My husband is currently being treated at NYU. We were hoping to go to MDA but our insurance just denied this. We will change insurance in the near future but in the meantime want to explore other options so that when we do go - our local oncologist will be a partner rather than a dictator.
Thanks so much!
I can suggest a few: William Oh at Mt Sinai, Philip Kantoff or Michael Morris at MSK, and Charles Drake at Columbia Presbyterian.
Oh wow - thank you so much! This is really helpful. You are the third person to mention Dr. Oh so we will start there.
Dr Oh is a friend to Malecare. I suggest you mention you are a Malecare support group member
Will do for sure!
I'm also a patient of Dr. Oh's. He and his team are extremely patient and considerate of your concerns. I've been treated by him since May of 2017. I feel very fortunate to have found him.
Wow - so happy to hear this! Thank you for sharing. Will let you know how it goes.
I don't know any doctors in New York but I'm curious about the dictator. You don't need to name him or her but I'm curious to know the nature of his/her dictatorial behavior. Can you say any more about it?
Thanks.
Alan
Sure - he refused to treat my husband unless he stopped all adjunct therapies including infrared saunas, vitamin C IV, etc. even though all those were started at the suggestion of other oncologists who believed these therapies would help mitigate the side effects of treatments/medication. All of whom are much more experienced (by decades).
Sure - he refused to treat my husband unless he stopped all adjunct therapies including infrared saunas, vitamin C IV, etc. even though all those were started at the suggestion of other oncologists who believed these therapies would help mitigate the side effects of treatments/medication. All of whom are much more experienced (by decades).
P.S. And he doesn't seem to appreciate the amount of research we do into other treatments, etc. but always seems annoyed, i.e. what are you going to ask me now? Sometimes the answer to a question is, "you wouldn't understand". I think his heart is in the right place but he's young and with youth (and his MD/PhD) comes a bit of arrogance. Imagine with a few gray hairs he'll be more aware of what he doesn't know. My husband's first oncologist, Dr. Ben Pfeifer in Zurich, is also an MD/PhD, used to be the head of prostate at Memorial Sloan Kettering before returning to his native home and opening a clinic. He is the most humble doctor you'll ever meet and is a true partner in is patient's healing. So for us he's the gold standard. We still run everything by him but needed someone local for the day to day.
Thanks for the info. It reminds me of a doctor that my Dad went to see for an injured back. The guy said, tomorrow we operate. My father said Wait, explain what you think you plan to do and what the alternatives are. The doc replied, If you don't trust me then get out of my office. My Dad followed his advice (the second advice) and got out of his office.
Alan
Wow - I'm continually surprised at this type of behavior but it sounds like your father did the right thing. Our local doctor was so highly recommended, in fact he had cancer as child so we thought that would make him more sympathetic. And he is - to a point. But I keep reminding myself that he's only been a doctor for 2 years longer than I've been knee-deep in this every day (5 years). At first he was convinced I was some sort of medical professional based on the questions I would ask - but once he realized I was a mere mortal - his attitude changed and now just seems annoyed and dismissive when we ask about new research. I have to believe that if I were a doctor I would be happy if my patients took it upon themselves to be well-informed.
To Hopefulspouse:
Try Dr. Michael Morris at MSKcc. (Kimmel center on 68 street just before 1st avenue). He's smart as a whip... and good bedside manners. You can view him online in a dated video from MSKcc.
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n Tuesday 11/06/2018 5:07 PM EST
I was treated by Dr. Wadih Arap at MDACC - exceptional oncologist who will work patiently with you to develop a treatment plan - also, an outside the box thinker. He is at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of NJ, so not far from NYC.
We just made an appointment with the Compassionate Oncology Clinic and I’d love to speak with you before we go. I am on the west coast at the moment but live in NY one hour north of NYC. My phone is 2062286884
Email catgilliam@gmail.com
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