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Thursday’s Workwear Report: One-Button Peak-Lapel Blazer

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A woman wearing a pink blazer and white pants

Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

As an early-2000s mall kid, I find myself pining for some of my old favorite stores from time to time. In my most-recent closet purge, I wistfully tossed a pink blazer from The Limited that served me well for many years after the company declared bankruptcy. I was happy to see that the brand has been revived at Belk stores.

This bright magenta number looks very similar to the worn-out one that I recently eliminated. Hopefully, I’ll get a decade of wear out of this one, too! 

The blazer is $51.80, marked down from $129, at Belk and comes in sizes S-XL and petite S-XL.

For plus sizes, try these blazers from Eloquii: a two-button style (sizes 14-28 in stock, $89.97 with code) and a one-button style (sizes 14-22 in stock, $65.97 with code).

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148 Comments

  1. I’m 40 and have just seen a gastroenterologist for the first time due to finally having decent health insurance. I’ve had a crappy stomach since I was a teenager and always previously been told it’s IBS and you just need to deal with the symptoms, which have gotten gradually worse over the years. But the GI ran a bunch of tests and wants to do a colonoscopy to be safe in terms of ruling out Crohn’s. This is freaking me out for reasons I can’t fully articulate.

    1. This is not a big deal. crohns is a pain but not something that’s going to shorten your life expectancy. If you’ve already been told you have IBS this isn’t like a huge shock and your life won’t change all that much if you have it.

      1. +1. Also whatever it is you’ve already been dealing with. Now it has a name, which can help get treatments etc. It’s just a paperwork thing, but the situation hasn’t changed

    2. Don’t worry. Treatments for almost everything are so much better than a decade ago and knowing what the problem is will help you access the care you need.

    3. I realize it’s probably the diagnosis that has you freaked out, but I’ll offer a bit of a reframe on the process: how great you have a doctor that is thorough and taking your symptoms seriously. I do all the tests that are offered to me and covered by insurance, and a colonoscopy is an especially important/valuable one. It’s better to know, and then you can direct your efforts to better treatment

    4. Agree with others that Crohn’s is manageable; but I also think it’s unlikely you have it. When you establish with a new GI doc they often want to do a colonoscopy to rule out bigger things. It doesn’t mean the odds of those things is high.

    5. I had my first colonoscopy for the same reason and it turned out not to be anything. But I had a polyp removed and was started on a routine exam schedule which have all been fine going forward.

      You are better served by early diagnosis of anything than delaying a test out of fear. It is a very valid fear, but like everyone else said, you will at least know versus imagining the worst as you are now. You are also at the age anyway to start routine screening colonoscopies even without other symptoms.

    6. Thank you everyone for the reassuring and thoughtful comments. I’m going to get out of my head and call to schedule the appointment now.

      1. Also don’t be freaked out about the colonoscopy. Neither the prep nor the procedure are as bad as people might say. I say this as someone who put hers off for a couple of years because I was scared. And I also can’t handle 12-hour fasts for blood work (even if most of the hours are overnight), but being able to have chicken broth during the colonoscopy prep made a big difference. I was tired and a little hungry, but didn’t feel that bad.

        Plus the colonoscopy drugs are pretty choice, I felt like I’d had the best nap of my life after I woke up.

        Hopefully when this is all done, you’ll have a path forward and will feel a lot better.

        1. I’ve only had one colonoscopy, but I agree with all of this. The prep was nowhere near as bad as I feared (the worst part was a sore bum from all the wiping) and the actual colonoscopy was the best nap EVER.

          2. I have had IBS-D for decades. Try a low-FODMAP diet. It really has helped me. Check out FODMAP everyday for info. For some people with IBS (but not me), gut-guided meditation also helps. (Check out Nerva).

            The prep is the challenging part of colonoscopies, but the actual procedure is done with sedation and it’s so bad.

          3. Agreed, the prep is no big deal – I did the method where you just put the powder in Gatorade instead of drinking the disgusting stuff. Nbd. The worst part for me was the fasting! I was so hungry! I ate a whole pizza after I woke up, lol.

          4. I had mine in October and I went out for pumpkin pancakes after. I still remember them vividly.

        2. You can also have jello and popsicles! Also any kind of soda, which I didn’t take advantage of. I just had a colonoscopy two weeks ago today. And knowing that you can have popsicles, I’m kicking myself because there’s a snow-cone stand around the corner from me and they’re pretty much the same thing as popsicles. (Just nothing with red food coloring.)

        3. I got take out chicken pho for my prep because takeout always has the broth separate and it made it so much easier!

      2. Your doctor can prescribe Sutab pills if drinking the prep is freaking you out My husband has Crohn’s. Getting treatment has literally given him back his life. Honestly, that’s a better outcome than no answer and continuing to suffer. I’ve had several colonoscopies by 45 due to some risks, and honestly it’s no big deal. You’ll realize after that it wasn’t worth the anxiety (I was really nervous before my first as well).

        1. Slight thread jack, but I’m glad to see a rec for the pills. I had a much worse than expected experience with the Suprep drink and the miralax/Gatorade preps. My doc prescribed the tabs for my next one and I’m hopeful they will be easier.

          I will say the actual bathroom part was NBD, it was a lot less time on the toilet than I expected. Start eating lighter a couple days in advance

          1. I used the pills and while they worked, I did end up vomiting. I think it was because of the volume of water, which, maybe the liquid prep has the same volume and I would have barfed with that, too.

            But at least I didn’t have to taste the prep, which I hear can be unpleasant. And it wasn’t violent barfing, more like I was too full of water and I sort of overflowed. Just something to be aware of, and as I said, the prep still worked fine and I had the procedure with no problem.

          2. Yeah, I had a colonoscopy a month ago, and I threw up the second dose of the liquid prep and almost didn’t get cleaned out enough. It was awful. I’m doing the pills next time.

          3. As an aside, in case you have the experience I had with the prep, keep an extra bottle of MiraLAX around in case your plan a prep fails. You can probably still salvage it if you have MiraLAX.

          4. Good to know. Last time I started with the Suprep but it was so gross (makes the pregnancy drink taste like a milkshake, lol) that I became nauseous and couldn’t finish. I did the miralax for the second dose, and it made me violently vomit. Probably because of the quantity of liquid, so sounds like I should keep in mind for the tabs, too.

            But in the end I was cleaned out so I suppose all’s well that ends well. I will take the advice to keep the miralax on hand as a backup. And even vomiting was better than that darn Suprep taste! (I have a very sensitive stomach/gag reflex, as you can probably tell)

        2. I also had the pills and they weren’t bad at all. It is a lot of water though! I recommend following the instructions carefully about how to take each round of pills – they tell you how to space out taking them. I rushed one round and ended up with some unpleasant stomach cramping. Maybe it would have happened regardless, but I was more careful with the next round and it was better.

    7. Maybe I’m crazy but I find not knowing to be a lot scarier. As a child I had a whole bunch of issues (including digestion) which I was always told were ‘normal’ and was ‘complaining’ recently at the ripe age of 32, I found a GP who actually cared and he sent me for a while bunch of tests which resulted in several diagnoses including genetic conditions. I no longer have low grade anxiety about my health anymore because I know what’s wrong and how to properly manage it.

    8. I am in the same boat at 36, although my GI was more worried about a different chronic issue. My colonoscopy is in three weeks — when’s yours?

    9. I’m sorry you weren’t tested by previous doctors. It seems like so many people are told they have IBS and then turn out to have Celiac, autoimmune gastritis, or IBD, but no one even really checked before. That’s not even getting into SIBO, H. pylori, or dysmotility disorders. The way I see it, you’ve known something was wrong all this time, and now they’re finally actually trying to figure out what.

      For now, I would let the doctor do their work up and see what they find. If they find it is Crohn’s, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation are marvelous. Call them up and talk to someone, and they’ll send you a welcome pack of resources. Keep the decent health insurance; it helps.

    10. Getting a diagnosis of a serious chronic illness is always scary, even if you’ve had the symptoms for years. Crohn’s treatment has come a long way in the last 20 years and there are all kinds of biologics you can take. But I think there is a positive here – if it is Crohn’s, there are a lot of treatment options available which may help you feel better for the first time in your life.

      Also my main advice with any chronic illness is this – if you are reading about the disease online, it is unlikely you will have ALL the complications/symptoms you read about – only a few of them. Try to keep that perspective if you can.

      Best of luck!

    11. Get the Suprep prep option, even if you have to pay out of pocket. It’s 100x more tolerable. Good luck.

      1. Sometimes there are coupons for this to help bring the cost down. My doctor gave me one and I think the pills cost me maybe $30-$50.

    12. After having a similarly bad stomach for years, I had my first colonoscopy and endoscopy shortly after I turned 40 and they discovered the (treatable) reason. I’ve been on meds ever since and it’s been nothing short of life-altering. The colonoscopy is annoying but NBD. I hope you get some answers and similar relief!

    13. I had a colonoscopy at 38. It was fine. The prep wasn’t fun but the whole process is less than 24 hours and it’s great to do everything you can to stay on top of your health.

    14. A little late but I’ll chime in and say I was diagnosed with (mild) colitis when I was in college and was terrified at everything that came with it – talking about symptoms, colonoscopy, treatment etc. But I felt sooo much better after getting diagnosed and treated. Colonoscopies are not fun but not terrible (I have done the pills not the drink, make sure you have baby wipes handy instead of just TP, echo that the procedure drugs are A+!) and my treatment now is just 2 pills daily. Best of luck and odds are it’s nothing! But if it’s something, you will be ok!

      1. A counterpoint to the positivity of the procedure drugs. My dad frequently had a bad reaction to the medications post-procedure. He would become irrationally angry and not listen to, to the point that he threatened to pull out his IV and walk out rather than wait on discharge procedures and a wheelchair. He later denied this vehemently as he did not remember doing any things like that! Just caution your designated driver post-procedure.
        Aside from this cautionary tale, good luck and much success wished for you!

      2. A counterpoint to the positivity of the procedure drugs. My dad frequently had a bad reaction to the medications post-procedure. He would become irrationally angry and not listen to, to the point that he threatened to pull out his IV and walk out rather than wait on discharge procedures and a wheelchair. He later denied this vehemently as he did not remember doing any things like that! Just caution your designated driver post-procedure.
        Aside from this cautionary tale, good luck and much success wished for you!

  2. Looking for help from LA area readers! I’m planning a trip to visit USC, UCLA, the Claremont Colleges, and Occidental over 3 nights, 4 days. Is there a central location to stay or should I move hotels?

    1. I would not move hotels just rent a car. I’d stay in Santa Monica (generally a longer drive to a few of those) or West Hollywood. Just give yourself time to get around.

      1. Yeah, there isn’t any real advantage to staying near Occidental or the Claremont Colleges. Just budget more time to drive out to those places (Occidental isn’t that far from West LA but Claremont is a longer hike).

    2. I would move for Claremont – that’s way the heck out of LA, basically in Riverside. The others you can probably do from one home base in west-central LA.

    3. I’d fly into LAX, do the LA schools, change hotels for Claremont and fly out of Ontario

      1. I never fly into or out of LAX if I can avoid it. I’d fly into Burbank and out of Ontario.

      2. People in LA love to say that. I fly into Burbank if I’m renting a car, into LAX if I’m taking a taxi/uber.

    4. I’m prejudiced, but I’d probably fly into Burbank and stay in Pasadena if you don’t want to change hotels. Santa Monica is VERY VERY far away from Claremont and even Occidental. Pasadena is reasonably close to USC and Claremont, right next door to Occidental, and the only real schlep is out to UCLA. And I’d be happy to buy you a drink while you’re here! ;)

  3. I have a storage unit for the things from my parents house, which Dad pays for and was part of him agreeing to sell their old house and move to assisted living in my state. It’s maybe 12×10? And very full. He pays for it (and compared to assisted living, it’s a very minimal expense that he can afford). I’ve gone through and tried to at least label the boxes, but it’s hard because it’s so packed.

    I recently started (but didn’t finish) Mariska Hargitay’s movie about her mother and she STILL has a storage unit with her mother’s things that it showed her lovingly going through. Somehow this made me feel a lot better about having it and my progress with it.

    This isn’t a question, but I guess just a norm of how things can be when people die and no one is local and there isn’t time to digest everything.

    1. Sending support your way. As I was reading your post, it occurred to me that, this is what storage units are for. People sometimes act as if having a storage unit is inherently bad, that people should aim to live within the space they have. But ultimately, paying for storage is paying for a service like anything else – one has stuff that needs space, so a company sells them some space to keep it. Nothing wrong with that if it serves you and your father at this point and you can afford it.

      1. I guess it reminds me a lot of the early aughts when (in my country) commercials for consumer credit were everywhere, shifting the subconscious from ‘loans are for specific circumstances, mostly huge expenses with long term utility’ to ‘it’s normal and more fun to live life on credit’. I’m simplifying other factors of course, but the ubiquity of ads for credit and the tone with which they were described changed a lot.
        I see certain parallels with how any new business that opens, and any empty lot that gets built up around here ends up being self storage units. It’s shifting from something that you have for specific circumstances and reasons, to something that’s just normal to have.

        1. This is spot on. I’ve always used storage units for finite periods of time, like in between moves. It has never occurred to me that it could or should be a long term solution.
          If you have a long term storage unit, you simply have too much stuff and yes, that’s a problem.

          1. I totally agree. For everyone I know who had a long term storage unit, they ended up spending significantly more in monthly costs than it would cost to replace everything they stored in the unit. It doesn’t make financial sense as a long term solution is the vast vast majority of situations.

          2. This is me. We had two for a decade. I could calculate the cost but it would make me vomit. I finally got rid of the last one two months ago and it was such a relief. All the stuff had sentimental value and I either had to find it a new home, or come to terms with its end of life. And that took time.

      2. We had a storage unit for this reason. Hubs has stuff that is sentimental that he wants to keep but doesn’t want to deal with the complicated feelings the stuff brings up. Moved into a bigger house and memories are now tucked into the guest room’s rather large closet.

      3. In this case spending money on the storage unit is useful because it convinced OP’s dad to move to a better living situation. It’s a minimal expense that he can afford and that removed the emotional obstacle of downsizing his stuff. OP will have to deal with the stuff eventually, but kicking that can down the road is what made it possible for her dad to make a necessary move.

      4. Agree. Near the end of my mom’s life, the only thing she wanted was to get better enough to go back to her crowded, messy home. We could have tried to cull a lot of her stuff while she was in skilled nursing/assisted living (she went back and forth) but that stuff meant a lot to her and knowing it was there gave her comfort.

        We got rid of most of it after she passed, but there was honestly no hurry to get ride of it while she was alive. I agree that’s what storage facilities are for!

    2. My in-laws have THREE storage units. They had 3, then got it down to 2, then DH’s grandmother died and all her things went into a 3rd. My ILs are in their late 70s/early 80s. There are approximately 8 boxes that get used (holiday decor). At this point we’ve resigned ourselves to simply throwing it all away when they pass.

      For you, it is not too late! Could you just take 1-2 boxes at a time from the unit, go through them at home and show your dad photos of the things you are pretty sure are junk? As an example, my grandmother held onto like 4 fake Christmas trees from the 50s until in 2010 she moved to assisted living and got a new, small one. When we asked if she thought she would ever need the big ones again she laughed and said “toss them and all the boxes of ornaments too. I have what I need here!” We couldn’t believe it.

      For furniture, you could tell him that you know someone that wants it. That person could be a rando you find on freecycle.

      1. OP here and not quite yet. He is renting in assisted living that I chose for him and a mix of old and new items. His housing situation may change and he just rents month to month. He has one tiny closet and is need something just for his off-season clothes. He didn’t want photo books etc but I’m not ready to divide up things permanently with family just yet (and neither is he). Transition to a permanent space may take a while or he may just stay out since moving is stressful. IDK. I did get rid of 3 cars and a house, so the big items are done at least.

    3. I feel like a film scholar or museum would love a glimpse of Jayne Mansfield’s stuff … she probably could offload it to a museum?

        1. I haven’t watched the documentary yet, but I have read a couple interviews with her about it. She talks about learning about who her mother really was, away from the glamour of Hollywood, as well as coming to better understand some family secrets that she decided she was no longer responsible for carrying. She said she watched the final cut of the documentary with her siblings, and they all cried together in the end. The storage unit is the least of the issues.

          Jayne Mansfield is known as “the most photographed woman in the world”. The picture of Sophia Loren side-eyeing Mansfield’s cleavage is a classic for a reason.

    5. There is no rhyme nor reason to how you will feel about things anyway. I would never have thought I would have kept so many things after my mom died, but I wanted notebooks to see her handwriting, and the books she wrote notes in, and some clothes I remember her wearing. You don’t NEED those things, but there are times when they help solidify this person you loved. Most of it will eventually be tossed out or given away but that comes at its own time.

    6. I paid for storage for my mom’s dolls and scrapbooks for 8 years after she died. Quite a chunk of change invested.

  4. Please give me your Portugal recs! I remember several people here have had great times in Portugal, but I can’t locate them now. DH and I are going to Lisbon in early September. We will be based in Lisbon for a conference, but would like to take some day trips. We enjoy food/wine, and are looking for interesting and relaxing (more so than adrenaline).

    Thank you!

    1. It’s not a day trip from Lisbon (I don’t think) but if you have a chance to get down the Algarve for a night or two I highly recommend it. I’ve been all over and the natural beauty there really wowed me. But Lisbon is also supposed to be really great.

    2. If you go to sintra (and it is cool) get the first tickets of the day. The timed ticket thing is a work in progress. I enjoyed the Rick Steve’s walking tour audio for Lisbon. Also cascais is a nice little side day trip. Have fun! Eat all the sardines and pasteis de maya!

    3. Oh enjoy! I really love just bopping about Lisbon but Cascais and Sintra are really beautiful, and hopefully less crowded than they are in the summer.
      My parents retired there (they live pretty rurally), and it’s just such a warm, welcoming place to be.

    4. Stay at hotels! Locals are very hostile toward tourists for messing up the housing market

      1. Lol, probably the same locals that have had rent-controlled apartments for decades. My Portuguese relatives still have renters paying $200/mo.

        Eat all the bacalhau you can if you don’t mind fish (it’s the national cod dish and there are dozens of versions. The classic is with potatoes, onions, and olives). If you have an opportunity to go to Tavira, there’s an amazing beachside restaurant that serves spicy fish that’s just been caught.
        It’s a wonderful country.

        1. You forget to give some context:
          Portugal has the worst housing supply among the 30 countries analyzed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

          In the third quarter of 2024, the housing affordability index reached 157.7 points, the highest since 1995. The country’s situation is 36% worse than the OECD average and 50% higher than the eurozone average.

          Over the last decade, access to housing has deteriorated more in Portugal than in any other country. Since 2014, real estate prices have more than doubled, by 135.2%, while average incomes have only increased by 33%. This has created an imbalance that makes home ownership increasingly unattainable.

          The rising cost of living further worsens the situation. Excluding housing, inflation has stood at 21% over the past decade, significantly below the rise in housing prices. Even the growth in the minimum wage, which has increased by 69% since 2014, has not been enough to keep pace with the rapid rise of the housing market.

          According to the OECD, Portugal has the 6th lowest average gross annual salary among OECD countries. This is approximately $28,410 per year (€24,557), or €1,378.64 gross per month, after mandatory taxes, resulting in an average salary of between €1,010 and €1,125.

          In June 2023, a one-bedroom apartment in Lisbon cost an average of €2,500 per month, €200 more than in Amsterdam, considered the most expensive city in Europe.

    5. It’s not a day trip from Lisbon, but highly recommend wine tasting in the Douro Valley. Was our favorite part of Portugal. Most beautiful wine country we’ve seen anywhere in the world, coupled with actually good and cheap wines, and a very traditional family-owned feel throughout. It’s also not very touristy or crowded.

    6. We enjoyed staying at Fortaleza do Guincho in Cascais, it’s an old fortress that’s right on the water (warning that the waves are rough on that side but it’s very scenic). We rented a car from Lisbon and did a day in Sintra and a day in Cascais. We had a lovely time.

    7. We absolutely loved Hotel Luminares! Got a little apartment and by US standards the pricing was bad. Gorgeous rooftop with a delicious breakfast included. Great location.

  5. I need a new show to watch. I like everything from Emily in Paris, Virgin River to Law and Order. I just watched The Better Sister (which I loved) and The Summer I Turned Pretty (also loved). Any recs?

    1. I liked Long Bright River on Peacock! I’ve also been rewatching ER and it’s amusing how most of it holds up but some of the references are *so* of the time—there’s a very minor plot in an episode where they find a Tamagotchi left in the ER, for example.

    2. Outrageous. About the Mitford sisters, on Brit Box, super fun.

      Etoile. Amazon prime, ballet, only one season so not satisfying but passes the time.

    9. For something light, I highly recommend Younger on Netflix. So, so good and I found the ending satisfying (I’m always nervous when a show stops after several seasons that I’ll be left with a cliff hanger or something).

    11. Are you into the gilded age? Season 3 just came out. It’s a beautiful ridiculous soap opera.

      2. Someone described it as American Girl Dolls being b*tches to each other and basically, that’s the truth. Love it.

  6. My anxiety has been creeping up and up, and I’m considering asking my PCP doctor for medication. In the past I was on Prozac for depression, but I currently feel strung out and constantly worrying about insignificant things. Anyone else have high-functioning anxiety and advice about meds or what to ask the doctor?

    1. Some people love lexapro but it was really, really bad for me. I’ve been happily on Effexor for a few years now.

      Sometimes it’s a bit of trial and error; it’s absolutely not one size fits all for both whst medication best addresses your anxiety and what medication doesnt give you negative side effects.

      It reminds me of the old birth control pill roulette (before all of my friends and I got IUDs) – what’s great for me might suck for you and the only way to know is to try

      1. Interesting. I thought Effexor was more for depression than anxiety? I even asked my psychiatrist and he was pushing me more towards SSRIs.

      2. And to prove the trial and error point, Effexor made me absolutely insane. I stopped it after four days cold it was so bad.

        I have used lorazepam successfully over the years to manage anxiety in combination with therapy and all that good stuff.

        You can schedule an appt with your doc to talk about your anxiety and say the same things you’ve said here and then let it roll from there.

          1. I think this is so individual that my use is not going to be helpful. A friend and I both have it and use it at different dosages for different situations. I think the best way to view it as a potential option and explore with your doc.

    2. Currently on Prozac for anxiety and it has worked well for me. You may need to try different meds to find one that works for you, and your needs may evolve over time.

    3. Not a replacement for medication if it’s what you need — however I find that caffeine ramps up my anxiety.

      I often dont make the correlation until I’m feeling wound up. I can get away with drinking black tea in the morning for a while then afternoon coke zeros creep in and then I wonder why I’m feeling so awful.

    4. Meds were ineffective for me and had terrible side effects (night terrors, weight gain, etc.). Hard exercise outside and writing a journal were far more effective with no side effects. Not saying they’d work for you, but worth adding to the list of things you could consider trying.

    5. Are your family members on any SSRIs? When I told my doc that my mom was doing well on Lexapro, that’s what she gave me as our reaction to the meds is genetic.

      1. This is a good point. For a lot of neurologic medical problems that run in families, if a parent/relative responded well to one medicine that is a good starting point. Was true for migraine prophylaxis for us.

    7. Since it’s a PCP, they should be able to do some work up for medical conditions that can exacerbate anxiety.

  7. Spinoff of the colonoscopy thread: Has anyone been able to find a gastroenterologist who will do a colonoscopy with liquid inflation (instead of gas) and no sedation? I don’t do sedation or anesthesia.

    1. You can just have a regular colonoscopy without sedation. Sedation wasn’t standard until the 1990s (? not sure the exact date, but I know my mom had a bunch before they used sedation). It’s not comfortable but not excruciatingly painful according to her, and a good doctor will stop at the point at which it becomes very painful. They might not see as much as they could if you’re sedated, but much better than nothing.

      1. It is very uncomfortable and often painful to do a colonoscopy without anesthesia, and dangerous.

        There is a reason the doctors want you asleep and motionless. Do you really want a a doctor inside your body trying to do delicate surgery using scopes and micro instruments to remove a polyp when you recoil in pain when they start cutting? It is very dangerous if they accidently perforate your colon, and your gut bacteria start streaming into your abdominal cavity.

        My father tried to do a colonoscopy without anesthesia. He was, understandably, worried about the affects of anesthesia long term on the brain as you age. They only gave him a mild medication to relax him, and he started squirming, begging them to “just let some of the air out”. Dilating the colon with air is painful. Think of how painful a dilated gassy belly can sometimes feel. This is an extreme of that. So the doctor turned to the anesthesiologist (who is there anyway) and they put him out.

        2. No, I don’t want a tube in my body without sedation! I love sedation and anesthesia, give me all of it (and it’s not a serious risk to your brain unless you’re having colonoscopies weekly). But if you absolutely can’t have sedation or anesthesia you can still have a colonoscopy. Back in the day they filled cavities without novocaine. It’s less painful than that.

          1. It’s also the safety risk. I don’t think folks realize how important this is. Colonoscopy is not a no risk procedure.

        3. I thought that high risk colonoscopies were often done under twilight because they need the patient to be somewhat conscious for safety!

          1. Twilight sedation is the norm for colonoscopies. You’re conscious, you just don’t remember it.

  8. We made a reservation at a nice hotel. Normal rates would be about $600 a night. They were running a “summer discount » and showing $350 a night for 3 nights. We booked and received a confirmation. They called three hours later to say there was a glitch in their system, and what happened was that we booked one night at 800 (the “discount rate”) and two nights at $50, which was a system glitch. We honestly didn’t know that, we just thought we got a good deal, but upon review, those broken down rates did appear somewhere on our booking confirmation with a total of 900ish plus tax. Is there anything we can do? They offered to either cancel or honor the reservation at 3×800, which is more than we are willing to spend on this. In MA in case it matters. I’m guessing the only option is cancel but was wondering if anyone has dealt with this before.

    1. I mean, they have the right to cancel on you, but I would write cogent negative reviews that lay out these facts on the major places.

    2. You’re likely out of luck but I would respond and request they honor the original rate you booked. Possibly escalate with their corporate brand as well. $350 per night is not so far off the usual $600 per night that it would be a clear error that you had to have known it was a mistake. It’s not like it was a blatant error like $350 for 3 nights vs. $1800 for 3 nights.

    3. Yeah you can’t force them to give you the discounted rate, but you can write a negative review.

    4. How is $800/night the discount rate when their standard rate is $600/night?

      How difficult I’d be about this depends on how much I wanted the reservation and how big the hotel is. If this is a Hilton or something then I’d push back pretty hard – ask to talk to a manager and if they don’t honor the original reservation I’d leave a truthful review in all the places. If it’s a boutique then I’d probably just let them cancel it and not leave a review anywhere.

      2. So $600 is what I remember paying when we stayed there a little while back. It’s not like they post a standard rate anywhere. According to the booking manager, the standard rate for the room we booked in the summer is $900, and$800 is a discount. I’m not sure I buy that and the whole experience has been unpleasant- their tone has been very “well you should have known this wasn’t the real rate” and very little offer for accomodation. It’s not a major chain, but not a mom and pop shop either. Will probably cancel and never go back there.

        1. Oh, this is kind of different than what you said in your OP. There’s been insane hotel inflation in the last couple years – one hotel we frequently stay at has literally doubled their prices since summer 2023. Travel industry inflation is far outpacing normal inflation and $600 clearly isn’t their normal rate anymore. It’s still annoying they won’t honor the rate you booked, but you really have no basis for thinking you could book this hotel at $600.

          1. I didn’t expect them to honor historical prices, I’m just using that as my mental ballpark, and we stayed there less than 2 years ago so I’m not talking way back. Their website was showing us $300-something a night and sent us a confirmation for about $1000 for 3 nights. That’s my basis for thinking that was in fact the price, and it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility to me.

          2. The basis is they literally did before and hotel pricing varies insanely. There’s one I like that rages from $309 to $1500

    6. The right thing for a business to do in this situation is of course to honor the rate you booked at. But you can’t make them do the right thing, unfortuantely.

      1. Honestly, I get that they can’t go from $800 to $50. I feel like if they had said “we are sorry and we are offering a 15% discount on your stay” I would have said fine. But they aren’t budging and were pretty unpleasant about it.

        1. Isn’t $800 almost a 15% discount based on the current nightly rate for your stay?

          Look, I’d be annoyed too; sometimes places have flash sales and what you paid wasn’t so low as to be an obvious mistake at booking, and the staff’s attitude to you is in the wrong here; even though they are within their rights to take the position, there’s a nice way and a rude way to do it!

          But if your heart was set on this particular hotel, might you overlook this attitude and just take the discount they (begrudgingly) offered?

          1. The thing is, we aren’t particularly set on this hotel – sure, we got excited about a weekend there, but for that price, we could stay at another property we really like. We like this hotel too but only booked it because it was significantly cheaper, and now the experience is leaving a bitter taste.

  9. Follow up to a follow up here – how do you decide whether to accept or decline sedation/anesthesia for a procedure? I’m sure it depends on the procedure, but what resources do you consider, what factors do you weigh, etc.?

    I was sedated for my impacted wisdom teeth removal and I wish I hadn’t been. I chose sedation because I’m squeamish and didn’t want to hear and smell the grinding. But shortly thereafter, I developed major jaw/TMJ problems. I think the surgeon hyperextended my jaw during the extraction; both my jaw and neck hurt after the procedure. I suspect he wouldn’t have yanked me around so much if I’d been awake for the procedure. The TMJ specialist agreed that it looked like my jaw had experienced some trauma but he couldn’t say for sure it was because of the extraction.

    On the other end of the spectrum, it infuriates me that women aren’t given any pain management for procedures that are painful for many women! Like colpos, IUD insertion, HSG, the list goes on. When I got my last egg retrieval done, my RE told me the practice was phasing out post-op pain meds due to updated national recommendations. I had several egg retrievals, all with different pain levels. After one, I was up and went to a beer festival later that day with no pain at all (I know you’re not supposed to drink after anesthesia, festival was 12 hours after a very early morning ER and I didn’t drink much); others I was laid out for days to a week or more in a lot of pain. I can’t imagine having no pain management available for those bad days.

    1. I’ll take sedation with pain meds for pretty much procedure it’s offered for. It’s much less risky than general anesthesia (people here conflate them all the time, but they’re distinct things with very different risk profiles). I also had an impacted wisdom tooth out with sedation and I don’t think I could have done it otherwise – I’m incredibly anxious about anything to do with teeth and also have a really small mouth so I’ve had problems opening my mouth far enough for basic things like having cavities filled. Even though I was very old to have a wisdom tooth out (39), my recovery was a breeze and I never needed any oral pain meds, not even Tylenol. I think it has much more to do with the skill of the oral surgeon than sedation or lack thereof.

    2. Ideally the proceduralist should guide you quite closely with these decisions. Sedation carries risks and requires expertise to perform safely. It’s the view of many physicians who perform procedures under sedation (myself included) that the dentists tend be far too cavalier with their use of IV sedatives in under-resourced settings.

      1. Does that feeling that dentists are too cavalier extend to oral surgeons? I’m not an MD, but thought there was a pretty big difference in terms of the risks of sedation at an oral surgeon’s office vs a regular dentist’s. I would always recommend going to an oral surgeon for wisdom teeth extraction – not just because of sedation but because it’s a surgery and a surgeon should do it.

        1. @12:40: Yes. Almost all oral surgeons are dentists; it’s very unlikely the person taking your wisdom teeth out is a physician (is this what you meant by surgeon?). This is not to degrade anyone’s skills or training, just a point of clarification. You’re probably right that an oral surgery center that is advertised as such will be safer than a neighborhood dentistry clinic that offers sedation for cleanings and such (not great). The two key things are that 1) patients under sedation should be continuously monitored by someone with particular training who is NOT the person performing the procedure (ideally an anesthetic provider, but for minimal/moderate sedation a specially-trained nurse is good too) and 2) there should be a person with airway and resuscitation training immediately available. Ambulatory centers that perform colonoscopies meet these criteria, while very few dental clinics do. I would just ask specifically. If the proceduralist wants to reassure you that they will be monitoring you during your procedure I would look elsewhere.

      2. So you will actually take the time to talk through the options and risks and benefits of sedation and anesthesia and pain control with your patients? My experience is that doctors just dictate what will happen on a take-it-or-leave-it basis, or they don’t even explain their plan until the day of the procedure. Sometimes they flat-out lie, like they will say you can choose to be awake and then demand sedation.

    3. I always want it. The best part of infertility was 5 anesthesia naps for retrievals.

    4. This is an interesting question to me, especially coming after the colonoscopy discussion. I ended up not getting an endoscopy because they wanted to sedate me and I woke up during my wisdom teeth extraction (which was traumatic and then I think the dr gave me too much because I had a hard time waking up once it was over.) So for the endoscopy they told me I would need general anethesia instead and I decided just to scrap the whole thing. But I dont want to do that with the colonoscopy so I will have to decide what to do.

      1. I also woke up during the extraction of my wisdom teeth. This is one reason I’m vehemently against general anesthesia–with anesthesia (as opposed to sedation) you are paralyzed so they don’t may not know that you’ve woken up, you can’t protest, AND they can just wipe your memory with drugs so you just end up with mysterious trauma. Unless I need major surgery to keep me alive, I am staying awake, thank you very much.

    5. I am all for local and regional anesthesia but I don’t do sedation or systemic opioids. The problem is that they often won’t give regional anesthesia without sedation. IDK if it’s for their own convenience or to increase profits or both.

    6. I’m basically Edina from AbFab, “I want total sensory deprivation and backup drugs!” Seriously, I always opt for sedation or anesthesia if offered.

    7. I was NOT sedated to have my wisdom teeth removed and I absolutely wish I had been. The grinding and yanking was terrible. It was actually a pretty traumatic experience for me.

      1. My daughter woke up during hers and I know for a fact that she would not recommend it at all!

    8. I’ve never declined sedation. It’s never occurred to me to and I don’t think I would if even given the choice. I don’t want to be aware during a colonoscopy. But I also don’t have a problem with the dentist so I wouldn’t even think to ask about sedation for a mundane thing. Thankfully I’ve never had an IUD or anything like that where the pain was unbearable.

    9. Unfortunately, I get incredibly sick from sedation. The first time I had a procedure under twilight sedation, I ended up vomiting for hours so badly that they had to admit me overnight for what was supposed to be an outpatient procedure. I thought my reaction was bad because the procedure took much longer than expected so I figured I got a higher dosage of the sedation.

      When I went in for my first colonoscopy several years later, I explained to the doctor my reaction to the sedation and she brushed me off and said it would be fine. Even though colonoscopy is a much shorter procedure, I ended up feeling like a train wreck again and vomiting for hours. They pushed me to leave anyway after giving me some zofran, and I was nauseous, vomiting and felt horrible for the rest of the day. I now have in my chart that I have a poor reaction to sedation so hopefully I will be taken seriously next time.

      Long way to say, I’ll avoid sedation in any situation possible. It’s a bummer as now I’m scared to go under for any reason.

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