week long stay for hospital surgery, then for day/drs visits

Hi pitts. experts,

we are currently in the works of having our son have surgery at UPMC(south side); time frame is unknown as we are on a transplant list and at the mercey of it...we are familiar with Pitts and it%26#39;s surrounding area but having just stayed there and dealing with taxis it was not an easy visit since we elected not to drive back and forth between the Dr.%26#39;s office and our hotel...my big question is given our unknown time for surgery in terms of the possiblity it being months away should i just post this question later or start exploring options?? we would need hotel or rental options for an apporx. week for the intial surgery and then possibly 1-2 day visits for follow-up every two weeks... we are a three hour drive to/from Pitts. so while in the long term drivig back home is doable; the intial surgery/short term we would need to stay in the Pitts. city area to have close proximity to the Dr.

Thanks so much!

week long stay for hospital surgery, then for day/drs visits

Good luck with your son, you%26#39;re coming to the best place even though the distance complicates some things. I wonder if the hospital could suggest any places for you to stay? Here is the page of contact numbers on the hospital website:

upmc.com/HospitalsFacilities/…

The hospital website has a link to hotels nearby:

http://www.google.com/maps?f=l%26amp;hl=en%26amp;q=Hotels%26amp;near=UPMC+South+Side%26amp;ie=UTF8%26amp;z=15%26amp;om=1

but mileage alone can be deceptive because the hotels across the river are going to be significantly harder to get to. The Holiday Inn Express is the most convenient place by far, gets decent reviews on TA, and provides a shuttle service. If you call them, they might be able to assure you they can meet your needs or you may conclude they cannot. My guess is it is a big enough hotel to have rooms available on short notice except in unusual circumstances.

week long stay for hospital surgery, then for day/drs visits

Kalamata, good luck and God bless.

Have you looked into options like Ronald McDonald House? I%26#39;m sure there has to be one in Pittsburgh. I know there is a Gilda%26#39;s Place, but it%26#39;s across the river in the Strip District.

I second the suggestion to contact the hospital and ask for options. They have likely contracted out with several local hotels for ';reasonably'; low rates. There is also Priceline. Many hotels downtown and southside have shuttles which can go out within their general area.

thanks for the replys; yes i have asked at the hospital about near-by hotels and we have considered the Holiday Inn express...not sure about long term stays though..i will do some exploring and check with the hospital closer to our surgery date. I think my biggest concern is going to be that i will want my son to be comfortable where ever we end up, not having to travel much between the hospital and hotel; and limiting the driving time.

Thanks so much for your kind words and suggestions!!!

UPMC SouthSide is not listed as one of the referring hospitals to the Pittsburgh Ronald McDonald house, but it might be worth checking with them to see if it is, as some other UPMC hospitals are listed:

http://www.rmhcpgh.org/requirements.html

thanks so much for that suggestion; i will look into

that too!! the hard part is now in the waiting...

Kalamata

I can%26#39;t help wondering if the kalamata means that you are Greek. Pittsburgh has a great Greek community with several churches. The churches have Philoptochos or womens%26#39; group which would be happy to help out. You can contact the Diocese of Pittburgh and they can give you more information. I know our youth group regularly helps out the Ronald McDonald House and there are several facilities of that sort in Pittsburgh.

vb