toddcarruth.com

So, remember when I saw the Stones, err, had those kidney stones and the pain was so bad that I went to the emergency room at 4 in the morning even though I didn’t officially have any health insurance?

Yeah, um, I got the bill.

Anybody want to guess? You, in the corner with your hand up. What say you? $500? Ah, if only….

Try $4227.85.

Now, to their credit, the hospital did discount the bill by 30% on account if me not having any insurance and so that drops it down to a still eye opening $2959.50.  Whew. A hair under $3000! That was close. Ooops, wait a second. I just got a second bill from the Consultants in Radiology charging me $356.  I guess we are going over the big 3k after all.

I have already ordered an itemized bill but for now, let’s delve a little bit closer and see how the basic charges break down.

• $118 for the pharmacy.  - I gots no argument with that one. That drug they injected me with was glorious.  In fact, I would have paid double for a take home needle.
• $79 for the lab/urology.  - again, no big deal. It’s lab work. I can respect that. I hated my lab work in college. That’s why I got a C in geology.
• $3090 for the CT Scan. - Ding ding ding. There’s the culprit. I called the hospital billing department and when the lady answered, I said, “Hi, I apparently bought a CT Scanner and so I was wondering when I could come by and pick it up.”   Silence.   Maybe she had heard that joke before?  What justifies a charge of over $3000 for a scan! That doesn’t even include the “consultant” fee.  Are they still paying it off? Is my payment going to allow them to finally repaint it an eggshell white?
• $922 for the emergency room. - Wow, another one that is way too high. They didn’t even have cable in the room. Or a TV.  And I was only in there for less than 2 hours.
• $17.75 for drug/detail code. - I am guessing this is the charge to match up the right drug with the right code? What’s the code for awesome drug that made my pain go away so fast. You know what? I won’t quibble over this one either because I want those codes to match.

So there you go. I will be performing the best traffic reports of 2007 on the corner of  Stemmons and Inwood for the next 3 weekends and passing the hat afterwards to help pay for my delightful 2 hour stay at HEB’s priciest hotel with benefits.

DISCLAIMER: I actually have no complaints about the CARE and TREATMENT that I received. I found everyone very professional and my nurse was understanding and helpful.  I am just a little shell shocked by the bill. Fortunately, I am in a position to be able to file for COBRA benefits, unlike many Americans who don’t have that luxury.   If you have any inside knowledge on why these prices are so high feel free to comment or email me.

Someone turned me on to this site the other day at work.  It’s some sort of the conference that deals with Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.

The video that caught my attention deals with a gentleman named Benjamin Zander….”Benjamin Zander has two infectious passions: classical music, and helping us all realize our untapped love for it — and by extension, our untapped love for all new possibilities, new experiences, new connections.”

I like most classical music and the fact that the Chopin song he plays in this presentation is one that I learned oh-so-long ago helped make this short video absolutely brilliant (in my opinion).

If you have a few minutes, I strongly encourage you to check it out.

TED and Benjamin Zander on music and passion (opens to a new window)

Hey, I made it back safe and sound.  I was really lucky that I had about 4 hours to kill on Tuesday and got a chance to actually walk around the “mall” and see some great landmarks. The only other NE city reference I have is New York,NY and so Washington is pristine by comparison and I had a good time.  Nothing wacky really happened although I did get recognized at the DFW airport by the TSA.  I thought I was going to get hassled because I had all this camera equipment but all the guy did was look at my license and then say, “Are you the dude on that show?” I just smiled and nodded and he said, “I thought so. That’s a good news show.”   I said that I liked it and went right through the security line without any issues.

See, it pays to be a former pseudo celebrity traffic reporter.

Friend of mine, Danny, made a comment that I was rebelling against TV news by growing out my goatee/chin beard.  Well, after 4 years of having to shave every day, he’s exactly right! I guess the more hair I lose on my head, the more I will grow on my face.  Expect a full beard next year.  (kidding.  I hope.)

Took 3 pictures before my fat head stopped blocking Lincoln. For some reason, I was surprised by the crowds around all the landmarks.  I guess I was in my own little bubble where I think nobody else would be interested in doing the same things that I do.  Duh, gee, you mean other people might want to visit our nation’s historical landmarks? Wow.  Oh and see the guy with the red stripe shirt.  I just noticed this very second that he makes another appearance in my photos.

Doesn’t this look like a postcard. I like the framing with the green green grass and the wispy clouds touching the top of the monument.

Little bit of color manipulation highlighting the view from Lincoln’s steps.

Remember the guy in the red shirt? Here he is again at the Vietman Veterans Memorial Wall.  There are 58,256 names, including 8 women. Approximately 1,200 of these are listed as missing. I checked the directory and guess what I found?

Now I don’t/didn’t know any Dave S. Carruth Jr but it was still pretty powerful to have a connection with someone who died fighting in that war even if it was just through a common last name. I can’t imagine what his family went through.

Well, that’s it for now as I end on a shot where I actually look somewhat skinny and tall. Imagine that. I put a new lame poll up in the right corner so go pick your favorite answer now before it closes!

0617081556.jpg
What is that thing on my chin?

Where’s Bush? Greeting from our nation’s capitol. I am here for 3 days for a video shoot and I got a chance to go sight seeing today for a few hours. (This is a quick pick from my camera phone. I forgot the cable I needed to upload pictures from my real camera but I did get some cool shots. Show u later!)
1st impression of Washington?

• Cleaner and greener than I expected.
• Lots o’ joggers and bikers
• Diverse population - all colors here and fairly friendly.
• Washington Monument is NOT solid white. More grayish and beige.

I must have walked about 8 miles today. Saw the White House, the Washington Monument, Vietnam Memorial , Korean War Memorial and the new World War 2 Memorial. Very impressive. Had some great italian food tonight and so I’m fat and happy. Oh and by the way. The hight today was about 80. Hows that 95 plus heat working for you, Dallas? (just kidding)

Well, it was kidney stones. As in more than one. Earlier I wrote a post about a horrific pain that floored me last week and I wasn’t sure if it was my new office chair or the stones, man! Well, a long painful trip to the emergency room at 4 in the morning on Saturday confirmed some other people’s suspicions that it was indeed the male version of giving birth (in terms of pain). Ah, dammit, it’s more than one. In fact, I have two on the right side and two on the left. The two guys on the left are still in the kidney just chillin’. The two on the right are making their little incredible voyage down to my bladder and seriously, it’s like a dull knife has been jabbed into your right lower back and then somebody gives it a twist now and then. And you can’t just sit still cause that makes it worse. At least if you move, it takes your mind off the pain but you have to keep moving. I ended up cleaning my bathroom at 1 in the morning. The Tylenol Codeine wasn’t working for me and so I finally had to call my sainted mother to come drive me to the hospital. I really really didn’t want to go but I had to have something for the pain. Now here’s what really sucks. I just started a new job. That means no insurance for a month. I’m in limbo so to speak. Luckily, I can pay about $400 for COBRA to kick in and cover any medical issues but couldn’t I have just waited until July to have a stones attack? By the way, hats off to HEB Medical Center in Bedford. Everybody was very nice. They took care of me fairly quickly and I’m not sure what drug they gave me to kill the pain but it was AWESOME. I’ve seen so many episodes of Scrubs, I kept expecting JD to show up and daydream. But he didn’t. Speaking of Scrubs, somebody let Sarah Chalke know that I am available. Wow. Anyway, I got a prescription for Vicodin (look out Sweet Greggo) and instructions to drink lots of water and and use a strainer. You know, a strainer when I go so they can see what the composition of the stone is. The only strainer I have is for spaghetti and I was planning on making Italian food this week. Besides those holes are awfully big.

UPDATE: I have had two “pain episodes” since Saturday and so I’ve cleaned the kitchen and folded all the laundry. If have one more, I plan on vacuuming the entire house.