My mom went to CTCA. I absolutely cannot say enough positive things about that place, and neither could my mom. I have lived through both parents being diagnosed with stage IIIB NSCLC, my dad first in 1998. He died in 9/99. My mom said all along that she wished so deeply that we knew about CTCA when he was diagnosed. They treated not only my mom, but my husband, my kids, and my best friend (Who was, for all intents and purposes) my mom's caregiver) like gold. They set up all of our appointments, made hotel arrangements when necessary, and dealt with the insurance companies every step of the way. As far as it being a "joke," I have to respectfully disagree. My mom's oncologist, Dr. Citrin, is a world-renowned PhD. His impressive stats are as follows:
Dr. Citrin joined CTCA in 2004 with more than three decades of oncology experience. He was Director of Inpatient Oncology and assistant professor of medicine at the University of California in San Diego. He then served as associate professor of medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City before joining the faculty of Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago as an associate professor of medicine in 1982. He also served as Medical Director for a year at Mt. Sinai Hospital North in Chicago.
Board certified, Dr. Citrin received his medical training at the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland. He also completed an oncology fellowship program at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
We felt absolutely HONORED to be in his presence, and felt as though he really took time with us at each and every visit, and respected us and our opinions.
One thing I must stress: CTCA is an INTEGRATIVE medicine hospital. This is why they get a lot of upturned noses. The doctors work side-by-side with alternative therapies, which you normally don't see. When my dad was diagnosed, we were scared $h!tless, and didn't know which way to turn, because if you look towards alternative therapies, everyone will tell you, "Don't do chemo, you will poison your body!" and if you go to your oncologist, he/she will say, "alternative medicine-pushers are quacks! Stay away from them!" At CTCA, it is a beautiful balance of both. And personally, when we learned of first my dad's and then my mom's diagnoses, I felt that if someone had told me that perhaps standing on my head half the day might help slow the progression of cancer cells, I would have had my parents flipped over on their heads in a second.
Additionally, having been to my dad's clinic/hospital when he was diagnosed, I know from experience that a doctor may say, "You have cancer. You have 'x' months to live. Here is your chemo schedule." And basically, you deal with the impact this will have on you physically, emotionally, not to mention what it will do to your family. At CTCA, my mom had a phsychotherapist, who magically appeared at the door to her hospital room each month she was admitted for chemo. She also helped me; I had many private sessions with her. My mom had a nutritionist who tailored her diet according to her very difficult needs as a dialysis/chemotherapy patient. And it seemed that the whole town was "CTCA-friendly;" the hotel gave patients a substantial discount, plus their restaurant offered a patient menu full of fresh , healthy approved foods. We met lots of patients and their families there and formed instant, lifelong bonds. We were honestly treated as though we were their only patient and family.
And now, I will say emphatically, I do NOT work there! And yes, my mom passed away in 2006. But the last time she saw her oncologist, he told her, "I am not ready to give up." I don't remember who said that they heard that CTCA will not take late-stage patients because they bring their stats down, but I can say from experience that this is definitely not true. I've been in the waiting room with countless late-stage patients.
Good luck to the OP.
