Gut Feelings: My Pancreas Pleads the Fifth

I figured I should post an update on my pancreatic adventures since early May, now that I've had all kinds of tests completed.  The simple answer is that all of the tests came up normal.  The doctors couldn't find any clear cause of the acute pancreatitis.  They call it idiopathic pancreatitis when no apparent cause can be found.

On June 12, I had an MRCP (Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography) done, which is a fancy medical term for an abdomen MRI with contrast for the area around the pancreas.  All of the results turned out to be normal, with the exception of a fatty liver, which I already knew about.  In my case, the liver has fatty deposits throughout, most likely as a result of a long-term high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet.  Luckily, a fatty liver can traditionally be reversed over time with a healthy diet.

A blood test taken while I was in the hospital for any autoimmune diseases also came back negative.

I had a conversation with my primary care physician on June 20, and while he admitted this was a highly unusual case of pancreatitis with no known cause, he felt that a poor diet leading to a high level of triglycerides in my blood (hypertriglyceridemia), the third most common cause of pancreatitis, was the most plausible cause in my case.  A couple days into my hospital stay, they had checked for this. They informed me then that while my triglycerides were high, they weren't high enough to cause pancreatitis.  My doctor on June 20, however, believes it's possible that I did have hypertriglyceridemia upon admittance at the hospital, and after fasting for 2-3 days, the triglyceride levels might have decreased significantly.

For my own sanity, I have to go with that being the likely cause of the pancreatitis.  Being on a low-fat diet and avoiding alcohol for the rest of my life should result in a healthy body and a decreased likelihood of any recurrence.  I'm also back to brisk walking again now that I'm feeling good and back to a 2000-calorie daily intake.  Exercise and diet should hopefully bring down my triglyceride levels and cholesterol.  

Out of curiosity, I asked my doctor what my lipase level was when I was admitted to the hospital.  Lipase, a pancreatic enzyme, is normally found in the blood at 11-82 units per liter (U/L).  With pancreatitis, the lipase level might be about three to six times that amount.  When I was admitted to the hospital, it was 8000+ U/L, which was WAY more than six times the normal level.  Three weeks after being released from the hospital, my lipase level was back to a normal 46 U/L.

At this point, I must close this chapter of my life and recognize that all I can do is choose a healthier lifestyle and hope for the best.  Hopefully, this is the last post that I write that has anything to do with my pancreas!    

Ting: The Sound of Mobile Phone Savings (Updated June 2013)

{Note: This blog post was updated in June 2013 to reflect a positive change in Ting's billing policy and provide personal news.}  

Ever since I made the switch to Ting, I've been a walking advertisement with my family, friends, and co-workers.  It wouldn't be surprising if you've never heard of Ting, but if you're curious about getting significant savings on your cell phone plan - and you almost definitely will if you switched - then you should read this blog review.

If you choose to switch to Ting because of this review, please consider using this $25 referral code link.  We'll both receive a credit!  

Ting is a United States mobile phone service company that launched in February 2012.  They primarily utilize the Sprint network, with Verizon for voice roaming (no data roaming, however).  They offer some international coverage.  They are a no-contract company with an absurdly fair pricing plan.  You purchase a mobile device with Ting, or you may be able to bring your Sprint device if it's on Ting's approved list. You select a plan based on anticipated calls, texts, and data.  You're billed the first month, but if you happen to use less of anything, you'll receive a credit on your next monthly bill.  And if you use more texts, calls, or data than anticipated?  No big deal; Ting just charges you the rate for the next plan level for that month.  Like I said: absurdly fair.  *Update: Ting has now simplified their billing process.  Ting maintains the same six plan levels with no additional costs.  You now pay for the amount of minutes, texts, and data that you use on a monthly basis based on the plan levels rather than try to guess in advance what you'll use.  It's a simplified process.

Ting has a handy savings calculator that gives you some insight into what you'd potentially save over the course of two years.  Simply enter your current monthly bill (or an average monthly bill) along with the minutes, texts, and data you use.  I personally had a monthly $67 bill with Sprint (no phone insurance and on the old plan before the $10 premium data charge went into effect); now I'll see a bill with Ting anywhere from $22 to $34 a month - of course, with referral credits it'll be occasionally even less!  If you have more than one line or a plan with just about unlimited everything, you'll likely see much greater savings than I would -- others I know who are switching are saving in the neighborhood of $100 a month!  Even if you pay an Early Termination Fee (ETF) with your current provider, bets are on that you'd still save with Ting.

Here are a few points that make Ting stand out:

Pay Only for What You Use

I love Ting's sales pitch: "What possibly could be better than unlimited?!  Most likely paying for what you use."  Unless you use an unreal amount of minutes, texts, or data, there's no real value in paying for unlimited usage.  I like being able to control as many aspects of my financial budget as possible, and with Ting's service, I have that option.  And with Ting's account "dashboard," I can see an updated accounting of my usage along with an estimate of what I'll use for the entire month.

Ting's handy-dandy dashboard

Ting offers six levels of usage, laid out separately by minutes, texts, and megabytes.  The best analogy I can think of is that you're choosing a shirt size (rather than most providers' one size fits all) for each category.  Never talk on the phone?  That'll be an Extra Small.  Use between 100 and 1000 texts?  That'd be a Medium.  Tend to access close to three gigabytes of data?  You're an XXL there.

Ting's levels of plans

You can set up your plan so that you pay for what you expect to use.  If you use less than what you planned for a particular month, you'll actually receive a credit on your next bill!  One thing I've decided to do is set up a plan where everything is at XS.  There is a flat $6 per device fee, so since I only have one phone, my initial charge is just $6.  I'm then charged on my next bill for what I end up using.  So you really have a lot of options.

5% Grace Overage

Say you use 510 minutes, which is beyond the 500 minute limit for a size small.  Ugh, now I have to pay an extra $9 for the medium size of 1000 minutes!  NOT SO FAST.  Ting grants you a 5% grace overage.  For that month, you'll still only pay at the 500 minute level.  Wonderfully fair.  And even if you go beyond the 5%, you aren't subjected to extra fees.  Instead, they simply bump you up to the next level for that month, and you again are simply paying for what you used.

Tethering/Mobile Hotspot Functions Included

If you like the ability to use your phone as a mobile hotspot for another device such as a laptop or a tablet, you can do this with Ting at no extra cost.  People often do this when they're on the road or not in close proximity to WiFi.  You'd have to pay an additional monthly fee with most other mobile providers for this function - PLUS pay for the data.  Double-billed.  I don't see how that's fair at all.  With Ting, you just pay for the data you use!

Buy a Ting Device Up-Front

If you don't have a currently accepted Sprint device that can be transferred over to Ting, then you would buy a new or used phone with Ting.  You do pay for the full price of the phone.  "Wait, how is that good?" you might ask, "With my current company, new phones are so cheap!".  This is actually a good thing with Ting because you won't be locked into a contract down the road.  I think we've grown far too dependent on subsidized phone costs with the major providers.  They give you a major discount on the actual cost of the phone, but they build that cost into their monthly charges.   Over the course of that one or two-year agreement, you actually lose more money than you saved on that phone.  Then when your agreement is up, you feel the excitement of getting an upgraded phone at a discount again -- and get locked into another contract.  It's a brilliant but deceptive maneuver on their part to keep you as a customer.

But there's more value in paying for the full price of the phone at the beginning of your relationship with Ting.  It puts an end to the cycle of purchasing new phones and buying into new contracts (although you can certainly buy a new/used Ting phone any time you wish).  There's no contract with Ting.  You can also sell your device later through Ting's used marketplace for a reasonable price.  And if the new phone prices are too much for you to bear, you can buy a top-notch used phone at that same online marketplace.

Regardless of what device you buy or bring over, you can port your current phone number over to Ting, and there's no activation fee!  I found the porting process to be very easy, and it only took about four hours for that process to complete.

An Excuse to Be Creative

I've found (along with many other Ting users) that the ability to budget my texts, minutes, and data contributes to a desire to be creative.

Previously with Sprint, I would always have the mobile data settings for my phone "on."  All kinds of background data transfers would occur - Facebook notification updates, Twitter feeds, frequent e-mail checks, etc.  That amounts to a fair amount of data being exchanged.  In my case, I have the luxury of being near free WiFi about 90% of the time.  So with Ting, I've turned my mobile data off unless I'm on the road and want to use it on a temporary basis.  Otherwise, within range of free WiFi, all of my data is exchanged through that.  And that's resulted in significant savings in mobile data charges.

I've been experimenting with VoIP mobile apps (Voice Over Internet Protocol), which is essentially the ability to make phone calls or send texts via the internet over WiFi.  Texting works well enough, though I've yet to experience much success with high-quality phone calls.  Others' reviews have proven however that many people have had success with it.  The two apps I've tried were Groove IP and Talkatone.  Both require a Google Voice account and phone number, which is free.  Let me know if you have success with these or other VoIP apps - they would result in even more savings!

Superb Customer Service

If you ever need any assistance or service with Ting, you can contact them by phone, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter (@TingFTW), or submit a web request.  I haven't needed any customer service yet, but there is a strong consensus among reviews that Ting's customer service is SUPERB.  If you call them, there's no automated system - it rings until someone picks up.  If you contact them any other way, they're known to get back to you within minutes or a few hours at most.  Ting also has a community forum where anyone can post a question or comment - Ting monitors it frequently and responds to questions there, too.
     
I actually really enjoy Ting's Facebook page.  It's helpful but also entertaining!  They have frequent photo caption contests where they'll post an unusual photo and the person who submits the funniest caption gets an account credit or free Ting "swag" (they've got some classy hats and argyle socks).  There's plenty of interaction on the page, too.  Ting asks a lot of questions for feedback, and often they offer swag and credits at random among those who provide feedback.

Overall, I think their marketing schemes are ingenious.  And not in a sleazy way. :)  It's obvious they legitimately want to assist and interact with their customer base.  Ultimately, I think that will go a long way in attracting new customers, too.  

A Few Cons... and by that mean, I suppose there are, like, Three

Firstly, since Ting runs strictly on the Sprint network infrastructure -- with Verizon as a back-up for voice/messaging only, you are limited to those two networks.  If you don't like the Sprint network, then Ting is NOT for you (since I was already on Sprint, I saw no change in service personally).  Additionally, if you are in an area without Sprint data coverage, you will not be able to use mobile data.  If you're not sure if you're in a Sprint/Verizon area, see Ting's coverage map. 

Secondly, you are limited on what phones you can use with Ting.  Here is their approved list of devices that you can bring over from Sprint.  Sprint is the only network from which you can bring a phone.  Also, Ting only works with Android phones, though they have announced that Windows Phone 8 will soon be available.  However, the iPhone is not anticipated to be offered with Ting in the foreseeable future, though they say they'd like to be able to offer it one day.  *Update: If your commitment to sign up with Ting is contingent on being able to use an iPhone, you can fill out a form by clicking "Notify Me" under Apple iPhone at the bottom of Ting's Devices page.  Ting will let you know when iPhone becomes available.

Finally, since Ting doesn't have any physical storefronts, if your phone breaks or gets lost or stolen, you'll need to wait for a new device to be shipped to you.  Ting's warehouse is in Los Angeles, California, so if you're on the east coast, it could take a week or more to receive that device (unless you pay for expedited shipping).  One fix for this problem could be to purchase an inexpensive Ting phone as a backup in the event you ever have a problem with your primary phone.  Then you could just pull your backup phone out of the drawer and activate it with Ting online that same day until you get your new phone in the mail.  Note: there is no charge for an inactive device.  

Ting is the Sound of Mobile Device Savings

I think you'll find that Ting is an outstanding mobile communications company.  If you want to save money and have more control over your budget, Ting is the way to go.  They're great for individual, families, and businesses.  It's refreshing to pay for simply what you use and not to be obligated to lengthy contracts. 

If this blog still doesn't quite convince you to switch, then check out the other many web reviews out there.  Take a gander at Ting's web site, and use their savings calculator to see how much you'd potentially save. 

If you do decide to switch to Ting, please consider using my $25 credit referral link.  You'll get savings on your Ting device purchase or service! 

June 2013: A Six-Month Update

It's been six months since I began using Ting, and I have remained exceptionally satisfied with their services.  Their plan prices have remained unchanged.  They have increased the number of new and used phones for available purchase.  With occasional referral credits, I've been able to go a few months without paying out of pocket.  I continue to be pleased with my decision to make the switch to Ting. 

Still have questions or comments?  Leave a note here on my blog!