this coffee tastes like ass

Post by **Slarti** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 11:08 pm

This is two-week-old ass as of today, but I totally couldn't pass this by without bitching. Labor? It's just as fucking terrible as all the stories.

Babeh's definitely going to be an only child. Nuff said.

tears~fall~like~glass · Tue Jan 18, 2011 11:57 pm

My mom got my grades today.

Post by **JSherlock** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:30 pm

My parents are forcing me to take 15 units a semester. Which means I'll be done within 3-4 semesters. I'm doing all English. I will be writing and reading until my eyes and fingers bleed.

Angelique · Post by **Angelique** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:43 pm

My souvenirs from a lovely day out in the snow- a neoprene and metal knee brace, a pair of crutches, a prescription for some nasty pain medication, and a resolve to (if I am able) stay true to my nordic skis and never again consider trading them for some flashy new snowboard.

But I do have some good news...

Post by **Slarti** » Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:49 am

This is mostly indirect ass for me, but it does mean I will be alone with babeh for the first time for an extended period tomorrow. (Since I'm also recovering from the c-section, I've had one or the other of my parents here every day Scott's had to work since I can't lift more than the baby, cook much or run up and down the stairs.)

My mom's live-in companion The Italian Boyfriend (tm) hasn't been doing too well since he had pneumonia last fall. Sixty years of smoking finally caught up with him and now he's on oxygen and gets wonky if he's not... yet he is still active enough to be able to trip over the tubing and rip it off his face, leading to more wonky.

They've had several close calls where he's fallen, or lost his oxygen in the night and my mother had to help him. She's essentially become an unpaid caregiver for him, and frankly, he needs to be in a nursing home. Add to this that his son is a prick and has told my mother to shut up when she's suggested he needs help. Friday afternoon, while my mother was here with me, he clogged one of the toilets and wasn't strong enough to get it plunged out. The house flooded. That bathroom, the bedroom attached, the hall, the rec room, laundry room, and another bathroom on the floor below the bedroom were soaked.

Scott spent hours over there with our wet-dry vac trying to clean up while IBF wandered around the house asking for God to kill him now and my mother freaked out. Today the homeowners insurance adjuster inspected the damage. They're now ripping out the ceiling in the basement, ripping up the carpet in the hall and have industrial dehumidfiers all over the house. The hardwood floors may also be ruined and need replacement.

IBF called his son and said he wants to go to a nursing home. My mom doesn't want that and feels guilty, although she knows he really does need to go. Doesn't matter anyway, since his son refused. It's a mess.

tears~fall~like~glass · Thu Jan 27, 2011 6:06 am

My bus to Chicago was half an hour late, which resulted in being half an hour late to Chicago. Okay, no big deal. I get a taxi back to the dorms, and the taxi driver shorted me on change. Whatever. It was only a dollar... that I probably needed because I have no money.

I pass a creepy homeless guy that's muttering to himself, make my way into the building, and scan my ID. Then, security tells me to stop and give them my ID. After she makes some calls, she tells me there's a security lock on my card and asks if I live here. I told her I did all last semester. Phone rings, she hands it to me. Apparently, my fucking academic adviser put my ID on lock to remind me that I have a meeting with her tomorrow at 4:30.

Eventually, they let me through to the elevator, and I realized that I need to get a new roomkey. So, I really hope my roommate is around... except she's not. I have to run back down to security, and they have to come unlock my door.

I finally get into my room and find out that when they did room inspections over break, they tore all my shit off the walls, went through the closet, and through my food.

On top of all this, I have class tomorrow from 9am to 4pm.

...Now, I'm starting to remember why I didn't want to come back to Chicago in the first place.

Ult_Sm86 · Post by **Ult_Sm86** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 7:20 am

@Slarti --

THat blows.

Post by **Slarti** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 5:30 am

Yeeeeah, IBF did $8-10,000 in damage to my mother's house. Also, she's going to have to stay with us for a week while they refinish two rooms worth of hardwood floors.

OMG Tears, they locked your card as a meeting reminder?! Douchey.

[Edited on 28-1-2011 by Slarti]

tears~fall~like~glass · Fri Jan 28, 2011 8:21 pm

So, sitting in my first class for art history this semester... bloody nose.

And yeah, Slarti, that's what they told me at the security desk that night. I went to my meeting yesterday, and I guess they locked my card because one of my teachers reported me missing before winter break. Apparently, they didn't bother to check my attendance in any of my other classes to make sure I wasn't.

[Edited on 1/28/2011 by tears~fall~like~glass]

Angelique · Post by **Angelique** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 2:12 am

Tears, stuff like this makes me regard Idiocracy as much more a cautionary tale than a dystopian comedy.

As for me, a week after my snowboarding mishap, and I still can't walk. I have an MRI for my knee scheduled on Monday and a referall to an orthopedic... surgeon.

Ferguson · Post by **Ferguson** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:01 pm

So, yet again, I need a place to live >< Money's just too late.

Post by **HoodedMan** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 9:42 pm

Suffered a spinal injury (according to the doctor, really screwed up my sacrum, whatever that is) last week and it's really painful. I'm not too happy about having to take Vicodin, but on the plus side, I have a doctor's note that says no bending and minimal lifting for me, so I don't have to clean machines/rerack weights at work!

Angelique · Post by **Angelique** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 5:31 am

HM, I'm so sorry to hear that. Sacrum, yeah, it's that part of the spine just above the tailbone. Hurting it is painful. I'd have preferred if you didn't hurt your back at all, but one medical rule of thumb is the lower down the injury, the better the prognosis. I also think you have a much better outlook regarding your injury than I do about mine.

I'm anxious to get back to work, frustrated that I still can't stand on both feet, hating the hydrocodone, and yet in enough pain that I'm worried about running out.

Take care of yourself.

Post by **Slarti** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 3:22 pm

Jeeeez, Ferg.

Also, ouch on the back, dude. Knees also suck. Two days after I got out of the hospital from the c-section the on-call obstetrician sent me to the ER when I called him on a Sunday to ask why my ankles were more swollen than when I was pregnant and one of my knees hurt. He wanted me checked for a blood clot. Didn't have one, but the ER docs did discover I had a baker's cyst on that knee. It's rather owwy. And I would have appreciated if they'd told me sooner that the ankle thing was normal postpartum.

So, IBF is gone. He moved in with his prick son yesterday. And because of the approaching SNOWMAGEDDON my mom has decided she wants to stay with us for a few days so she's not by herself in the house during the storm. That's okay, but we're afraid she might try to parlay this into trying to move in with us, which is not gonna happen.

Also, my godfather had a heart attack and he's in the ICU with multiple blood clots, some of which the doctors can't get cleared.

Angelique · Post by **Angelique** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 5:03 pm

When it rains, it pours, doesn't it? At least baby is doing well, I hope. And regarding IBF, think of it this way. His prick son may realize just how high-maintenance he is and decide to respect his wished regarding the nursing home.

Angelique · Post by **Angelique** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 1:31 am

More knee-ass.

I had more or less the following conversation.

Nurse: We have your MRI results. You have a bone bruise.

Me: A bone bruise? How can that be?

Nurse: There are no torn ligaments (okay, that's an astounding), but you have a bone bruise.

Me:. But.... I didn't hit my knee on anything. I twisted it.

Post by **Slarti** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 5:38 am

Well, we got a letter from my insurance. The hospital billed the wrong insurance. Dur. Doesn't matter THAT much because I had two insurers for January because we're dinguses and didn't time the cancellation of the old insurance properly. However, the new insurance is supposed to be better so hopefully we would have ended up owing less. Might try to call and see if the new insurance will pick up what the old one didn't...

At any rate, guess how much Miss Kiley cost to bring into the world?

Post by **Freak** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 5:40 am

One million billions!

Post by **steyn** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 5:42 pm

Two million billions!

TechPrincess · Post by **TechPrincess** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 5:47 pm

3 grand?

Post by **Elwing** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 5:54 pm

I'd say somewhere between 5 and 8 grand.

Angelique · Post by **Angelique** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:14 pm

And she's worth every penny, even if your insurance premiums and the hospital stay aren't.

Anyway, I've got a week or two more on crutches, but I have some good news....

Post by **Slarti** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:34 pm

So far, close to $25,000 and we don't have all the bills in yet. Of course, insurance is covering the bulk, but we're still gonna owe the equivalent of a small used car, which is what Scott needs by the way because his car is 11 years old and has over 200,000 miles. He's so hard-headed and attached to that stupid thing that he refused to replace it and now it's getting close to its last legs - just when we don't have the money to replace it.

Scumfish · Post by **Scumfish** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:34 am

Warning. This post contains a lot of frustration, craptons of swearing and a hell of a lot of capslock abuse. Also, long post is a little long.

YOU.

YES. YOU.

YOU WITH THE SILVER SPOON IN YOUR MOUTH.

No. We do not have 'a spare Â£200' lying around for the rent. The agency know this, because unlike YOU, we've actually stayed in contact with them and let them know about the benefits.

No, we do NOT have 'a spare Â£200' lying around because thanks to YOU, we have had to spend what little money we had left keeping this house together with gas and electric, once again meaning we are living in a house where the normal temperature is ONE DEGREE CELCIUS because YOU have run back to Mumsy and aren't giving us ANY FUCKING HELP with packing up and paying the bills.

No. We do NOT fucking well have a fucking 'spare Â£200' lying about because when we got back from Plymouth, not only was there no housemate, there was no gas, no electric and YOU HAD EATEN ALL OUR FUCKING FOOD, BOUGHT YOU AND YOUR GIRLFRIEND EXPENSIVE FUCKING SNACKS AND FOOD AND HADN'T REPLACED ANY OF OURS. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT YOU DIDN'T PAY ANY WATER BILLS AND PUT US IN NEARLY Â£200 WORTH OF CHARGES, YOU STUPID FUCKTARD.

Since we've been back, you've been here a TOTAL of fucking THREE DAYS. THREE DAYS in TWO MONTHS. We've had to pay every bill, buy your fucking cat his fucking food, gone without decent food for those two months (pup and I have lost over a stone between us in weight) and ALL THIS while trying to sort out a place to fucking live because thanks to your stupidity in handling your breakup with your ex, we are being kicked out.

Fuck you, Lu, fuck you and die in a fucking fire. You get to run back to your loaded mother, you who thinks having a credit card with Â£2k limit on it and Â£500 in the bank is fucking struggling. I hope real life bites you in the fucking ass when you once again cost your parents Â£200k in loans for yet another failed uni course.

[TL;DR, Shitty housemate is shitty and expecting us to pay more money when thanks to her we HAVE none.]

...I feel slightly better. Sorry for the explosion.

Post by **Saint Kurt** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 12:34 am

Slarti wrote:So far, close to $25,000 and we don't have all the bills in yet.

It's crazy isn't it?

The surgeon's fees alone (without anesthesia who bill separately) came close to that for my two surgeries (one of which was basically a spay).

My fee for a spay of a dog my size is around $400 and that includes the anesthesia!

(I can't be totally comparative here because obstetrics is a fairly specialized area of veterinary medicine. I don't get to deliver a lot of puppies or kittens. So you'll have to excuse my crude analogy of your daughter being born Slarti, to my experience of nearly the exact opposite that I used in order to make the cost comparison.)

Slarti wrote:Of course, insurance is covering the bulk,

And that makes all the difference.

Somehow we did this to ourselves. I don't know how and I don't know exactly how to fix it, but something about the business of medicine on people is fundamentally different than with animals . All I know is that that I use the same drugs, same instruments, and the same diagnostics as we do in human medicine; yet I charge a fraction of the cost.

And yes, when I sit down and think it through, physicians and hospitals do incur additional costs that I don't pay: My malpractice insurance is much lower and I don't need to pay to employ people just to deal with insurance companies. Two residents (MDs) aseptically gloved and prepped with a disposable pack just to remove my sutures (incurring the cost of supplies and training whereas I wash my hands and use clean reusable instruments). Not to mention human medicine is very decentralized which means a single doctor has very little control over the entire bill like I do in my clinic. So I understand that there are some very big differences.

Still, I wonder - why is the gap so so huge? It floors me every time I think about.

-e

And to add: I realized that the tone of this post makes it sound like I disagree with paying so much. I don't necessarily. I accept the reality that this is how it is. I'm just sharing in the sticker shock. (While at the same time wondering how I can get in on that 3000% mark up.

)

[Edited on 3/2/2011 by Saint Kurt]