Dana Farber ladies, tell me about it, please

Hi RosesToeses I go to Dana Farber. It is the only place I have been treated for cancer. I like so many things, I can get right in and have any tests done promptly and get the results promptly. My only dislike is the hour drive to get there. I have been to the Brigham for a recent liver biopsy (day surgery) and was treated wonderfully. I had my breast biopsy and mastectomy done there 16 years ago and had private room. The nurses are great. I have been going there for 16 years. I don't feel rushed in any way. I hope this is helpful to you. I can say I am on a study drug called GTX-024 and its very easy.

I go to DF for treatment and have found it to be not cold or impersonal at all, quite the opposite! My husband jokes that it is Cancer Disney because it seems everyone is so friendly. My experience at Brigham and Women's for surgery was outstanding. At both DF and B&W through every phase the nurses, techs, etc all seem to follow a very standard protocol of introducing themselves, telling you what their role is, checking on you within a certain time-frame to make sure you are still ok, etc. I started this process at a large, teaching hospital in a large city (but not Dana Farber ) and they were struggling to get all my needed scans, etc done within the same week. Dealing with them was a lot of work. At DF, they scheduled them all for the same day! So I travel a distance to go there, but it is worth the hassle of travel for the ease of treatment there for sure. I have also never felt rushed in an appointment, this has been true for my MO, BS, PS, and RO, even infusion nurses, etc. I am trying to think of the negative... Boston traffic, I guess? I really can't come up with much else. Occasionally I get a little lost trying to find a new place (like if I am having a test done at a different place than I have been before,) But that is also true at home. At Brigham and Women's, the pre-op area and recovery area could use some improvement, it was just curtained areas but you aren't there very long (my understanding is that they were doing construction and so they were using another area temporarily.) But my room itself was private and very nice. I was at the Faulkner facility (there are a few B&W locations.)

I left my initial oncologist very early for a second opinion and DF required many scans to be redone. And some (including my pathology) had different results, so that was interesting. But as I have considered coming back to my local oncologist, I keep going back to DF. And no question, if you are interested in trials, they have a large number going on and the trial nurses are also terrific.