it comes to medicine yourself.
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #23
    tjohnson2310 said:

    Lake Charles,LA
    I live in Lake Charles,La so its a 2 1/2 hour drive for me. I was told five to seven days as well but as I mentioned I was there for 13. I think the initial visit in regards to testing is unpredictable. For the first five days, I had every exam in the book. Then at the end of the week a visit with the MD to review results. The results lead him to order more test....anyway it got better once I had a plan of care.

    I did a self referral...so when I called them they collected all of my insurance information before my visit. Calling your insurance company your self could probably push things along.

    As far as hotels, make sure you let the hotel know you are a patient at MDACC you can get a medical rate. Also if the hotel has a rewards program join it..you can accumulate points for free nights.

    I wish you the best in finding the right place for you.

    There was absolutely nothing
    There was absolutely nothing unpredictable in them wanting their own PET scan and also nothing to prevent them from pre-certifying this beforehand. My opinion as a Nurse Practitioner. And, I have a difficult time believing that there is a huge difference in the scanning equipment. Convince me!
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #24
    tjohnson2310 said:

    Lake Charles,LA
    I live in Lake Charles,La so its a 2 1/2 hour drive for me. I was told five to seven days as well but as I mentioned I was there for 13. I think the initial visit in regards to testing is unpredictable. For the first five days, I had every exam in the book. Then at the end of the week a visit with the MD to review results. The results lead him to order more test....anyway it got better once I had a plan of care.

    I did a self referral...so when I called them they collected all of my insurance information before my visit. Calling your insurance company your self could probably push things along.

    As far as hotels, make sure you let the hotel know you are a patient at MDACC you can get a medical rate. Also if the hotel has a rewards program join it..you can accumulate points for free nights.

    I wish you the best in finding the right place for you.

    There was absolutely nothing
    There was absolutely nothing unpredictable in them wanting their own PET scan and also nothing to prevent them from pre-certifying this beforehand. My opinion as a Nurse Practitioner. And, I have a difficult time believing that there is a huge difference in the scanning equipment. Convince me!
  • tjohnson2310
    tjohnson2310 Member Posts: 168 Member
    #25
    CypressCynthia said:

    There was absolutely nothing
    There was absolutely nothing unpredictable in them wanting their own PET scan and also nothing to prevent them from pre-certifying this beforehand. My opinion as a Nurse Practitioner. And, I have a difficult time believing that there is a huge difference in the scanning equipment. Convince me!

    PET
    I am not sure if they have a cutting edge PET scan. I am sure they would tell you they have cutting edge technology. I had my PET scan at home before my inital visit. I had my results transfered to a CD for them to view at MDACC. Perhaps you can do this as well.
  • Double Whammy
    Double Whammy Member Posts: 2,832 Member
    #26
    laughs_a_lot said:

    MDA
    I have had no experience with them personally but here are some thoughts to consider. For me I was kind of a country girl with an affinity for the highly practical no nonsense stuff in life. (This was mostly due to my income mind you.) Fancy stuff kind of made me nervous and feel inferior because I couln't afford it. Heaven forbid that I accidently damage some of the bling. However, consider this regarding the fancy bling of the center. First of all fish tend to calm children and so many pediatricians have fish. I bet they treat children there. I don't know what they do for adults. However, when I am doing deep thinking I head for the river and put my feet in it. I pray think and wait for the fish to get closer to my feet. I figure they will get close to me when I am more centered and in line with the earth instead of running the rat race in life.

    I am also calmed by hearing the flow or falling of water. (Can you see the Native American in me?) In life we have enough stressors then we get cancer. Allow yourself to enjoy the fancy bling and the relaxation it might bring to you. Artists are offering you thier kind of genious as an offering to your recovery.

    Now the doctor. When I first met my Medical Oncologist I was not too impressed because he did not joke with me even though I opened the door to humor myself in one of my questions regarding Chemo. However, my husband was there and he probably was worried about having to impress two people and followed his agenda closely. However, after that first visit he seemed a lot less stodgy. He joked with me and was more personable.

    I am a stong believer in humor as a gift given to releive tension. I use it even in the most serious of circumstances but also show the fact that I have a real grasp on the gravity of a situation so the person I am dealing with can realize that this is no walk in the park. Perhaps Dr. Highly Educated is just nervous about making a good impression and protecting the hospital's reputation. However, She could have looked at the MRI's you gave her. I think she intended to study them for the group meeting and also might want a new MRI for comparison. (I have seen doctors do the same thing you described though and it can really put the patient off.

    Do what is right for you. You also may want to drop the hint that you are also a health care professional so Dr. Highly Educated realizes that you are pretty sharp when it comes to medicine yourself.

    What happened?
    I missed this. What did you do, Eileen? (maybe there's a followup post, I'll look for it).

    Suzanne

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