Having a healthy boy.... priceless

Apparently, its expensive to have your kid's skull completely remodeled. Who would have guessed? The bills for Max's surgery have started to roll in, and if nothing else, they are good for a hearty laugh, as well as a prayer of thanks for decent insurance and my new four favorite words: "Out of Pocket Maximum." So, in no particular order, here are some of the things that you probably don't want to know about what it costs to have major surgery, five days in the PICU, and a combined eight days at Primary Childrens' Medical Center.


291 minutes in the OR= $4949.91 or approximately $17.01 per minute.

Daily Charge for a room in the PICU= $1185.10 (Should have gotten a room at the Grand America Hotel instead. Cheaper, better beds, better food! And just so you know, this does not include nursing services or anything else. It just includes ths space we took up in the PICU and the air we breathed.)

1 tsp dose of Lortab= $6.18 (1 Bottle of Lortab is a $4.00 generic prescription at Smiths!)

Plates and screws put in Max's skull to remodel it and help keep his new shape: $15007.06

1 Dose of pediatric Versed to prep him for a spinal tap: $429.63 (billed at a half-hour of concious sedation.)

Total Bill from the Neurosurgeon= $6137.68 (Now really, I'm not knocking the guy. I know he's very smart and very skilled. But he was only with my son for an hour!)

Total Bill From the Hospital so far= $47,382.72. We have yet to see a bill from our main surgeon, the anesthesiologists, or the radiologists. I'm betting, by the time all is said and done, we will top out around $75,000.

Really, its not as bad as it seems. The hospital bills the insurance company, and the insurance company tells the hospital there's no way they're paying $6.18 for every dose of lortab, so the bill is settled for much less than the itemized statements that I have. Plus, we have a $3,000 out of pocket maximum before the insurance company pays out at 100%. But still, its a huge bill! Tom and I can't wait for the day when Max is 16 or 17 and wants to do something dangerous like skydiving or stupid like getting a tattoo, and tells us, "It's my body, and I'll do what I want with it!" Because, um no. Between the outrageous amount of money that we paid for fertility treatments to get and stay pregnant, and the amount of medical bills we're paying now, we own him. For a long, long time!

But speaking of surgery, yesterday we reached the one-month post op mark! Woo-hoo! I am obsessively taking pictures of his head, so here's the latest, meant to show one month post surgery.

Look Ma, no ridge!

Side view. Its a little lumpy and bumpy, but everyone tells us that will even out.

And the top view. I love that the triangle shape is mostly gone. But my favorite thing is that you can hardly see his scar. A few more weeks of hair growth and you'll have to search for it. I don't care what my plastic surgeon bills. It was worth it.