Texas centers

[triples15]

Hey everyone,

Sooooo, my husband has a job interview next week in San Antonio. He has already had 2 phone/skype interviews and now is one of 3 finalists for the position. It would be a great opportunity, but the thought of moving scares the heck out of me.

We're in Nebraska and I've always gone to the University of Nebraska Medical Center and love it there. The thought of going to a new center is overwhelming to say the least, but I know people do it all the time!

Anyway, in looking at the CFF's website it looks like I would have a few options. There is Christus Santa Rosa in San Antonio, then Dell Children's in Austin, and then Baylor in Houston. Houston would be a bit of a drive, but worth it if their center was better. Does anyone have any experience with any of these? I've never heard of Christus Santa Rosa or Dell. When I went to their websites I couldn't find any info on their CF centers.

If anyone has any info on any of these, I would really appreciate it.

Also, if anyone has any info about San Antonio in general, that would be great! For instance, what the school system is like (we have a 2 year old)? The weather? Of course I've read up about it online, but personal experiences are always helpful!

Thanks in advance for any and all responses! Obviously it is not a given that he will be offered the job, but we are feeling like we should do our research now so that if he is offered the position we can make a decision in a timely manner.

Autumn 33 w/CF

 

[Printer]

Autumn:

cff.org has info on all Approved CF Centers.

Bill

 

[mackenziesmom]

Hey everyone,

Sooooo, my husband has a job interview next week in San Antonio. He has already had 2 phone/skype interviews and now is one of 3 finalists for the position. It would be a great opportunity, but the thought of moving scares the heck out of me.

We're in Nebraska and I've always gone to the University of Nebraska Medical Center and love it there. The thought of going to a new center is overwhelming to say the least, but I know people do it all the time!

Anyway, in looking at the CFF's website it looks like I would have a few options. There is Christus Santa Rosa in San Antonio, then Dell Children's in Austin, and then Baylor in Houston. Houston would be a bit of a drive, but worth it if their center was better. Does anyone have any experience with any of these? I've never heard of Christus Santa Rosa or Dell. When I went to their websites I couldn't find any info on their CF centers.

If anyone has any info on any of these, I would really appreciate it.

Also, if anyone has any info about San Antonio in general, that would be great! For instance, what the school system is like (we have a 2 year old)? The weather? Of course I've read up about it online, but personal experiences are always helpful!

Thanks in advance for any and all responses! Obviously it is not a given that he will be offered the job, but we are feeling like we should do our research now so that if he is offered the position we can make a decision in a timely manner.

Autumn 33 w/CF

I live in North Texas but have visited San Antonio a few times. Don't know too much about the centers but I'm guessing Houston is the best of the three. Prepare yourself to deal with some very hot weather and a very active allergy season. My son drinks lots of Gatorade in the summer to keep his sodium and potassium levels up.

 

[BreeAlysia]

I live in Austin. I do not know too much about the centers, but I can give you general info on San Antonio as it's close to Austin and I've been there a lot. I don't go to a center, but I do know that the Dell Children's Hospital is brand new and supposed to be very good. San Antonio is very, very hot and humid. (Though we have had an unusually cold winter this year in Texas) Also, schools can be tricky- some in San Antonio are not great and some are good. I almost became a teacher there before something opened up in Austin. If you have specific questions about areas and such, you can message me directly. I work with a teacher in Austin who grew up and attended school there and I can get you good info. I am also a patient at the transplant center there, so I go there quite a bit. You can email me at moviestar@gmail.com.

 

[IG]

The adult CF center in San Antonio is closing or is in the process of closing. From what I understand the quality has gone downhill progressively, so even if it were open I wouldn't recommend it. I've heard good things about about Baylor. I've recently heard exceptional things about Dallas, if that would be an option for you.

 

[randomgirl]

I live in Houston and go to to the Baylor Clinic in Houston and I think it's great. The main doctor there is Dr. Marcia Katz and she is very sweet, understanding, and straight-forward which I appreciate. There are other doctors there too and all of them that I have met are great. I also really like the nurses. So I don't have anything bad to say about them or the clinic.

 

[welshwitch]

I second the cff.org site. Good luck with the possible move! I definitely understand the thought of moving and the fear associated with it! But the flip side is, think of the amazing opportunities that are possible, too!

 

[sroeseler]

greatschools.org will help you find a school

 

[politicaljules]

Are you looking for an adult clinic or a children's clinic? I think the clinic choices are also very individually based. Just because I did not like Dell Children's does not mean you won't like it, but I guess you can get an overall feel for it. I've never been to the San Antonio clinics, but I have also not heard good things about them either. We've been to Texas Children's Hospital at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, and they were wonderful. However, they did a restructure of the clinic doctors a couple years ago and we got stuck with a bad one. After a couple of med errors we made the difficult decision to leave the clinic that we loved because we had no choice in which doctor was assigned to us. I also found the social workers to be a bit too pushy, and not respecting of the parents opinion. We ended up seeing a private pediatric pulmonologist in Dallas that we love.

 

[triples15]

Thanks so much everyone!!

I had clinic today and talked to my doctor about the possible move. He said San Antonio's clinic is not closing, but they are "restructuring" and that for a while they had no director. But apparently they are in the process of getting everything together. Still doesn't sound that promising. There's still Austin.

Sooo, I have a lot more to write, but have to tend to the 2 year old.

I'll keep you all posted when I get more time. The interview is Friday, so I'd imagine it will be awhile before we hear anything.

Thanks again!

Autumn

 

[triples15]

Hey everyone!

Thanks again for each and every response!

Soooo.....the verdict is in, and we are going to be TEXANS! They offered him the position last week and we made the tough decision to pack our bags and leave good ol' Nebraska. It will be an adventure for sure.

I am a little concerned about the heat and humidity. We have quite hot and humid summers here in Nebraska, so I'm hoping I can tolerate it ok. I'm sure I'll do a lot of staying inside in the summer!

As far as the centers go, UGH. LOL. I've heard all good things about Dr. Katz in Houston (as randomgirl said), but it might be a bit far. I'm still hoping that I could do ok with Christus Santa Rosa in SA, or Dell in Austin. Still have not heard a good word about Christus Santa Rosa though, so that's pretty concerning. As I said in my previous post, my CF doc said he had recently visited their center and they were "restructuring" and said that they were not closing, but rather that they were improving. Hmmmmm....

Bree, thanks so much for providing your email address. I will probably be emailing you in the next week or two! I would love to hear more about the area in general, and also about the schools. His new employer gave us a list of "good" schools and then schools to stay away from, but I would love to hear more from you.

Jules, I'm looking for an adult center. The way I understand it is that Austin's (Dell) is a children's hospital, but their adult clinic is there and they admit patients at a different hospital? You are so right about it being very individual. Just because I don't jive well with a doctor/team, doesn't mean that you won't.

More specifically, some of the things I would be interested in the Christus Santa Rosa and Dell, is if they are good about returning phone calls/emails, if they are pretty quick with medication refills etc, and if they allow you to start IVs at home or if they require you to be inpatient first, and if you feel like they respect you as part of the healthcare team.

Well, I've gotta go, but thanks again everyone!

Autumn

 

[triples15]

Oh, and I should have clarified in my first post that I had already checked cff.org for the stats and etc. Was more looking for personal experiences. But I do love that the CFF has all that info. there!

 

[RobinB29]

I have lived in Austin and I went to the Dell Children's Center and saw Dr. Fulmer there. The adult patients there are admitted to Seton hospital if they need to be seen and overall I thought the care I recieved in Seton was great, although I also have Celiac disease and they don't have much Celiac friendly hospital food, least they didn't in 2011. (I moved to Ohio then.) In the hospital though you can get your own mini-fridge in the room, which I thought was nice and they brought in exercise bikes to keep us active. Dr. Fulmer I didn't have a great experience with but I feel that was only because he didn't catch my Celiac disease and while that was an oversight on his part, I cant say I blame him. 3-5% of people with CF have Celiacs, that's a small number and I have atypical Celiacs and the pancreatic enzymes were masking my symptoms by helping me digest gluten. I felt like they were up to date on the latest research and the clinic always got me in quickly if I was sick, it was easy to find, parking was always available and never had an issue with the billing department. I've lived in South Carolina, where I was treated at the center in Charleston. I've lived in Ohio and do currently, and am treated at Children's Hospital in Columbus, and I've also lived in North Carolina and went to Chapel Hill, and if I had to rate them I would rank Austin first. Austin and San Antonio are very progressive areas that are invested in health and fitness and I find the culture there encourages doctors to treat patients as a whole and treat them more like people than anywhere else I've lived. At least that was my experience, I hope it helps and if you have any questions feel free to email me at rabiddustbunny@gmail.com. My husband was born and raised in the Austin and San Antonio area, we lived there together for two years and plan to return as soon as the military will allow him to. I personally loved it there but I know how scary it can be to leave home and wonder where you will get care. Best of luck to you!

 

[Liza]

Hi Autumn, I just wanted to say good luck on your move to San Antonio! Do you presently go to UNMC (well NMC)?

 

[triples15]

Hi Autumn, I just wanted to say good luck on your move to San Antonio! Do you presently go to UNMC (well NMC)?

Thanks Liza! We're gonna need it.

Yep, I go to UNMC. Was a pediatric hold-out til I was 29 because I didn't want to leave the peds docs. They finally gave me the boot, so I've been seeing Dr. Murphy for about 4 years now. I've always been really happy with the care I receive, so leaving is making me nuts!! Ugh. I'm just not good with change in general, so that's a big part of it. I know being military you guys have been a lot of places, so feel free to give me cyberslap! LOL!!

Thanks again,

Autumn

 

[triples15]

I have lived in Austin and I went to the Dell Children's Center and saw Dr. Fulmer there. The adult patients there are admitted to Seton hospital if they need to be seen and overall I thought the care I recieved in Seton was great, although I also have Celiac disease and they don't have much Celiac friendly hospital food, least they didn't in 2011. (I moved to Ohio then.) In the hospital though you can get your own mini-fridge in the room, which I thought was nice and they brought in exercise bikes to keep us active. Dr. Fulmer I didn't have a great experience with but I feel that was only because he didn't catch my Celiac disease and while that was an oversight on his part, I cant say I blame him. 3-5% of people with CF have Celiacs, that's a small number and I have atypical Celiacs and the pancreatic enzymes were masking my symptoms by helping me digest gluten. I felt like they were up to date on the latest research and the clinic always got me in quickly if I was sick, it was easy to find, parking was always available and never had an issue with the billing department. I've lived in South Carolina, where I was treated at the center in Charleston. I've lived in Ohio and do currently, and am treated at Children's Hospital in Columbus, and I've also lived in North Carolina and went to Chapel Hill, and if I had to rate them I would rank Austin first. Austin and San Antonio are very progressive areas that are invested in health and fitness and I find the culture there encourages doctors to treat patients as a whole and treat them more like people than anywhere else I've lived. At least that was my experience, I hope it helps and if you have any questions feel free to email me at rabiddustbunny@gmail.com. My husband was born and raised in the Austin and San Antonio area, we lived there together for two years and plan to return as soon as the military will allow him to. I personally loved it there but I know how scary it can be to leave home and wonder where you will get care. Best of luck to you!

Oh no, I'm sorry about your experience with Celiacs and it going undiagnosed. How frustrating.

On the other hand, I'm glad to hear you had a mostly positive experience with the clinic/hospital/ and SA and Austin as a whole.

Thanks so much for your input and encouraging words, and for your email address!! I will most likely be emailing!

Autumn 33w/CF

 

[njlins]

Autumn, I assume you are looking for an adult CF center. If so, it is well worth the drive to go to Baylor in Houston. I have heard of other CF patients that left the San Antonio center for Baylor since it is far superior to San Antonio. In fact, just this week there was a conversation of Baylor that received many glowing accounts of the Baylor program.
San Antonio is one of my favorite places. It has a lot of history, places to visit, great eating options and shopping. It has good weather and is much more pleasant, n my opinion, than Nebraska. You can go online to search out their average temperatures and other information. But for a CF clinic Baylor is not that far away. Many people make the trip and it is well woth it.

 

[jewels78942]

Autumn,

Welcome to Texas!! If you look up" Marni Paul Specialty Care Clinic at Dell"you will find all the information you need on the care team. My daughters physician is Dr. McWilliams he is amazing!! As well as everyone else on the team. We have had the pleasure of seeing Dr. Fulmer when we were hospitalized and he is the adult cf doc and he was great as well!!! Dell hospital itself is a children's hospital however the cf clinic is adjacent to the hospital if adults need to be hospitalized they are admitted to Seton Main which is also wonderful! Also i have a friend who goes to the adult cf clinic in Temple Tx at Scott and White Hospital. If research and trials are more your interest may look into this clinic their research and development department are amazing and far more advanced then Austin and Houston
Good luck and prayers with your family as you start your new adventure !!

<3 Best Wishes
Juliet

 

[triples15]

Autumn,

Welcome to Texas!! If you look up" Marni Paul Specialty Care Clinic at Dell"you will find all the information you need on the care team. My daughters physician is Dr. McWilliams he is amazing!! As well as everyone else on the team. We have had the pleasure of seeing Dr. Fulmer when we were hospitalized and he is the adult cf doc and he was great as well!!! Dell hospital itself is a children's hospital however the cf clinic is adjacent to the hospital if adults need to be hospitalized they are admitted to Seton Main which is also wonderful! Also i have a friend who goes to the adult cf clinic in Temple Tx at Scott and White Hospital. If research and trials are more your interest may look into this clinic their research and development department are amazing and far more advanced then Austin and Houston
Good luck and prayers with your family as you start your new adventure !!

<3 Best Wishes
Juliet

Thanks so much Juliet!

I'm so glad to know you've had a good experience!! Switching centers is SO scary. So I'm really glad to hear that a few people have had good experiences with Dr. Fullmer and the hospital!

Thanks again for you welcome and kind words.

Autumn

 

[triples15]

Autumn, I assume you are looking for an adult CF center. If so, it is well worth the drive to go to Baylor in Houston. I have heard of other CF patients that left the San Antonio center for Baylor since it is far superior to San Antonio. In fact, just this week there was a conversation of Baylor that received many glowing accounts of the Baylor program.
San Antonio is one of my favorite places. It has a lot of history, places to visit, great eating options and shopping. It has good weather and is much more pleasant, n my opinion, than Nebraska. You can go online to search out their average temperatures and other information. But for a CF clinic Baylor is not that far away. Many people make the trip and it is well woth it.

Yes, I've heard such wonderful things about Baylor, and was reading that other thread thinking, "I wish SA was a TINY bit closer to Houston". My doc here went to school in Houston and he said the drive from SA into Houston is absolutely terrible, and by no means do I need to drive to Houston to clinic. He really feels like SA and Austin are both good options. So, I don't know. I'm not surprised to hear that people drive to Houston at all though. And, in fact, I think I would, but I have a 2 year old daughter and being hospitalized 3+ hours from home would be a total nightmare. As far as the trip for clinic, I think it would be totally doable. It's something I'll definitely have to ponder. Maybe I try SA or Austin, and if I'm unhappy, make the trip to Houston? That's kind of where my thoughts are right now.

I'm so glad to hear you like SA! I have checked out the averages temperatures online, and the winters look great! Summers a bit hot, but like I said, it gets hot/humid here. I'm really hoping we love it!

Thanks again,

Autumn