I’ve lost an Air Conditioner

A month or so ago, I shared a rather personal experience that I did not think I would post on this blog. I wrote about my experience with bariatric surgery. At the time I was not sure if I was comfortable sharing this with the world. In the end I forced myself to post it so I couldn’t hide behind it. Today, I have no problem telling anyone and everyone about it. It changed my life. And it likely saved my life.

So let’s start with that last statement. Am I being over-dramatic? Here’s how Dr. Louis “The Best Doctor in the World” Christifano explained it to me. About 5 years ago I started high blood pressure medication - this after a lifetime of being 120 over 70. About 3 years ago I started cholesterol medication - this after a lifetime of 160 to 170 cholesterol levels. If this was not fun enough, I could look forward to diabetes, joint pain, and if I was lucky, I would dodge the risks associated with the heart disease. He definitely opened my eyes. I was killing myself. Sure, I might live to my retirement, but I was decreasing my odds.

My thoughts turned to what’s most important to me – my family. If I prematurely made my wife a widow, she’d kill me. And then there are my two beautiful girls. While I am not looking forward to paying for two weddings, I am counting on being there to walk them down the aisle and to dance with them at the reception. Lastly, I saw my father dream about a life in retirement, only to have those dreams stolen from him by dementia. I may not be able to prevent dementia, but I can do something about my current situation.

So I asked Dr. C about bariatric surgery. He did not even pause. He said go for it. The benefits far outweigh the risk and complications. He had numerous success stories, most of which resulted in the patients going off their blood pressure and cholesterol medications. Many suffering from diabetes are now a picture of health. That’s one of many reasons why I think he is the best. He never preached to me about weight. He instead continued to focus on my health, how I feel, and complications/issues that likely lie ahead for me. More doctors should be like this.

So now I go back to what maybe was holding me back from telling my story. I hate the term “weight loss surgery.” It promotes the misconception that surgery is a solution to being overweight. The fact is that no one wants to be overweight. No one consciously wakes up each and every morning and says “I want to be fat!” There are dozens of reasons why people suffer from obesity. Some are physiological. Some are psychological. Some are emotional. None are solved by someone who is healthy and fit saying, “Quit eating so much and get some exercise.” It may sound that simple, but believe me, it’s not. It  makes about as such sense as me saying “Quit being such an a__hole and get a decent personality.”

I refuse to call it weight loss surgery. I call it life-saving surgery. I didn’t make the decision to have this procedure to lose weight. I made the decision to do it because I want to be healthy, and I want to dance with my girls at their wedding.

My FB friend Julie sent me this. It is six weeks from my pre-surgery heaviest, and I’ve lost a 5000 BTU air conditioner. Not sure I want to lose any more. I don’t want to have to discuss the next tier.

Do You Want Them Installed?

I started the research of replacement windows with a review of the information on Consumer Reports. My dad wouldn’t buy anything that cost more than $100 without first researching it on Consumer Reports. The nice thing about CR is that it does not accept advertising dollars. This eliminates the perception that advertisers receive higher ratings. CR offers a great primer on replacement windows, and it also rates some of the basic manufacturers, but not all.

One key thing that I learned from CR, and this was reiterated by several other sites, is that you will greatly reduce your risk of problems down the road if you select a supplier that also handles the installation. I could have bought the windows from a home improvement company or a manufacturers rep, but if I have a problem two years from now and the company is out of business, I am looking at a huge hassle to get it resolved. If I manage to get the window manufacturer to buck up for a product warranty (and they could easily say it is an installation issue), I’m still responsible for the labor cost on the fix.

Next I did some checking on Window World. You may have seen their commercials (with the very “easy on the eyes” Kathy Ireland) or their billboards advertising the “$189 installed” replacement window. I didn’t have to do much research to confirm that I did not want $189 replacement windows. If I were selling my house in the next 90 days, or if it were a rental, I might think about it. I do not want to pay for the inefficiency of these windows (or the installation) via utilities, and I do not want to replace them in 5 to 6 years. Based on what I read, I could expect to pay between $600 and $800 for a quality product. For 14 windows, I calculated my budget to be a maximum of $11,000.

Based on manufacturers that handle the installation, I narrowed it down to three companies- Champion, Pella, and Renewal by Andersen. I set up an appointment with each via their web sites.  All three were able to come up within a few days. All wanted 90 minutes to 2 hours for their pitch and to measure. I could only give them 60 minutes. Time is valuable. If I am giving you my valuable time so you can try to sell me, please respect my time. All three would provide an estimate when they left.

Champion – this was my first appointment. They sales rep arrived right on time. He gave me the overview of the company, some basic “value” features of their product, and answered a few questions. I respected his style in that he didn’t force anything, and he listened to my questions. As we walked the house so he could measure, he kept coming back to the cues that I provided as key issues in my decision process. He was in and out in an hour, and I had a written estimate in hand when he left. The” all in” price from Champion was ~$9,800 (or about $700/window). One huge selling point, Champion offers a lifetime transferrable warranty. Since they’ve been around for over 50 years, this actually has value.

Renewal by Anderson –The rep showed up on time, but immediately said he would need 90 minutes, and if I could not provide that today, then we should reschedule. Not an option. It was today or nothing. He started talking about the awesome features of their product. RbA only does full frame composite windows, not low maintenance vinyl. It’s truly not an apples-to-apples comparison, but still worth a look. We did the walk through, and he also did much of his pitch during this time.  At the end of the hour he offered a verbal estimate, but first asked for my guess. I jokingly said $15,000 to which he asked if I wanted them installed. The price was over $30,000. Not sure when he left because I passed out.

Pella – My appointment was for 2 PM. At 2:15 I was giving up and thinking he was a no show. He arrived 5 minutes later. I told him I didn’t think he would show up, and he flippantly replied that of course he would show up. Why wouldn’t he show up? Not a good start. He next started by asking baited questions that I viewed as wasting my time. It turns out that Pella could quote 3 options – and he was trying to figure out what he had the best chance of selling. The circular conversation became exhausting, and quite frankly, I was starting to think “screw it.” I finally got him on track and we did the walk through. His flippant attitude started to grow on me. I can appreciate sarcasm, and he was actually pretty good at it. At 3:00, officially the end of his appointment, he finally started working on his estimate. He gave me a verbal quote of ~$9,300, and I had to bug him for a few days before I could get a written quote. The price was a little more than I expected because I received an advertisement that stated a $99 installation promotion. This also appeared on their website. I asked about that, and was told it’s not offered in the Kansas City market. He smiled as he said it, indicating little remorse for the confusion. Perhaps it’s not “Bait and Switch” but it sure felt like it.

Decision time - I can quickly rule out Andersen. I can’t see spending 10% of my home value on new windows. It was between Pella and Champion. Considering the lack of respect for my time (late arrival) and intelligence (condescending questions and questionable advertising tactics), I crossed Pella of the list.

I called the Champion rep, and he came out on the weekend to write up the order. Much respect for that. I would have done the same thing, especially because it was the end of the month.

It’s 7 weeks later and the job is done. The installers arrived right on time (actually a few minutes early) and wasted no time getting to it. They were extremely professional and did the job as if it were their own home. Not sure what I expected, but safe to say that they exceeded my expectations. No damage to the shrubs or lawn, and they took the time to explain the product. The one thing I did not see coming is that I cannot put the wood blinds back up. The way the replacement window slides in reduces the opening by an inch or two on all 4 sides. It also removed the wooden frame at the top where you would mount the brackets. We determined that this is not a huge issue. With new windows that we can easily clean, we don’t have the need to keep them hidden.

So far I am extremely pleased with my decision.  I firmly believe in spreading the word if you get a good value on something. With that, if you are looking for replacement windows, start by contacting Brian Andrade at Champion Windows. He’ll take care of you.

No Sanding Allowed!

About 10 years ago or so, we had hardwood floors put in our kitchen. I love the look and low maintenance of hardwoods. I also like that there are fewer problems for our allergenic/asthmatic daughter. We started thinking about hardwoods for the living room and dining room quite a few years ago. We also thought it would be nice to have hardwood floors in the bedrooms. The carpet should have been replaced 5 years ago, and since we were embarking on new windows, let’s get it all done at once.

I started by doing some research on manufacturers and suppliers. Lumber Liquidators came up with high marks as a manufacturer (for their Bellawood product line) and as a supplier of other brands. I also considered prefinished vs. unfinished. First, I like the look and how you can control where the unique boards go, and I want some cool unique boards installed. Second, I don’t want the mess of the sanding. That said, we next checked out some suppliers (Nebraska Furniture Mart and Joe’s) and didn’t see anything that jumped out as a great deal. Our last stop at Lumber Liquidators is where we hit pay dirt.

It’s an unimpressive store front, located in a warehouse building off the interstate. The showroom is rather small, but things are marked very well and the guys working there are very helpful. We stumbled on a great sale where we found oak hardwoods (20 yr warranty) for less than $3/sq ft. I also found a teak solid wood (40 yr warranty) for less than $5/sq ft. We wound up buying 800 square feet of Spice Oak from Casa de Colour and 220 square feet of Bellawood Golden Teak. Had I not hit this deal, I would have waited to see the material prices if purchased from the installer. Turns out, what I bought is about the same, maybe a little better, than buying through the installer. Next time I’d start with a quote on all the materials from the installer first.

That out of the way, I now had to find an installer. I tried finding the guy that put in our kitchen floors, and he seemingly disappeared. I also called my friend Randall (he’s done tile work for us, and used to do hardwoods). He’s out of the flooring installation business. I called Brad, who’s also done some tile work for us, and got the name of a guy he’s used in his house flipping business. Lastly, and by pure luck I got a referral from a former co-worker. With the installer that Lumber Liquidators recommends, I had three bidders.

I first called the referral from the former co-worker, Travis from Quality Flooring. He came out to provide the estimate and immediately conveyed a sense of trust. He could handle it all (picking up the flooring, moving the furniture, tinting and installing the quarter-round) and he provided a few extras (felt pads, cleaning kit, etc.) He walked through the entire process as he would do it, and pulled out a calendar to provide a timeline of his availability. When he left, I had a written estimate.

Next to stop by was CW Flooring, the company that Lumber Liquidators recommended. Shannon came by, but was running late. If you read my post on windows, you know how I feel about this. In her defense, it was raining and she came in from Belton; and at least she called to tell me she would be late. She was very thorough and precise in her approach. She measured everything to the linear and square foot, so little estimating was done. She even consulted with her husband, who actually does the installs, on transition pieces. About halfway through her visit, I learned that her daughter (around 12 years old I think) was waiting in the car. While I wasn’t worried for her safety in our neighborhood, I still encouraged Shannon to have her come in. It turns that this was a good idea as the poor girl need a rest room break. I also gave her a soda and some cookies since she was waiting for this appointment before they had lunch.  Shannon provided me a written estimate which also including everything, except that her dad would pick up the flooring and I’d pay him in cash, and they would most likely stage some of the furniture as they worked than moving it all at once. They one thing in their favor was the 10% discount from Lumber Liquidators. With that, the two bids were very close.

Lastly, I had Dave from Dave’s flooring come out. His price was 20% less than the other two, but he wouldn’t pick up the flooring and I’d have to have someone else move the furniture. He pretty much sealed his fate when asked how the Bellawood Teak is installed.

It worked out that Quality Flooring could do the install the day after the window installers finished. Perfect timing. Aaron and Daniel showed up right on time, and before I could finish the introduction they were hard at work. Within 3 hours, six rooms of carpet and pad were gone, and the floors were scrapped. Over a three day period I watched the transition occur, and was impressed by their thoroughness and efficiency. Today the floors look awesome. I am indebted to my former co-worker for a very solid referral. Nice to have friends you can trust. And with the results,  I really wish we had done it sooner!

Again, because I value referrals far more than any advertisement or promotional piece, I’m happy to recommend Quality Flooring. Great value and outstanding results. If you need some info or a quote, call Travis at 816.803.7511.

Who Shops At Stores?

Having nailed down the replacement windows and the hardwood floors, I started looking in to the last project, the carpet. I previously stated that we should have replaced the carpet 5 years earlier. That’s an understatement. It was well past due.

While were shopping for hardwoods, we also checked out carpet. Peggy knew “exactly” what she wanted. It’s pretty much what they are putting in all the new homes. This was confirmed by the carpet folks we spoke with. During our shopping experiences, I also started probing on installation costs. The biggest shock is that on stairs, installers charge $2.50 per spindle and $3.00 to wrap the edge. One flight has 4 spindles per stair, and all the stairs are open-edged and need wrapped on both sides. Ouch!

I knew that some folks had a contact that could buy the carpet at contractor prices, and didn’t add much profit to the materials. Instead they made their money on the install, and in the end it’s a good deal. The problem is that after looking around, I learned many of these folks are now doing something different. Result of the economic downturn, I guess.

Fortunately I found two folks I could work with. The first wanted me to pick out the carpet from Joe’s/Weber Carpet and he’d get the discount and do the install. But he couldn’t come by for two weeks. My good friend and former co-worker Tammy Faye recommended Carpet Direct, and gave me the name and number of the regional manager. I reached out to him, and he put me in contact with the local rep, Susan Conway.

Prior to Susan coming out to measure, I emailed her some photos of what Peggy had picked out. She showed up a few days later with some samples, and measured the two halls and the stairs. What was really nice is that she had four or five samples to look at, increasing in quality. I quickly learned that I did not want the cheapest one I was considering, and I didn’t necessarily need the high grade. I picked one in the middle that seemed to be the best value.

A few days later she provided a quote. At less than $2,000 for the carpet and install, it was about $700 less than I estimated from my conversations with NFM and Joe’s.  With this difference, I can’t imagine why anyone would buy from a retail store instead of Carpet Direct. I mailed her a check for the carpet, and she asked that I pay the installer directly.

About the time the windows were being installed, I heard from Susan that the carpet was in. We agreed on the following Monday for the install. This was after the hardwoods were done. I didn’t want the hardwood process messing up the new carpet.

Gustavo showed up on Monday morning with two guys. Like the hardwood crew, they wasted no time getting to it. Not sure I have ever seen three guys work harder, and like the hardwood and window crews, I felt like they took great pride in their work. It was if they were installing them in their own home, and were particular about how it looked. They knocked it out in one day, and again, like the other two crews, did an excellent job on the clean-up.  After they left I looked around at all the changes, and wasn’t quite sure who’s home I was in. Man, it looked nice.

So if you are looking for new carpet, do yourself a favor and start with Carpet Direct. In the Overland Park area, you can reach Susan Conway at (913) 706-8008 or stagerightkc@gmail.com.

Political Meanderings of Many

‘Tis the Season (to alienate friends on Facebook)

This is the year. The year that you may very well piss off a significant percentage of your friends on Facebook. Why? One word – Politics.

I first logged on to Facebook in 2008. I know that it was prior to the Presidential election because I posted a status that said something like “Politics is not a Right and/or Wrong topic. It’s an opinion.” I was surprised at the number of positive responses that received. One person, a 20-something friend of my nieces (preferred political affiliation unknown) commented that this was the most intelligent thing ever posted on Facebook. And that was the most profound response to the most intelligent thing ever posted on Facebook.

Here we are - 4 years later. The vitriol is in full swing. The most extreme FB posts are from friends that I would consider very intelligent. Some are devout Christians. Some are devout Atheists. Some are just devout. I love them all.

Before anyone thinks that I am on “the other side,” I should establish a foundation of what I believe. I grew up in a Republican household. I am still a member of the Republican Party. I married a unionist Democrat, whom I love more than a million chocolate chip cookies. I live in a red state, and you can’t get more red than my precinct in this red state. I somewhat consider myself a Libertarian, meaning that I really don’t want the government in my face, (or my brain, my shorts, or my wallet) any more than necessary. More than any of the above, I consider myself an intelligent individual that refuses to allow the press, social media, or my friends on Facebook the latitude to think that they can sway my opinion in 30 seconds. My pastor (whom I greatly respect) always tells us” not to check our brains at the door” of the Church. I love that about him. He provides the historical context along with the scriptural foundations of his (and His) message. If we don’t agree, he’ll be glad to discuss. But either way, he expects us to use our brain in the analysis of what he tells us. But that’s religion, and the founding fathers of country admonished us not to combine the two (notice I did NOT say ignore one or the other).

So out of respect of your time, here are some key things that I believe: 

· I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

· I believe that life is gray, and not black and white. That means that there are very few absolutes of truth, and more degrees of opinion.

· I respect the rights of individuals based on their preference of a same sex relationship. It’s not a choice, and that is one of the few black and white issues I believe.

· I believe that, for the most part, we all worship the same God. Except atheists. I respect your right NOT to worship, but please don’t waste your time trying to convince believers that we are wrong. In turn, I’ll pray for you, but not preach to you. Deal?

· I believe that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. That means that every photo, graph, table, or passion-infused monolithic statement someone posts on FB can be countered with 15 minutes (or less) of research on the internet. It only takes 0.8 seconds to click the “share” button on Facebook. The Newtonian response is that it takes only 0.8 seconds for folks to think that you will share the first thing that you agree with that is posted on the internet. Ever consider it may not actually be true?

· I love that the election of Barack Obama symbolizes a partial, but albeit significant, realization of The Dream.

· I do not agree that the above realization should translate to carte blanche socialist changes in our governing system.

· I love that our President can publically worship in church and proclaim “God Bless the United States of America.” I also love that no one is making him (or her), or preventing him (or her) do so.

· I do believe that the government is expected to assist its citizens in times of great need and/or distress.

· I do not believe that my tax dollars should contribute to paying the bill for cable with all the movie channels, an iPhone with full data plan, and various other incentives for those that choose not to actively seek employment.

· I believe that all of society is accountable for meeting the needs of charitable organizations. Society should be recognized and rewarded for doing so, and penalized for not doing so.

· I do not believe that the name Barack is more American or normal than the name Mitt (or Newt). Nor do I believe that we should promote or defend a candidate based on their name.

· I do not always believe in the “are you better off today than you were last election” argument. The fact is that economic cycles are not avoidable. Likewise, impacts from economic policies may take years, if not decades (and Presidential terms), to materialize in positive or negative results.

· I believe that the pay and benefits of soldiers should be tied to performance, and not subject to congressional approval.

· I believe that the pay and benefits of elected officials should be tied to performance, and not subject to congressional approval.

· I believe that all Americans should not be hypocrites by condemning individuals (or corporations) for what they themselves are doing (or would do/not do) to advance the financial status of themselves (or their family).

· I do not believe that officers of publicly held corporations should have extreme financial gain at the extreme financial loss of the shareholders. It’s called accountability.

I know that’s probably more than you wanted to know. But it’s critical for two reasons. The first is the obvious. If I see my FB friends tilting to the “I’m right and you’re wrong” mentality, I may eventually question it. Not to make you feel bad about what you believe, but as a “gentle reminder” that your opinion is only an opinion. And that by posting a link to something that supports your opinion, it does not suddenly become fact.

Lastly, I do not hide behind a label of political or religious classification. Instead I tried to step outside of conventional definitions. I encourage each of you to do the same. If that’s not possible, and if you find my suggestions here offensive, then maybe we agree to disagree (or simply disagree).

No Turning Back

July 27, 2012 - “Man, it’s cold. Why is it so cold?” Strangely, that’s about the only thought going through my mind as I was wheeled into the operating room. I vaguely remember a few folks busily tending to their tasks at hand, and all I could think about is how cold it was. I remember two young ladies talking to me, but I don’t really remember everything that they said. I was about to ask them how the surgeon was going to get this done when his fingers are frozen stiff. But that was about the time she told me that I was going to sleep.

Flashback to November 2011. I was sitting in a seminar conducted at the Bariatric Center of Kansas City, led by Dr. Stanley Hoehn. This was the first step in the process of a surgery that would forever change my life. I was there primarily at the recommendation of my primary care physician, Dr. Louis Christifano. (I could write a dozen pages on why he is a fantastic doctor, but that’s another story.) The seminar lasted a couple of hours and was pretty much what I expected. At the end of the night I had not changed my mind, and wanted to move ahead.

The next six months were filled with supervised diet visits required by my insurance company, as well as sessions with Dr. Sabapathy (BCKC’s psychologist), pre-procedure testing, and educational sessions . BCKC is a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. The COE is a requirement of my insurance, and I would not think of using a facility that is not a COE. My personal experience with BCKC is despite the COE certification, they have quite a few areas to improve. More on that later.

“Man, that hurts. Is it supposed to hurt this bad?” When I woke up in recovery all I could think of was the extreme sharp pain in the left side of my stomach. I looked for Sigourney Weaver to shoot whatever was about to erupt from my mid-section. Two things happened that helped me lose this thought. First, they hooked me up to the morphine. Second, they wheeled in another patient who was screaming at the staff to stop his pain. I soon told them I felt great, only so it would get me away from this hysterical man and up to see my family. One of the staff that was becoming a target of his tantrum was more than happy to take me to my room.

My procedure was at Shawnee Mission Hospital in Overland Park, KS. My experience there was exceptional. The staff was absolutely fantastic. I truly felt that my comfort and recovery was a priority. Maybe all hospitals are this way. I hope so.

It’s now 11 days later. Recovery is moving forward. I still have the pain in my left side. It’s likely muscle/nerve related as this was where they removed a portion of my stomach as well as where my drain was placed. I have no regrets for having the procedure done, but I am looking forward to a more normal life. I guess I still have to define that. That’s all part of the journey.

Lastly, I wanted to share my thoughts on the process and my doctors:

Dr. Hoehn – I first met Doctor Hoehn at the seminar. He had someone on his team formally introduce him, and entered the room to applause. I found that unnecessarily pompous and ceremonial, but it’s his show. Other than that, I really have not been able to form an opinion of the man. In the 7 months since I have been a patient in his process, I had a combined total of 20 minutes (maximum) conversation with him. That was during two appointments. I expected to see him before surgery, but did not. The rest of the time is spent with his staff. I assume he is just too busy to spend much quality time with his patients.

That being said, I can say that a personal relationship is not nearly important as having the best possible care. And every bit of research I did told me that Dr. Hoehn is one of the best. I’d rather have the best doctor that I rarely speak with over a mediocre doctor that talks my ear off.

Case Management –The practice assigns a specific member of their staff to serve as your case manager. Their primary function is to make sure that you meet all of the pre-surgery requirements, and they serve as liaison with the insurance company. My case manager was all over the first part of that, but really struggled with the insurance company. My insurance company had changed requirements shortly after I started the program, and dropped the six month supervised diet. It took at least 4 weeks and numerous phone calls to get her to file the authorization request, and only did so after I had the insurance company set up a three way call with her to explain that she can submit the request. I guess that the reason she can’t things straight is that she is overworked.

Dr Sabapathy – I’m not much of a fan of introspective analysis where you can pinpoint all of your problems to specific cause. But I will say that I found the time I spent with him to be very valuable, and critical to my long term success. I found him to be a very approachable guy, and very good at what he does.

I think 95% of any issue or frustration that I experienced with BCKC comes down to communication. They tend to be slow, and often incomplete. I’ll blame that on how busy they are. But that’s still no excuse.

Would I recommend this procedure to others? So far, absolutely yes.

Would I recommend BCKC  to others? For sure. Despite my frustrations, they have an excellent program. And nobody’s perfect.