Cancer Treatment Centers of America

houmom

SavedbyGrace1972 more people are being diagnosed because there is more awareness and people are getting less scared to actually see a doctor when they notice something unusual. But I do think that there are environmental factors that are contributing to it too.

MelissaDallas

savedbygrace, we get cancer because we now live long enough to get it. Cancer in large part is a result of aging. People are living longer with heart disease than they used to. In actuality, the lifetime incidence of breast cancer, about 12.5% risk, hasn't changed much in many, many years

SavedbyGrace1972

Thabks Sandcastle!

SavedbyGrace1972

Melissa

I always wondered what someone did wrong or didn't do to get breast cancer. A childhood friend was diagnosed while pregnant and passed away @ age 42. She fought while pregnant and then after the baby was born! Such a sad sad ending. Her son turned one July 7 and her soul left on June 23rd! I've read so many stories like hers. It makes me wonder if she had aborted the fetus, if her faith would have been different. But you never know. It's up to her husband who remarried immediately to keep her story/memory alive to their son.

For me, I think too much BBQ cooked on kingsford links me. At one time I thought since I was no longer menstruating that lowered my chances, guess not!

carmstr835

I am being treated at CTCA in Zion Il. I love my surgeon, the Oncology Radiologist, and all the nurses and support people. EVeryone is very sweet and caring. However my medical oncologist is not as wonderful as the rest of the people here. I may have to leave if I can't work out our differences. But I believe I have gotten excellenr care in Zion. I just wish my MO and I could see eye to eye and he would listen to me and treat me as though my concerns were valid.i have had my surgery, radiation and chemo all at Zion. My hope is to be able to complete my care here

SavedbyGrace1972

carmstr835,

I do hope you get a better medical oncologist. It is very important that everyone on your team is supportive of you!!! After all it's your health! Your life!!! What I'm learning is that I must turn up the volume on my voice!!! Be assertive but not difficult and overbearing!!!

sandcastle

What, I would do is Check the Doctors Education....My friend had Doctors at CTCA in Ga. and I felt their Education was NOT that good....she was so Impressed with people being Nice...but I can get that here also....Liz

SavedbyGrace1972

Liz

That is excellent advice!!! Thanks

marijen

Sandcastle, what is the best way to check the doctor’s education? Do you have a link? Thanks

HersheyKiss

CTCA posts Degrees, Internship/Residency, Certifications, and Years in Practice on the doctor's online biography page.

For instance, at CTCA Midwestern Regional Medical Center, users go to the Meet our doctors & clinicians webpage to search for the information.

Icietla

exbrnxgrl -- Well, aren't you special! [Yes, you are!] They told me a $250K deposit would be required.

sandcastle

Icietta....I, am SURE that Bells went off in your head when you heard $250K!! Liz

SavedbyGrace1972

I just spoke with a patient who is currently being treated at CTCA. She said other doctors had given up on her and that she found hope at CTCA. Bragged on how nice everyone was and that she received excellent care. The call caught me off guard and I wasn't prepared to ask a ton of pressing questions. She did mention that she is part of their cancer team I forget what she called it exactly.

But I did tell her that I planned on getting second opinion from Emory cancer center because I wasn't going to be impressed by kind gestures and sweet smiles. While nice, that's not going to heal me. I did google the owner/founder of the hospital and I'm thinking I'll pass on them unless that's my last resort.

Thanks for everyone's input.

SavedbyGrace1972

Icietta,

Who told you $250k? Did I miss something?

Icietla

SavedbyGrace1972 -- The CTCA telephone operator told me that I could be seen at a CTCA Center if I were first to make a $250K deposit. See exbrnxgrl's post on the first page of this thread.

I was Doctor-shopping for mastectomy revision. Not for evaluation. Not for cancer treatment. Not for reconstruction. Just for mastectomy revision.

sandcastle -- Yeah, it struck me as exce$$ive. I got a satisfactory result and a much better deal at a place that accepted my insurance.

Mquara

crmstr835 who is your MO? Mine s Dr Ahn and I have to say I really like him. Right from the beginning I felt like he listened to me. He did not tell me wha would happen, he discussed different options with me, told me what he liked about each option and what he disliked and I felt like we chose together. Same with my current hormone treatment, every visit there is a discussion not just an assumption that things would stay the way they are. Dr Amin was my surgeon, she's fabulous. Another one that listened to me.

sandcastle

savedbygrace....My friend received the same call!!! When, she told me I could not believe that she was so impressed by that unethical tactic. But, she was impressed with the fact that they had Keurig in Rooms.....and pictures of survivors.....All so sad to prey on the sick with no respect...Liz

exbrnxgrl

250K !!!! Wow, talk about inflation (I called them in 2011).

I did hear about the in room Keurigs. Nice touch, but still not not a top priority when choosing medical providers

carmstr835

Mquara, my oncologist is Dr Ahn as well. We definitely have issues and he does not listen to me or value my input. He believes I read too much and actually put that in my medical file and claims I come to bizarre conclusions. So no he doesn't listen or value MY opinions. I see the nurse practioner more than I do Dr Ahn. I believe she listens to me more than he does but she s not as knowledgable and can't always answer my questions regarding treatment and diagnostic decisions.

I have stayed at the hospital rooms many times and there is no kerig in the rooms. But coffee is available 24 hour a day at no charge.

I am glad you have hit it off, I do believe he is a very knowledgeable Dr and I do value his opinions and thoughts regarding treatments, I just wish he would value mine as well and actually understand my decision not to do the hormone therapy rather that try to discredit the validity of my decision by claiming I come to bizzare conclusions and put in my medical file for all to read. It was him that first told me tamoxofin causes cognitive decline. I just researched it and came to an alternative.

sbelizabeth

Carmstr835, a doctor who documents his opinion in your medical record that you read too much, and tells you that come to bizarre conclusions is unprofessional, arrogant, and to be avoided.

You deserve better. That's MY opinion.

sandcastle

The Keurig is in the CTCA in Georgia....I am not making this up....Liz

SavedbyGrace1972

Carmstr835, WOW!! The nerve but I guess he is entitled to his opinion. Just like they say in business, everyone isn't your customer. Well I will extend that to say everyone isn't your doctor or patient. I swear some of these physicians think they're god! Nope! Did they go to medical school because they were arrogant? It's so sad and healthcare is so unfair to those who are sick!!! It's like pharmaceutical companies, doctors, lawyers, etc prey on the sick.

Icietla, I wasn't given a quote only informed that they accepted my insurance. I'm reading stories of women who are giving up the fight! They can't afford their medication and don't want to go into anymore debt. Most have emptied their bank accounts, retirement plans, and ran up credit card debt trying to fight. Then you live and have debt and then are stressed. It's like a catch 22.

I've heard of this saying that it's cheaper to stay healthy then it is to get fixed once your sick! Well I'm sure none of us, not one of us chose this illness!! And it's very expensive to treat this illness!!!

We have to fight for our lives and well as advocate for better regulations regarding access to quality healthcare and affordable medications!!

Mquara, are you being treated at the center in GA or ILL?

sandcastle

SavedbyGrace....I, DO NOT GO to CTCA....NEVER HAD and NEVER WILL....my Friend Went there....Liz

SavedbyGrace1972

Liz

That's correct. Where are you being treated at again? I'm having tests done at wellstar in Georgia so far. Hoping will get a treatment plan next Thursday once I meet with the surgeon after my MRI guided biopsy. Unfortunately they found another mass in my right breast and think that the mass in my left breast has progressed.

Right now I'm having pain in my left breast, arm, shoulder and wrist. Maybe it's my mind playing tricks on me, maybe it's not. Who knows!!! But I'm prepared for anything they say. To think bad news is my own choice so if it's anything better I'll be happy. ☺️

That's my coping mechanism. I'm also all for chemo and rads!! Anything to take and keep the cancer away!!!

sandcastle

YOU...have a lot of good Hospitals in Georgia...especially your area....my husbands Urologist went to Emory...then came North for his residency and he is a Top Doc....Liz

SavedbyGrace1972

Thanks liz!!! I'm going to tap into some of those resources!

Mquara

Carmstr835 Are you on the Facebook page CTCA Zion Friends? It's all patients at Zion on there. There's many different experiences with Dr's and a few posts have been made about switching Doctors and people have shared who they have, what they like or dislike etc. Find the group and post and see who others may recommend.

I have great luck with Dr Ahn but if he's not a match for you there will definitely be another one that will be a good fit. I saw Heidi a bit too but not too much, I love her as well.

As for some of the other posts - No Keurigs in the rooms and no pictures of survivors either at least not in Chicago. I received a call as well but I agreed to receive the call because I wanted to hear from an actual patient before I got on a plane and flew out there. I wanted to know what would happen not from a random person on the phone or a coordiator but a person that had walked in my shoes. It was very helpful, comforting and answered many questions that I had that were making me anxious.

SavedbyGrace - I am being treated in Zion, Ill

Anonymous

Saved, it's okay also to be "difficult". In doctorspeak often that just means you ask questions and won't settle for a pat on the head. And there's research done that points to "bad patients" living longer than good-girl-and-boy patients, obviously because they are self-educating themselves to be proactive about their health. Remember: no one, not a doctor or nurse or surgeon, cares more about your health than you do.

Hope your tx plan, whatever you choose, makes you feel confident and secure!

Claire in AZ

SavedbyGrace1972

thank you Claire!!

exbrnxgrl

I think this 2015 post may be the source of the Keurig rumor:

sandcastleJersey ShoreJoined: Jun 2012Posts: 545

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Nov 28, 2015 03:28AM sandcastle wrote:

My Friend is Impressed with CTCA.....they have a Keurig in every room.....That in itself makes reason to go to this Center!!!?? Liz

So as not to be disingenuous, I'd like to add that when I called CTCA in 2011, I knew full well they they would not accept my insurance, but I was simply curious. Again, I think they probably deliver fine care, but nothing that one couldn't find elsewhere.