Gotta Love the Stones

Those who know me know that I'm not a music buff, so I couldn't really be talking about the Rolling Stones. Unfortunately, I'm talking about gall bladder stones and how they are currently affecting the woman I love. No, I'm not talking about Sarah Evans.

We are currently in the middle of probably a 2-3 day stay at Baptist Hospital. Leah's prognosis was initially gall stones as well as a blocked bile duct (which comes off of the gall bladder, apparently), but now bloodwork seems to be improving to indicate that the stone causing the blockage has passed. But a test this morning to see how things are passing through the gall bladder (they weren't) still seems to indicate a blockage. So an MRI was done tonight to determine which is the case. If there is indeed still a blockage, then Leah will have to undergo a procedure called Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP, for short). A day later, then the gall bladder will most likely be removed. If the ERCP isn't needed, then the gall bladder will be the only procedure necessary.

Of course, all of this is made much more, uh, complicated and strategic, with the care of a 12-week old infant. We were also planning a trip to Louisville next weekend, so right now I'd say that trip is questionable at best. Keep Leah in your thoughts and pray that things are as uncomplicated as possible for Leah--From my standpoint, it is such a helpless feeling to see her hurting, hungry, nauseated, etc and not be able to do anything to fix it.

UPDATE (Sunday night, 10:41PM): Things are going as well as possible thus far. The MRI done last night was clear, indicating that the blockage was gone--so in all probability, the stone that was in place on Friday night (and causing her so much pain) either passed on or worked itself back into the gall bladder. Leah is scheduled to have surgery in the morning to have her gall bladder removed, and the preferred surgeon (who is highly regarded and even had the "I'd want him doing my surgery" endorsement from the gastroenterologist) will be doing it. He initially said he couldn't do it because of a full schedule, but another case was cancelled or postponed, thus opening a time slot for Leah. I'll keep everyone posted, but please keep her in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow around 10AM. The surgery should take 1-2 hours.

Calling Sears, aka The Endless Journey to Information Hell

You ever started out on what you think is and should be a very, very simple task, only to get denied, referred, passed along, and given the runaround at every turn, until such a time that you just wanna wave the white flag and say, "Screw it--it's not THAT important"??

First, a little background info. Leah and I are in the market for a new fridge. Our new house will feature black stove, black dishwasher, and black pseudo-granite-looking countertops. Our "sticks out like a sore thumb" Kenmore refrigerator is white. Plus it's small and we'd like to go ahead and take the opportunity to upgrade. And we'll most likely leave it with the house so as to incentify (that's my made-up word, in case you're wondering) the purchase of our home. So, before we go comparing models and potentially spending $800-$1000 on a brand spankin' new appliance, I'd kinda like to know the specifics of what we have now. Do we have 18 cubic feet of refrigerated glory right now, or 22? What's the breakdown of freezer section vs. "fresh food" section? Basically, all I'm asking for is a simple set of specifications so that I can make an educated decision. I should mention that our current fridge is 6 years old. Literally. Only been off the assembly line for 6 years, let alone how long it sat in a warehouse or in that tall, top-heavy box-carton.

So I start with the first logical step: documentation. I've got the Use & Care Guide, Installation Instructions, and Parts list. Nope. Strike one.

I then call Sears, and finally get somebody who tells me that she can get for me the cubic feet and the original MSRP of the unit. I couldn't care less about the latter, but the former is kind of important. Then she tells me that it's 18 cubic feet, but that's just the fresh food section and doesn't include the freezer portion. I'll have, "You're clueless" for $500, Alex. Her song was basically, "That model is too old........I have current product info, however."

I also know that Whirlpool makes a lot of appliances for Sears. So I called Whirlpool. "Yes, we did indeed make that unit. But our system doesn't allow Sears model numbers--theirs are all numbers and our model numbers have numbers AND letters." Oh, sorry about that. I was told to call Sears. I've already done that, but humor me and give the number that you have.

1-800-blah blah. Press 1 for service or parts, press 2 for all other calls. I'm an "all other" call, right? "Well, I think we can probably give you that info, but you pressed the wrong thing. Call back and select 1." I said, "You mean the 'Parts and Service' line?" "Yeah, it's a customer service line." Oh, ok. So I call back and select 2 this time.

"Do you have the model number?" Yes, I do. "Yeah, see....we don't have that information. That refrigerator was actually made by Whirlpool, and you may wanna......" I interrupted--"I've already talked to them. " I think I really bursted her bubble. "It might be on our website." Nope, try again--just the parts list and copies of the pictures that I already have. "Oh, okay then. Well, we have this other area that does diagnostics and has diagrams and such......You may wanna talk to them. They should have it. I'll transfer you."

As all of this is transpiring, I'm simply flabbergasted that I cannot get ANY info on a model that has probably been in service for 5 to 5 1/2 years. If it was on the first page of my Use and Care book, and I had misplaced it, then I'd be frustrated but I would have myself to blame. But why does it seem like this info is so closely guarded and treated like the Coca Cola recipe or KFC's 11 herbs and spices?!

So I'm transferred over. I get this sad story about how they have these books with product info that are generally only good for 2 years. I'm like, "I'm not calling for a WWII era icebox or anything--why can't I get this info?!?! Did I miss it? Is it in the booklet?" No way. He tells me that it was probably on a sticker that was on the unit when it was new. Oh, I see then. So if you don't a) buy it off of the showroom floor, or b) have the forethought to save some annoying little sticker, then you're absolutely out of luck should you ever want simple information about your beloved appliance.

The sad thing is.........I think these people could probably have given me the thread count of the 13 screws in the handle, or told me whether a factory in Poughkipsie NY or Kalamazoo MI made the freakin' thing, but nobody can tell me the capacity of my refrigerator and freezer section. I guess we'll just have to "eyeball it", make an educated guess, and hope to heck that Leah doesn't want one with the KENMORE name!!!