Furnished apartments near M D Anderson

Freida
Freida Member Posts: 182
in Esophageal Cancer #1
Our plan when we go for tests is to stay either with friends or at the hotel that is linked to M D Anderson (one would be cheaper plus the support would be nice, but the other may be more convenient if there is a lot of testing and down time in between - being able to walk back across the walkway to the hotel sounds appealing).

Once treatment starts, I am hoping to find reasonably priced accommodations close by. My best friend lives in Houston and wants us to stay with her but she has an autistic child who, much as I love him, I think would be quite stressful for Bill if he is feeling poorly. I have been scrolling around trying to find reasonably priced accommodations but most of the apartments on the MDA link are quite expensive (more than $2000 a month). Does anyone have experience or recommendations for a small furnished apartment that does not cost quite so much?

Hope it is ok that I started 3 different posts. As the subjects are different(though related), I thought having the 3 headings would be a better way of finding answers to those specific questions.

Freida

Comments

  • Wpturner05
    Wpturner05 Member Posts: 114
    #2
    Oops
    Oops
  • unclaw2002
    unclaw2002 Member Posts: 599
    #3
    Freida,
    Many of the hotels
    Freida,

    Many of the hotels near the hospital run a shuttle service to and from the hospitals then back to the Medical facility (you can find them listed on the MD Anderson web site) but check out others as well and make sure to ask if they offer a discount for MD Anderson patients. The hotel connected by the walkway is rather expensive so you may want to check other options. My dad did reasonably well with the shuttle service from the hotel to the hospital while he was getting his treatments at MD Anderson. We also had a car so he could get out to eat and for a change of scenary. The complex is so massive that it nice not having to worry about parking the car - although I do believe they even have a valet service.

    Most of the apartments you probably looked at were corporate rentals which tend to be more expensive. You may want to check out craigslist to see if you can get a feel for something less expensive, or to gage how many short term/sublets might be available.

    Good luck on your search.

    Best,
    Cindy
  • Freida
    Freida Member Posts: 182
    #4
    Wpturner05 said:

    Oops
    Oops

    lol. Thanks for trying
    lol. Thanks for trying though.
  • Bobs1wife
    Bobs1wife Member Posts: 150
    #5
    Lodging near MD Anderson
    Freida, Another option you may, or may not, be familiar with is www.homeaway.com & www.vrbo.com. Just type in your city and states and you should find some homes, condos, etc that rent by the night, week, or month. Usually it is cheaper than a motel, more comfortable and more amenities than just a room. Linda
  • cher76
    cher76 Member Posts: 292
    #6
    Freida,
    If you want to
    Freida,
    If you want to find a place by the center before you go, you might want to call there and tell them you would like to speak with a social worker. They should be able to help you find a place. When we first went we stayed with Rickie's brother, but one of the team members that we met with was the social worker. She Gave us a list of places available to stay at. Many are furnished apts that are subsidized by local churches and organizations. You do not need to be affiliated with any of these organizations in order to rent the apts. We have family members who live in Houston and Katy, so we did not use these but they were available to us. I do not believe financial need was involved either. Also many of the hotels give good rates for MD Anderson patients. Many also provide shuttle service. We did stay at the Rotary House once when Rickie had a very early morning test scheduled, but it was pretty pricey. It was over a weekend and we had flown to Houston, and did not have a car and found that the restaurants there in the hotel were not open very much. During the week I think you are ok but the choices were very limited over the weekend.
    Another thing you might want to consider if you are taking a car is purchasing a prepaid Smartchip for parking. We usually park in garage 10 which has a walkway right into MD Anderson which is very convenient. this chip allows you to park at a discounted rate and gives you in and out privigles. We never really read about it until this last time we were there and realized this was the way we should have gone. They do not expire so they are good whenever you go. Hope this helps. Please private message me through this site if you would like my phone number to talk or get any other info. I will be glad to help.
    Cheryl
    Wife of Rickie, dx stage IV EC, Oct. 2010
    Mets to bones and brain
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #7
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • cher76
    cher76 Member Posts: 292
    #8
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    Treatment at home
    Freida,
    As Sherri suggested treatment does not have to take place at MD Anderson. We did our first round of chemo there simply because, being new to any type of cancer care, Rickie and I felt that they might be better equipped to handle any adverse reactions he may have than our resources at home. And truly, they have state of the art stuff there that is not available in the Rio Grande Valley. After his first round we did a clinical trial, so that was done there, and then we moved on to another chemo round of Irinotechan and Erbitux. By this time Rickie was tired of the traveling every 10 to 14 days, so we requested that the chemo be administered by our local oncologist. Dr. Ajani wrote the prescription and we carried it to the oncologist at home. We did this for 8 months. We would go every 3 months to MD Anderson to have scans done and to check on progress. Our doctor and Dr. Ajani corresponded on different issues as they arose. At MD Anderson you can pick up a CD of all your tests and they will also give you copies of all reports, which we would take back home to our doctors there. Likewise we took records from our doctor to Dr. Ajani whenever we went there. Don't know what part of the state you live in but Southwest Airlines usually has great rates to Houston from where we are. We only flew once as we liked having our car, but that might be an option for you. Hope this helps. Take care and prayers are being sent your way.
    Cheryl
    Wife of Rickie, dx EC stage IV, Oct. 2010
    Mets to bones and brain

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