Place Your Bets

Ok.....so more like place your guesses. The word "bet" seems to imply that if you win you get a prize. Yeah.... We all know how on top of things I am, so I don't want to leave another person hanging. (And yes, Priscilla and Tara I am aware that you are anxiously awaiting your prizes. They will come...eventually. Just don't hold your breath. They are in my house. The prizes just seem to lazy to leave. I'll have to kick them out soon.)

Danny & I are still awaiting Sara's final bill from her hospital experience. "Experience" sounds more fun, doesn't it? So I'm curious, what do you think it might be? I will give you a little background to help you form a decision.

-My hospital bill for basically just sitting on my butt for almost 6 weeks, a few tests, and giving birth was around $119,000.

-With the few partial statements that have trickled in, Sara's bill is up to at least $300,000. (Mind you, the statements barely cover anything.

-Sara was in the NICU from October 1, 2009 until January 15, 2010. Danny & I once read in an OLDER book that a bed in the NICU could run around $2000 a day!!!!

-For at least 2 weeks, she was on a ventilator. This is the most intensive breathing aid. (She wasn't breathing on her own.)

-What was written on her discharge papers as her "discharge diagnosis"(everything she had or experienced):

-ASD (basically a hole in the heart)

-prematurity (30 weeks)

-Suspected NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis, literally means "death of tissue" and "inflammation to the small and large intestines" This was NOT fun thinking she might have it. The small progress she was making at the time was set back pretty far.)

-anemia

-apnea of prematurity (short episodes of stopped breathing)

-unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia (Don't you love medical terms. To put it simply: jaundice)

-Retinopathy of prematurity (potentially blinding eye disorder)

-suspected sepsis

-apnea and bradycardia, Respiratory Distress Syndrome

-massive reflux (They finally thought Sara might have bad acid reflux after they tried to discharge her twice & on both those days she decided she didn't want to breathe anymore. I believe they said around 7% would be a high amount of acid reflux occurence. Sara had 50%.)

-Coxsackie/Rhinovirus infections (hand, foot & mouth disease and the common cold, When she had these, we have to dress up like doctors with the mask, gown, & gloves. I was quite amused by playing dress up.)

-Sara had numerous tests including ultrasounds, echocardiograms, Xrays. She had to have 2 spinal taps. I lost count of how many IVs she had. Remember, they would charge for every material they used on her. One time, it took them at least 5 times to get an IV in. Grumble, grumble.....

-Finally, due to Sara's acid reflux causing "life-ENDING episodes" she had to have surgery to basically wrap the stomach around the esophagus to prevent acid from coming up. While they were there, they also fixed her umbilical hernia.

So, do you have a guess? Did you get lost in all of that? Sorry it was so long but she was in there for a LONG time and rest assured I know I am forgetting some stuff.

What do you think?

PS We have occasionally received notices of how much the doctors would charge to look at her for about 2 seconds to 10 minutes. These would range from around $250 to $1800. Yes, you read that correctly. :)