Choosing a BS

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Kitchenwitch
Kitchenwitch Member Posts: 374
edited June 2014 in DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)

I scheduled my lumpectomy yesterday with a BS but now I'm having second thoughts, mostly because the hospital is so far from my house, and she said she'd follow me for the rest of my life (annual visit after the next two years). 

Am I being an idiot to balk at the inconvenience of this? I live in NYC, where there are plenty of excellent docs and hospitals - the other thing I don't like about Columbia-Pres is the somewhat nasty support staff. (There's a patient navigator who's nice, even tho she didn't return my call today.)

I just shudder at the idea that I'll have to relive all this every year, and not even in a neighborhood with anything else (like shopping or restaurants or ANYTHING) that I could add to my trip.

Please, feel free to tell me I'm being a jerk! I think the doctor is very good, but so are lots of others. Not really sure why I went with her except that I was getting a little sick of visiting doctors.

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  • Janets1
    Janets1 Member Posts: 57
    edited January 2010

    Kitchenwitch:

    You are not acting like a jerk when you factor in the radiation schedule - EVERY DAMN DAY for 5 or 6 weeks. That is why I chose a smaller hospital and didn't go with the big teaching hospitals here in Chicago - and there are plenty - but I wasn't about to shlep there without a very good reason (like if I had some really rare or aggressive BC). I figured all things being equal, I would go "local" for radiation and I got top notch care. Having said that, you can have your surgery at Columbia-Pres (I know NYC well, lived there for 25 years - that would be a hike from anywhere not way uptown) and do your radiation elsewhere for convenience, as long as they have state of the art equipment - and I can't imagine who doesn't in NYC. Your surgeon or the rad onc where you have your surgery can probably guide you to another hospital. Just an option to consider!

    Jan

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  • sweatyspice
    sweatyspice Member Posts: 922
    edited January 2010

    I believe Columbia has an add'l east side location for rads, they might share it with Cornell (not sure) since they're now both "NY Presby" hospitals.  But you can def go somewhere else for rads, I had that convo with them at the very beginning my Columbia patient-hood.  No way was I willing to schlep there every single day, and they had no problem with that.

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  • Kitchenwitch
    Kitchenwitch Member Posts: 374
    edited January 2010

    Thanks, everyone!

    Columbia has at least one other (more convenient) location for rad, or BS said I could do it at Mt. Sinai (which is like 10 blocks from home). So I definitely won't go up there for that. Cross your fingers that a JOB comes through for me... then I'll try to pick location based on office (!). I've already decided NOT to follow up with this BS for the rest of my life. (Hey - that has a funny double meaning!) Well, of course I WILL follow up. But I can switch BS's at some point to someone more accessible. Sigh. ANd hope that I don't have more surgery in my future. Boy, this is a real up-and-down thing, isn't it? OK! I'm off to get my valium scrip!

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