@njlynn under no circumstances should you worry about offending a doctor by getting a second opinion on surgery. Honestly, I can’t imagine NOT getting a second opinion on surgery. Since you already have the appointment scheduled at NJH, to me, it seems like a no-brainer to get their opinion. Re the GERD testing, you should be able to get this done during the week at NJH, that is one of the real selling points of NJH’s program. It took me almost a year (I am not exaggerating) to get a full GERD/swallow work up in my local system. So, I might look into how quickly you could schedule the GERD testing at NYU as you may be surprised by delay. This could also be used to explain the benefit of a visit to NJH. But I will say this, I had all my testing done in my local system before I went to NJH and I had the impression there were things they missed from my local testing that was significant to my concerns. I have another NTM friend being treated at another NTM specialty clinic who has had the same experience. Because we are with an HMO, we do the necessary testing locally, and it doesn’t all seem to transfer, even when you bring your images, and despite the online access most medical facilities have to our medical records. So, as you mention, their may be true practical reasons why Dr. Adrizzo-Harris wants the necessary testing done at NYU. But I would just ask. If it’s just a matter of making sure you get those tests results/images properly in the NYU database for her reference, then you can get the best instruction on how to do so. If she has another concern, it would be good to know what it is.