MD Anderson (Houston, TX) advice? UPDATED in #13

[joules]

I'm posting here for traffic.

My mom and I are flying out to Houston on Monday for a second opinion. (her dr. confirmed our suspicions - her cancer got worse and is even more aggressive now and he wants her to get a bone marrow transplant)

Is anyone familiar with the area (food or sights? has to be relatively close since we will be taking taxis). Or any advice regarding the hospital itself?

We will be there for a week. My mom doesn't want to rent a car for now, but we will re-evaluate once we get there. The hotel that connects directly to the hospital is not available so we are staying at the hotel 3 blocks away from there. She is going to basically start with a clean slate and re-do all her testing there and see what the dr. there suggests. We have no idea what our days will be like. We are assuming lots of waiting around and testing at the hospital during the day and then at night we can take a cab to grab dinner.

She is paying for everything out of her own pocket. She had to put down a HUGE deposit. I am trying to do all the research I can to make this a smooth stress free trip for her.

And if you've seen my posts in the BP, we've had issues before - mainly her being mad at me for not being "supportive" enough. Well yesterday she told me she was going to MD Anderson and I asked "Do you want me to go with you?" and she responded with "Actually, you are the one I want with me the most". what??? omg. I felt sooo good that she feels that way about me!!!

[legaleagle]

I haven't been to MD Anderson but I went to Rice University which is across Main street from the Texas Medical Center complex. Houston is very very pedestrian unfriendly and it is still full on blazing summer there, so I wouldn't hesitate to rent a car, even if it's only for a few days in the middle of your trip, if you're feeling stuck in the hospital. The Rice Village http://www.ricevillageonline.com/ is a nice center of shops & restaurants, with a good variety and easy to walk around that's a few driving blocks away. You could definitely pick a different restaurant every night there and not get bored. They also have a Half-Price Books if you need more reading material for the waiting around. Houston has quite a few museums and they are all relatively close, if she'll be up for something like that.

I hope the trip goes as smoothly as possible and your mother gets good news.

[schrocat]

I haven't been to MD Anderson, only to Texas Children's when my son was hospitalized but I would definitely rent a car in Houston. It's really not walking friendly and if you're going to be spending money on cabs, you might as well rent a car.

[KonzaPrairie]

First of all, so sorry you have to make a trip like this! But I think MD Anderson is fantastic so hopefully you will be happy with your experience there.

I just moved from Houston and lived there for several years. You may want to rethink renting a car. They are extremely cheap in Houston- we had to rent one a few days before we moved and I think I found it for $8/day through Hotwire.com or a similar site. There is also a metro line you can take from the medical center to midtown and downtown for food. Taxis are fine of course but I don't know that it would be any cheaper.

Some restaurant suggestions are Niko Niko's- a popular Greek restaurant that was featured on diners, drive ins and dives; raven grill-a nicer sit down restaurant close to the medical center. I crave their sweet potato spinach enchiladas! Buon Appetito- an adorable Sicilian restaurant in an old house on Holcomb near the medical center. If you go on a Friday or Saturday night they have an old Italian man who walks around playing the guitar.

There's tons of other great restaurants in Houston for all budgets!

As for things to do, there's shopping in rice village and the galleria. The galleria is just a humongous mall. Rice village is an outdoor shopping area close to the university that's really enjoyable if the weather is nice enough to be outside. I love the French cafe Croissant Brioche. On Tuesday afternoons there is a nice farms market on the southwest side of the rice university campus.

Hope this helps! And I hope your mom gets the care and treatment she needs!

[secchick]

Yes, you will not be able to walk anywhere. But driving in Houston can suck too. Depending on what you want to do, cabs might be ok. I hate going to the medical center area and parking can be a fortune (I live about 8 minutes away and I still pick for my family only docs that do not office there for primary care). The medical center is very close (by Houston standards--not walking distance in summer) to the museum district. The natural science museum is good, and has a Faberge exhibit now, iirc. You could go to the Galleria one day.

[TxCat]

Definitely rent a car!!! It's either going to be hot and humid into the 90s, or potentially raining heavily next week.

Museum district is just north of the medical center for some sightseeing. Lots of shopping and restaurants in Rice Vilage as mentioned above. Nice little restaurant in between the med center and Rice Village, on Bissonnet, called The Raven Grill. Other favorites close by would be Ruggles Cafe (wonderful desserts), Hungry's, and Benjy's/Local Foods. Very cute/calm place for coffee and breakfast or lunch is Tiny's No. 5 in West University, the neighborhood just beyond Rice Village. Good TexMex is a little further north, but still around a 10 minute drive or less - I would recommend either Pappasito's, El Real, or El Tiempo Cantina. There's a very "trendy" hotel in the Museum District called The Zaza - ther patio is really nice, with a pretty view, for an early evening drink or glass of wine.

MD Anderson is massive, but excellent. They have a fantastic network of patient liaisons/advocates so I would not hesitate to use them for any questions or concerns that you might have.

Feel free to PM me with any other questions.

[mushka]

I've worked at MD Anderson. If you are not renting a car, make sure that your hotel has a shuttle that goes to the hospital or to light rail stop. If you want to see Houston, you need a car.
MD Anderson is one of the best cancer hospitals in the world.

[joules]

I hear you guys about the car!! But I've brought it up twice and she's said she doesn't want to book one now. Plus parking at the hotel is $20 a day. She said we can always book one on the fly if we decide we need it.

Rain, heat and humidity. argh. I don't even know what shoes to wear (I'm in SoCal, I have no experience with rain in the summer). I was looking for an excuse to buy Hunter boots...but I think that's overkill. haha.

Thank you guys so much for all the advice. I spent yesterday copy/pasting/organizing/researching all the information provided here.

[TxCat]

I hear you guys about the car!! But I've brought it up twice and she's said she doesn't want to book one now. Plus parking at the hotel is $20 a day. She said we can always book one on the fly if we decide we need it.

Rain, heat and humidity. argh. I don't even know what shoes to wear (I'm in SoCal, I have no experience with rain in the summer). I was looking for an excuse to buy Hunter boots...but I think that's overkill. haha.

Thank you guys so much for all the advice. I spent yesterday copy/pasting/organizing/researching all the information provided here.

If you change your mind about the car, I think there is still an Enterprise location about a mile west of MD Anderson, so not too difficult to get to. Parking will be expensive - $12/day at the med ctr garages plus your hotel parking, but I honestly think you'll have to take a taxi EVERYWHERE and you'll have to call and wait for them (they aren't driving around in front of the hospitals all the time) so I'm not sure you'll save much money, or time.

Keep in mind everything indoors has super powerful A/C, so it's best to pack light layers. Usually I have a tank or short sleeve shirt and a thin, featherweight cardigan, or a long-sleeve blouse layered over a tank top. For shoes, probably sandals, flats, Toms, or sneakers/tennis shoes. Heavy rain here is usually short-lived so I try to wait it out wherever I am for 20 minutes or so, until it lets up slightly.

[lhafer]

Yes, our high today is 96 degrees plus humidity, and that's not the heat index! Pack shorts and sandals, comfortable walking shoes. Next week looks like somewhat cooler temps (90), but rainy. The light rail can take you from the medical center through the museum district all the way to downtown, but just know our public transportation system sucks. Everyone here drives their own car, so taxis arent numerous. You would have to call a company and wait for it.

Hope you get some good nformation with your second opinion.

[MommyofAmaya]

If your mom is committed to public transport, there are lots of good options along the rail line. Natachee's is one of our faves and there are Niko Niko's and Barnaby's locations a block away from the rail line at Market Square. If you want a cocktail with your dinner, Hearsay and Goro & Gun have both.

DH and I use taxis to get home often and this app offers super fast service IME: http://hailacabapp.com/

[blueperidot]

Having gone every weekend for 3 months while my father was getting treatment, I'm not sure you need a car. Our hotel shuttle took us to Rice Village, the museum district, and Hermann Park and picked us up as well. It would have been harder to deal with one more thing.

Good luck and hope you get all the help and support you both need.

[joules]

I just got back Saturday night. Thanks again everyone for the advice and well wishes!

We first stayed at the Marriot about a mile away from MDA. They had a free shuttle service which ran every 10-20 minutes and took us w/in a 2 mile radius. We only used it to buy groceries and go to MDA. The only negative is that since mornings are so busy for appointments, we had to be ready by 7am for an 8am appointment..just in case. We ended up eating at the Chipotle right next door or at the various restaurants in MDA (the food was quite good!).

We also stayed 2 nights at the Rotary Club which connects to MDA. This made it much more convenient for appointments. They also have a shuttle service. But according to my aunt and uncle, the wait time was much longer than the Marriot shuttle.

On the last day, we rented a car through Enterprise and saw a little bit of Houston. We decided to drive through a few neighborhods to get a feel for the city. Only later did we learn that we drove through River Oaks (around where Bush Sr. lives). haha. We thought everyone in Houston had multimillion dollar mansions.

One of the tests my mom took takes a week to process...so we are flying back on Thursday for a final consultation on Friday. However, the diagnosis will likely still be the same. She will need a bone marrow transplant to cure her cancer. The good news is, MDA has a much better success rate than the hospital here. MDA has a 75% cure rate and 10% fatality rate. Her dr. here gave her a 50% success rate and a 50% fatality rate. MDA did over 900 BMTs last year. The next closest hospital in the US did 500. I don't think her current hospital is even on the radar.

Now it's time to sort out her insurance and maybe even change from HMO to PPO if necessary so she can be covered at MDA. Then we also need to find a bone marrow match. Chances are slim. Her sister has a 25% chance of matching and my sister and I have a 1% chance. We are asian so there aren't many registered donors in the database. If necessary I am thinking about organizing a drive here. My aunt participated in one in the Bay Area and they found a 100% match for the patient there. Another big step is to look into housing in Houston. She will need to live there for a minimum of 100 days.

Of course all of this is overwhelming and she has times where she doesn't want to get any more treatment. But at the same time, she feels so confident and comforted by the MDA doctors.

[JElaineB]

Sorry to hear your mother will need a bone marrow transplant, but it is good you have found a great place for treatment. If she needs to go back in the future, she might look to see if she qualifies to stay at Hope Lodge for free: http://www.cancer.org/treatment/supportprogramsservices/hopelodge/houston/houstonhopelodge

[codex57]

Good luck. I helped one lady get coverage to MD Anderson. Luckily, her docs (cept the first one) were cooperative and gave the insurance company testimony they didn't want to hear. :)

Instead of losing a leg and like half her pelvic area, she's all good. Nurses I know all say that if you've got cancer, you can't really beat MD Anderson.

[zukeypur]

Great news!!! I used to work there; it really is a fantastic place. Actually, the lab that is likely doing her testing is the lab it used to work in! I hope you can find a match, and I'll keep you and your mom in my prayers.