Surgery at House - where to stay?

[areles]

Hi, all.  I searched the forums but couldn't find any recent commentary (within 2.5 years) of Seton Hall, so I apologize for broaching the topic again, but I could use some input.

I haven't been around much since my son's DX on 12/31, but in summary of the past month and a half, his tumor is 2.8cm and he's scheduled for surgery with Drs. Schwartz and Miller at House on 2/24.  As a local who has the ability to run home as needed to feed our myriad pets, I'm trying to figure out where to stay, and WHEN to stay.

It makes the most sense to stay at Seton the night before the surgery, and probably the night of, with the option of continuing to stay there even further while my son is in the hospital / moving to an area hotel at that point / staying at home and driving in if he's stable.  (We're about 45 minutes away, in Long Beach.)

So I suppose my questions are thus:

Thoughts from patients who stayed at Seton?  Did it make the experience easier/more comfortable?
Thoughts from patients who stayed elsewhere the night before?  Did it complicate things?
Thoughts from patients' families who stayed elsewhere either the night before, the nights after, or both?  (Likewise, did it complicate things?)
Advantages/disadvantages of each?

Seton seems like the way to go for myriad reasons, most notably that my son has to be checked in by 7a, so I want his night before his surgery to be comfortable, and likewise, I know my husband and I will want to be onsite the evening of, and possibly for the duration of his stay.   But I also don't want my son's night before said surgery to be him feeling bored and uncomfortable in his skin.  (Internet on shared computer for a 22-year-old... may not work.  I know that sounds silly, but staring down surgery the next morning will be hard enough for him; I want him to have a distracting, relaxing night beforehand, rather than dwelling, which is why I'm toying with the idea of the Standard or similar the night before, with Dad and I onsite afterward.  And definitely already know walking around the hood at night won't really be an option. )

I think it seems silly to worry about something like this when, you know, brain surgery.  But all else seems to be ready to go, so I guess I'm just left wrestling with this one loose end.

Btw, even though the topic of this is more about where to stay, any thoughts on/experiences with surgery at House would be more than welcome too.  I know Dr. Schwartz is highly regarded, and Dr. Miller is new so most won't have any experience with her, but I could use the commentary if you feel like providing it.

Thank you for reading, and for responding (if you do).

(Oh, of note:  I have nothing but good things to say about both doctors thus far, especially Dr. Miller.  Also, her assistant, as well as Dr. Schwartz's, are top-notch.)

[neetze1]

Hi,
I have not been on these boards for quite sometime now so please forgive me if my information is outdated.  Maybe someone can correct me if it isn't.  I had my surgery at House almost three years ago.  I knew that after my surgery they had some financial difficulty and Dr. Friedman separated from House and went to Keck.  I was curious about whether or not surgery was still being done there and I am happy to hear that it is.  I flew from NJ to have my surgery there because my research told me that they were the some of the best in the world.  My grown children and my husband and I all stayed at Seton Hall.  It had just been newly remodeled when we stayed there and we found it to be very reasonable, clean, comfortable and convenient.  There is a tunnel that connects Seton Hall to the hospital so there is no need to go outside at night.  My children and husband were able to take turns sitting with me throughout the nights after my surgery.  I was out of it but I know they came and went frequently and didn't have to worry about betting mugged. Compared to the other hotels in the area, I was grateful to be able to stay there.  It was much cheaper than a good hotel would have been in LA for two weeks!  Nothing fancy, but more than adequate.  They also had washers and dryers you could use.  My surgeons were Dr. Luxford and Dr. Lekovic.  I am not sure if they are still there but I owe my life to them. I had translab to remove a 3.5.  My surgery was 12 hours long.  I was out of the hospital in three days and stayed in LA for less than 2 weeks.  We had a car so I would try to get out and walk everyday.  I was back to work full time in 5 weeks and I am doing great.  Good luck to your son. He will be in good hands!     Anita

[CHD63]

Hi areles .....

Just wanted to add that I am one of those people who cannot really relax until I know the details of what to expect.  Therefore, I fully understand your need to have as many details as possible.

My husband and I stayed in Seton Hall the entire two weeks we were in LA (we went a few days early to sightsee).  It was clean, comfortable and a safe place to be able to walk through the large, well-lighted tunnel to the hospital at any time of the night or day. I assume it is still the same, but when we were there, it was a secure, closed system.  In other words, you had to have a key and a code to enter Seton Hall and all doors were locked from the outside to anyone else.  The hospital had a very tight security system at all doors, as well.  So, we felt very safe.

Because we did not rent a car while in California, Seton Hall was a great place for us.  If you are expecting a 5-star hotel, Seton Hall is not it, but it was clean, quiet, comfortable, and safe when we were there.

Thoughts and prayers.

Clarice

[michellef08]

Hi areles,
I stayed at Seton house the night before my surgery - and it was great! I actually work for Marriott so am spoiled - and I was pleasantly surprised by how nice the rooms were! And you simply can't beat the price and location. My family stayed at Seton while I was in the hospital, and it was so convenient! As you mentioned - the surrounding area is not great, so it was nice for them to not have to go outside. After I was released from the hospital, my family and I rented a villa down in Newport Beach, which was kind of like a mini-vacation. It was nice to have our own space for me to recover.

As far as my experience with House - I thought they were amazing! The best part is that they have seen so many AN patients,they are a well-oiled machine. From the office staff, to the general physician, to the doctors, nurses, and physical therapists at St. Vincents hospital - they have seen so many AN patients, and I'm sure have dealt with tons of different scenarios. Dr. Schwartz is an absolute genius, your son will be in the very best hands!

Good luck!

[areles]

thanks, everyone, for your comments.  we're ending up staying about three miles away, because i could never manage to get seton hall to respond to our reservation request, and we found out yesterday that surgery was moved up to tuesday, so there was no time to wait and see if they got back in touch by monday morning.  so that's that, but i suppose it's better to be three miles out than 45 minutes.