Please Note:
FYI there will be a ton of new updates coming shortly. We have been busy with the holidays and all that other good stuff, but we are back and ready to rumble!
First Post of the New Year.
Prior to the year's end, my Oncologist informed me that he recently accepted a new position at NYU and would be moving there starting in the new year. Like most people, change scares the crap out of me. We spent and are still spending a good amount of time ensuring that everything transfers over smoothly. Insurance and all that jazz can be a complete pain in the ass, and it is important to stay on top of everything to ensure you do not randomly get a $5,000+ bill for a check up.
This week was my first week at the new location, and it has been quite the transition. The pros so far have dramatically outweighed the cons. I have decided to list them out for anyone that is interested:
Pros:
- Being treated at an academic research facility like NYU's Permutter Cancer Center allows so much more opportunity to find new ways to fight and beat cancer. (Clover is especially happy about this)
- They have snacks, coffee and tea in the waiting room and the infusion room.
- The infusion room was an actual private room dedicated just for me with a wonderful window view
- There was a TV, though I did not use it
- There is an on-site masseuse who provides a short massage to people receiving infusions.
- There is an on-site nutritionist who met with me to discuss my dietary habits and ways to improve them
- The staff at NYU has been absolutely stellar. Every person I have met with has been pleasant and wonderful to deal with.
- The equipment being used seems to be top notch and more advanced than what I was previously used to.
Con's
- Private practice provided a certain sense of intimacy. When I arrived, the same faces welcomed me and I was checked in and hooked up to an IV within minutes. NYU is dramatically larger and so there is more dead time spent in the waiting room.
- I do miss the staff that was at the previous location. They were fantastic people and I wish them the best on their future endeavors.
- Everything seems more corporate, probably because it is.
- The infusion chair is not as comfortable.
Overall, I could not be happier to now be associated with NYU's Perlmutter Cancer Center. I feel that there is now an even bigger group of people working together to assist me in this epic battle against the C-word.