I’m pinging the list to something I believe is very important for newly diagnosed cancer patients.
It takes a lot to beat cancer. Prayer is the most important, but let’s not overlook another important ingredient; good healthcare professionals.
I’d like to know how other successful cancer survivors chose the hospitals that saved them. Here’s how I did it.
I was diagnosed at a hospital my insurance had directed me to. They correctly diagnosed that I had lung cancer, but they were wrong about the type and prognosis, and overlooked the fact I had two primary tumors. They told me to get my papers in order and say goodbye to my loved ones. It could have been worse. They could have tried to treat me, and I probably would have let them. Instead their attitude drove me to seek a second opinion. I chose a hospital near me on the US News & World Report ratings. They weren’t in my insurance network, but the hospital worked out something with the insurance company. I recently celebrated six years of being cancer free.
US News & World Report Top-Ranked Hospitals for Cancer - http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings/cancer .
I went to the websites of high ranking hospitals in my area. I googled for information floating around about the hospitals and their staff. With that information I was able to select a hospital and a surgeon.
Please share your methods for selecting a hospital. It may help save a life.
Thanks for the info. I knew MD Anderson was good but not #1.
This is a good idea, BykerBayb. Like you, I started at one hospital but switched to another.
I found a lump myself, and the mammogram showed that it was cancer (without a doubt). My GYN doctors refer everyone to one particular surgeon at a nearby hospital, and they told me this surgeon was the best around. So, that’s where I went.
I pushed and pushed for things to happen quickly, but everyone was moving as slow as molasses. (It was the Thanksgiving & Christmas season.)
When the surgeon’s office wouldn’t see me without a biopsy first, I said, “Forget the biopsy. We know what it is. Just take it out.” They insisted on a biopsy.
When the surgeon finally met me, I joked, “You know, I’m free this afternoon. What are you doing? Let’s take this thing out right now.” He wanted me to have an MRI.
When the MRI showed two more spots, then the oncologist wanted a biopsy of the other spots. When those two spots tested positive, the oncologist said he wanted me to have genetic testing.
By now, eight weeks had passed. I wanted surgery, not more testing. Still, the surgeon said I’d have to wait another few more weeks for surgery. Long story short: Relatives caught wind of what was happening, and a survivor in my family referred me to a different surgeon. It turns out, this next surgeon truly was the top surgeon around. She saw me right away and scheduled my surgery for the following week. Then she sent me to the top oncologist around.
So, in my case, I don’t have a website to recommend. The best information I received was given to me by another survivor.
Like you, I’m so glad the first hospital didn’t work out. It was like divine providence because, soon afterward, my insurance dropped that first hospital. And recently, MD Anderson opened at the hospital I switched to. :-0
Merry Christmas!
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