a second opinion

so matt saw another doctor today to find out if a whipple procedure really is necessary. in this doctor's opinion, it would be "ill-advised to seek any other treatment," so it looks like the operation is a go for may 11. matt will be in surgery for most of the day on my birthday and then recovering in the hospital for about a week afterwards. we just got a bill from the ER matt went to on easter sunday. it turns out that an IV costs $375 for the first hour and $115 for each additional hour. according to my calculations, matt checked in to the ER at 3:30 on sunday and was discharged around noon on friday for a total of 117.5 hours of IV. carry the four and realize that total cost for IV alone could amount to $13,772. and 50 cents. matt just pointed out that my calculation is based on the emergency room rate and he was in an in-patient ward most of the time, so perhaps it will be less than that. nevertheless, we're hoping cobra will cover IV and all other treatments. otherwise, if any of you know any "get rich quick" schemes, please let us know.