SLOAN KETTERING

lizzybirdy
lizzybirdy Member Posts: 13
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Does anyone have feedback on their experiences with Sloan? My brothers wife has Stg IV w/ liver mets & is facing a huge surgery. They are seeing a very impressive surgeon at Sloan but the switch from Jay Moghnan Center for chemo (& a NY Presb. Oncologist) has been "rough". ANyone experienced this? Is it ok to talk about Dr's on this site?
I'll be getting more info later. It seems the surgery will be 1st or 2nd week in May. I am in Calif. & just getting as much info & support as possible, since this started about ?6--8 mos ago.
When she does go in for surgery, I would love to get prayers & blessings from anyone who has gone thru this. She may get a hepatic pump & ileostomy reversal. She has 2 kids, 11& 13 & she has been a real trooper. Very positive. A hero.
Thanks for all your helpful info, advice, support.
This is truly a lifeline.
with gratitude,
Liz
Anyone can email me also at lizzybirdy@aol.com

Comments

  • lfondots63
    lfondots63 Member Posts: 818 Member
    #2
    Hi Liz,

    I have never been to SK but others on this site have been. I have only heard good things about them. It is ok to talk about anything you want here. Any questions you have please feel free to ask. I am stage 3 with one node involved. No Metastis at this point. Hopefully will stay that way. I had sugery Dec. 20 2005 (my birthday) and got out of the hospital Christmas day. I am on Folfox treatments right now and going tomorrow for 3rd. HUGS to you and your family. I'm glad you found us. This site is great! Take care. Hug her kids too! I have 4 myself and I know how hard it is for her.

    Lisa
  • lizzybirdy
    lizzybirdy Member Posts: 13
    #3
    lfondots63 said:

    Hi Liz,

    I have never been to SK but others on this site have been. I have only heard good things about them. It is ok to talk about anything you want here. Any questions you have please feel free to ask. I am stage 3 with one node involved. No Metastis at this point. Hopefully will stay that way. I had sugery Dec. 20 2005 (my birthday) and got out of the hospital Christmas day. I am on Folfox treatments right now and going tomorrow for 3rd. HUGS to you and your family. I'm glad you found us. This site is great! Take care. Hug her kids too! I have 4 myself and I know how hard it is for her.

    Lisa

    Thank you, Lisa.
    It's good to hear anything & positive is better.I believe they have great confidence in their surgeon, it was just the difference between a warm fuzzy place & a large,cool one.Bedside manners suffer a bit, but there are many great things about that center.
    Thank you for your good thoughts and I am seeing you sail thru this next phase on the wings of your children!
    Blessings to you.
    Liz
  • jerseysue
    jerseysue Member Posts: 624 Member
    #4
    Never been to Sloan all I've heard is good things about them. My famiily is from Jersey and they wanted me to go there and do my chemo at Sloan however I have 6 children and wanted to be here for them. I am Stage 4 with mets to my ovaries and uterus. I finished chemo Nov 05 and have been NED (no evidence of disease) since.
  • taraHK
    taraHK Member Posts: 1,952 Member
    #5
    Hi. I've never been to Sloan Kettering. But I think I understand what you are talking about. In my opinion, it is important to have doctors you TRUST. Bedside manner is more important to some people than to others. For me, I don't need warm and fuzzy, but I do have certain expectations like: give me the time I need to ask my questions, answer all my questions, don't be threatened or defensive if I have an opinion or ask a different type of question. So I guess my question is: are those kinds of needs (or whatever is most important to her at this stage) being met? If not, perhaps she should either speak up or move on...
    Best wishes,
    Tara
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #6
    I agree with Tara.
    My gastric surgeon is chief of surgery. Relatively NOT warm and fuzzy.
    But talented, oh boy! Removed my rectum, sigmoid colon, made a new rectum out of some of my colon, and I was using the whole thing the night after surgery...not even a temporary colostomy.
    He listened when I had questions, was open and honest with his answers, but didn't appear 'warm and fuzzy'.
    I owe him my life.

    Kathi
    (BTW, his nurse/practiconer was all the warm/fuzzy he wasn't...all at UC Irvine Medical Center, a county hospital in California.)
  • Moesimo
    Moesimo Member Posts: 1,072 Member
    #7
    I kind of like warm and fuzzy, I am lucky that I have docs that I am very comfortable with and have the warm and fuzziness to them. I have emailed my surgeon many times, he answers quicker than a phone call. Like others have said, it's all in what you want and feel comfortable with. you will be seing these docs for at least 5 years, - onc., GI, and surgeon--you want to be comfortable. the GI doc that diagnosed me did not give me that warm and fuzzy feeling. I never saw him again after that scope. I now have a woman GI doc who I am most comfortable with.

    Maureen
  • dgold
    dgold Member Posts: 1
    #8
    Although I did not have surgery at Sloan I went to their outpatient office in Commack NY for chemo, and I cannot say enough good things about the treatment I received, both in Commack and NYC. While it is a large hospital I felt the staff did everything possible to be warm and fuzzy but most important to give me the best care and treatment possible.
  • libris
    libris Member Posts: 23
    #9
    my stepson had a complicated 11 hour surgery there for a recurrence of rectal cancer. They were great! There were several specialists in the operating room throughout the surgery (ortho, nerve, urology) to deal with potential complications. His surgeon at the Dana Farber was not willing to go that route and was just planning to remove everything potentially leaving him with a permanent ileostomy, and in a wheelchair in his mid 30s and with 3 young kids. He's doing great and is so happy he went to MSK for a second opinion.
  • lizzybirdy
    lizzybirdy Member Posts: 13
    #10
    libris said:

    my stepson had a complicated 11 hour surgery there for a recurrence of rectal cancer. They were great! There were several specialists in the operating room throughout the surgery (ortho, nerve, urology) to deal with potential complications. His surgeon at the Dana Farber was not willing to go that route and was just planning to remove everything potentially leaving him with a permanent ileostomy, and in a wheelchair in his mid 30s and with 3 young kids. He's doing great and is so happy he went to MSK for a second opinion.

    Thanks to you all for the feedback. Everything is moving forward & they are feeling better.Their Onc. has really boosted their confidence & even said the surgeon feels really good about the surgery. She will probably be "handed off' to an Onc who specializes in the hepatic pump afterward.,and they're pretty comfortable with that. The good news for now is that she gets a Chemo vacation.No more nasty rash, mouth sores & maybe some taste buds will fire up again..
    I'll be doing lots of searches, about the pump, surgery, etc. And I would love to send her blessings from as many folks who have been thru it. We'll find out if her surgery is MAy 2 or 4th soon.
    Thanks to a great group. You all inspire me, & I know you will inspire her.
    love to you all,
    Liz

Discussion Boards