[CindyLou]

Well, at the end of the day, 3 appeals later, the final one a live interview, a no is a no is a no. The HR VP lady was the only person I met with. And I could tell the minute we sat down, she was telling me the final decision was made. I expressed my confusion as to why she even brought me in if their decision was already made, and so after her speech she gave me some time to defend my position, barely. Her body language stayed closed with arms crossed tightly the entire time. I did my schtick but it fell on deaf ears. The biggest reason for "no" was still investigative, particularly because I necessitated 3 levels, and FDA has only approved 1 level for DDD....ho-hum, we've heard it all before. But they would have paid more for me to stay stateside and have a 3 level fusion. Crazy. They are conceding to paying half the total amount, but written in check form as "income," so that will be quite less than half after taxes. So, my surgery was $67,580 divided in half is $33,790, minus taxes, I'm guessing I'll clear $25,000 or $26,000. Am I happy? No. But I did my due diligence, and I'm not sure what else I could have done, minus having Laurie Todd there in person. I guess it's better than a poke in the eye. I need a stiff drink. Goodnight, Irene.