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places to stay in NYC during surgery at HSS?

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  • places to stay in NYC during surgery at HSS?

    Hi All-

    I am wondering if anyone has suggestions for cheap places in NYC for families to stay when their children are having surgery. My daughter has her surgery at HSS (with Dr. Boachie) on June 13th. I was told that she would have to be in the hospital for 6 days. I imagine that I will be with her at all times but it might still be useful to have a place to keep my stuff, shower, change and all that (no?) . Hotels are basically unaffordable for me. Any ideas?

    Sam

  • #2
    Bel Aire.....

    Sam----we stayed at the Bel Aire(part of HSS) so you are literally right at the hospital when you roll out of bed for 6am surgery... Then when I went into surgery the next day, my husband stayed one more night there. The room was nice with a kitchenette. His only compalint was it was too close to the hospital meaning he was'nt thrilled seeing everyone walking around in scrubs & hospital attire right outside our door...made him a bit nervous, I guess....Ly.....not like a vacation,,,,,

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    • #3
      Thanks, Lynne. It will probably be just me with my daughter so it's great to know that there's a place right there. Do you recall how much it cost to stay there for a night?

      sam

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      • #4
        about 200 a night-nyc prices.....you can check HSS website & call the Bel Aire.....you may be able to find a hotel that is a bit less...but this is convenient & you don't want to be walking far at night as I suspect you'll be visiting her for dinner time too....Ly

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        • #5
          NYC hotel prices

          Bel Air quoted me $280 / night; another choice is the Helmsley Medical Tower near HSS, at 1320 York Ave, New York, NY 10021, (212) 472-8400, which charges $220 per night. They are equipped with kitchens.

          Both these places are residence hotels somehow affiliated with the hospitals in the neighborhood, thus they do not charge the hotel tax of approx 14% of the room rate plus the flat rate of $2 - $5 per head for each night. A 3-star hotel in Manhattan easily costs $300 or more per night, plus the add'l taxes & fees, so I think $220 is a bargain, especially as it is in a relatively quiet part of town and a 5-minute walk to HSS.

          Another option is a furnished corporate apartment - you can find them on the web - I had a 1-br, fully equipped apt. in a beautiful building on west 43rd last June that cost me about $2,100 total (again, no taxes because it was not a hotel) for 10 nights (they might require a minimum number of nights so that may not be suitable for you). They have locations all over town, including upper east side.
          As of 12/25/07, age 62, 100* thoracic kyphosis, 73* L1-S1 lordosis, 37*/25* compensatory S-curve scoliosis. On 12/26/07, Dr. Boachie @ HSS NYC did 11 hours ant. & post. procedures, fused T2-L2, kyphosis now 57*, scoli 10*. Regained 2 1/4 inches in height!! Improving every day.

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          • #6
            thanks

            Hi Janet,

            Thanks for the info. I know that my daughter will be in HSS for 6 days but she may not be ready for a flight home right after after being discharged from HSS so the corporate apt may be a good choice.

            Do you know if health insurance covers the cost of residence in another city when someone (or, their family member) is undergoing medical procedures?

            Thanks for sharing the info.

            Sam

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            • #7
              Just a suggestion - have you asked if there are hospital discounts at the hotels? In various cities we've been to for surgery, several hotels near the hospitals offer a discount if you are there for medical reasons. You may need to get a letter from the doc, but that's easily done. In one hotel, the hospital discount was half the regular price. Good luck. Continued best wishes to you on this journey.
              Carmell
              mom to Kara, idiopathic scoliosis, Blake 19, GERD and Braydon 14, VACTERL, GERD, DGE, VEPTR #137, thoracic insufficiency, rib anomalies, congenital scoliosis, missing coccyx, fatty filum/TC, anal stenosis, horseshoe kidney, dbl ureter in left kidney, ureterocele, kidney reflux, neurogenic bladder, bilateral hip dysplasia, right leg/foot dyplasia, tibial torsion, clubfoot with 8 toes, pes cavus, single umblilical artery, etc. http://carmellb-ivil.tripod.com/myfamily/

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              • #8
                Hi Carmell-

                That thought did cross my mind. I was able to get a discount when we used to go to UCSF but I haven't checked out that possibility in NYC yet. That's on my list of things to do for this weekend.

                Thanks for the wishes. I will keep you posted.

                Best,

                Sam

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                • #9
                  good luck on discounts...that's what I thought but did'nt get any breaks at the Bel Aire at HSS...sorry.....save up if you are staying a while...Ly

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                  • #10
                    craig's list rules!

                    Hi All,

                    I thought I would share that I found quite a few listings on Craig's list for places to stay in NYC near the Hospital for Special Surgery that are more affordable than the Bel Aire facility. There are sublets and temporary accomodations (not fancy, but adequate) for as low as $80 per night within a mile of the hospital. They don't offer any discounts for patients but they are definitely cheaper than the Bel Aire facility at the hospital.

                    Thanks, Janet, for reminding me to check on the web.

                    Sam

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                    • #11
                      Sam, I would suggest Helmsley Medical Tower. Call 1-800-HM-TOWER or (212) 472-8400 for rate information. The HSS housing option is very convenient, but costs $60 more per night.

                      P.S. I don't think insurance covers accomodations, but you may be able to write it off on taxes, or you can pay for it using your medical spending savings account, if you have that through work.
                      Last edited by susannajon; 03-20-2007, 08:44 AM.
                      Susanna
                      ~~~~~~
                      Mother of a 17 year old daughter. Her "S" curve was 40 degree thoracic from T3 to T9, and a 70 degree rotatory thorcolumbar from T9 to L4. She was operated on March 9th, 2005 by Dr. Boachie-Adjei at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC. She was fused from T11 to L3, using an anterior approach, and the major curve corrected to 20 degrees. She's doing great!

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                      • #12
                        Hi Susannajon,

                        I just called HM Tower and they quoted me $215, which is definitely cheaper than Bel Aire (the HSS facility). Thanks for that tip.

                        How long did you have to stay in NYC for your daughter's surgery? Also, did they let you stay in the hospital during the night?

                        Sam

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                        • #13
                          that price sounds good for NYcity.....My husband said to say that the Bel Aire was ok but not that big a room & nice but not luxurious....plus as I said you'll see a lot of Dr's in scrubs & all......Ly

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                          • #14
                            Hi sam_newyork,

                            Yes, one parent can stay in the room with the child. My husband and I alternated each night. One of us slept at the Bel Aire facility, and one of us stayed with her in her room. If at all possible, I would suggest you do the same. You will sleep very little or not at all in the room. Between your daughter's discomfort, the noise, lights, and activity, and the uncomfortable sleeping chair and alternating heat and cold, it will be rough. You will need every other night at the hotel to catch up. I don't know your whole story, so I apologize if I misspeak, but if you are a single parent, I strongly urge you to solicit the support of a friend or relative to go with you and alternate nights, or if that's impossible, at least provide respite during the day. You are going to be emotionally and physically exhausted from this experience, and you will need your strength to stay well and take care of your daughter when you get home.

                            We stayed in the room a total of 8 nights. Our daughter's surgery was anterior, so a little extra recovery time was needed. The first day we arrived, we had her pre-op check-in. Our daughter spent the night with us, and checked in for surgery the next morning at 6 AM.

                            You will feel like you can't leave her alone for a second the first few days, and you will NEED to get away and take a walk, get some non-hospital food and fresh air. Even with two parents, we had my dad and stepmom come up and give us a break one night about day 4, so we could go out to dinner, and sleep a full uninterupted night together.

                            We drove straight home 4 hours after being discharged. We just made sure she got her dose of pain meds about one hour before discharge, so she was fully medicated before she had to take a bumpy ride in the wheelchair. The hospital let us steal a bunch of pillows to pad the seat, and the ride home was fine. She slept the whole way.

                            Sam, I have a list of helpful hints for the hospital and when you get home that I'd be glad to share. Just let me know if you want me to email it to you. PM me with the particulars. Best of luck to you and your daughter!

                            Susanna
                            Susanna
                            ~~~~~~
                            Mother of a 17 year old daughter. Her "S" curve was 40 degree thoracic from T3 to T9, and a 70 degree rotatory thorcolumbar from T9 to L4. She was operated on March 9th, 2005 by Dr. Boachie-Adjei at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC. She was fused from T11 to L3, using an anterior approach, and the major curve corrected to 20 degrees. She's doing great!

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                            • #15
                              thanks, susanna

                              Dear Susanna,

                              Thanks for taking the time to respond. Your post was exactly the kind of information I was looking for. You are correct - I am a single parent, but blessed with wonderful friends and family. Unfortunately none live in NYC but one of my friends *may* be able to come up for the first four days so hopefully we will be OK.

                              I am relieved to know that you were able to drive 4 hours after your child was discharged. My daughter's surgery will be a posterior one. We will have to take an hour long flight home after she is discharged, so hopefully that will not be too stressful for her.

                              Thanks for offering to share information about the hospital stay. I actually read one of your earlier posts on what to take to the hospital and found that VERY helpful. I am planning to print it and use it once we get closer to the date. I will most likely have additional questions for you, so I will definitely send you a PM.

                              Thanks again for all your help.

                              Sam

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