Wow Java, you are just getting all the patients sent to you this year! I hate to see it...so frustrating isn't it? I'm glad you're posting and sharing all the details with everyone. I think there are a lot of people who read and learn from these postings, but don't post their own responses. I hate you had to cut off the bloom! It looks like you were able to catch it in time and you've done a great job removing the nasty part. I will recommend what I have learned here from Jodi and Maria to use a cotton ball and wipe the bulb all over with a mix of 50% water and 50% hydrogen peroxide. Allow it to dry for a while and then mix a little water with Captan to make a "paste" of sort and paint the entire bulb with it and allow it to dry for a week or at least a few days. I have found this method very effective and you'll know because no more red will be present after the process. Then I would pot it in a very well draining mix, but very high in the pot so that moisture or medium doesn't touch the part you just removed. Water very carefully and sit back and wait for all the pretty leaves to come! Good luck, and yes please let us know how it goes. -Frank

GREAT JOB JODI! Thanks for the photo essay! I took a good look at all of my bulbs that had refused to bloom or even put up good leaves this winter. Uprooted each to check on it, cleaned them up...threw away 6 that looked virused (They were probably bad to begin with)...some of the first years "Bargain bulbs". Others I peeled away the outer tissue and found areas of rot. IN every case, the bulbs that had not thrived and produced had some kind of rot situation going on so I Am glad I did it. A few had amazingly good roots but in some cases a previous stem had rotted off inside the bulb, or one had aborted and rotted. (Chaz, we need a maternity nurse here!)IN a few the base plate was so thick I Scraped it or cut it back. SOme base plates were covered with corky brown material and no roots. I have had lots of amazingly beautiful blooms this year, but the ones that did not were important parts of my learning experience and I Think will make me a better gardener. And sometimes tossing the bad bulbs is what you need to do! I saved one with some red on the leaves last year. THis year the leaves and Flower petals had ugly mottling of the colors. (I set it out overnight so it would freeze because I just could not toss a blooming plant with a good sized bulb!) I think in every case these were "bargain" end of the season bulbs or from one specific place in FLorida that did not beleive in protecting their bulbs when shipping them to me (And whom I will no longer buy from).

Remember sellers are basically guaranteeing that: 1) Bulbs grow 2) Bulbs bloom 3) Blooms resemble the photo as represented So, reasons to ask for replacement or credit include (but are not limited to): 1) Bulb was frozen and turns to mush prompty! 2) Bulb is infected/infested with obvious disease upon receipt 3) Bulb doesn't grow 4) Bloom doesn't look anything like the named hybrid you bought! There are more reasons, but these are the basics. Remember, if you are going to ask for a replacement bulb, be sure to document the problem with photos and provide those at the time you make your complaint. Kristi This post was edited by kaboehm on Thu, Nov 6, 14 at 19:00

Oh my good friends! I love and appreciate all you so much! Reading your replies has lifted my spirits and my courage. Honestly! Since I have no choice in the matter (well, I do have a choice: stop doing anything that requires the use of my left leg.....) I might as well have a good attitude. Knowing I can come here for support means a great deal! In answer to the questions...I hope I don't miss any!... Fear and terror is how I lost the weight. Truly. See, the joint works fine. The weakness, pain and swelling is in the femor and the tibia. Any exertion created problems. My leg hurt while I was sleeping. When I started feeling the prongs of the joint moving around is when I got serious about weight loss. Basically I cut out the sweets and used portion control. If I wanted to have a dessert, I didn't eat bread or potatoes with the meal. I pretty much ate what I wanted but the portions were very very small. Eating a high protein breakfast each day kept me from snacking. Two months of physical therapy helped immensely and now I am in pretty good shape. I blew it the last week what with the holiday sweets and treats but they are all gone now. Insurance: My insurance will pay for the second surgery. However, everything involved in this process is in subrogation. If you recall, immediately after the accident my surgeon's PA read the radiation scan and scheduled a knee revision for the following month but I could not get into the see the surgeon for another ten days. During that ten days I got calls from every insurance company involved, including our health insurance, wanting to record or conversations and asking me to sign documents. This is when I sought the advice of an attorney. I told the surgeon I could not agree to another surgery until I knew the bills would be paid which is when he said the knee was not injured and told me to carry on with normal activities and come back in a year. Basically I have turned everything over to an attorney. The last time we spoke he mentioned a settlement. I told him for now all I was concerned about is the bills got paid. You see, there is still over three thousand dollars of medical bills incurred immediately after the accident that have not been paid. For now I just want to be able to walk again and stay out of the poor house. As some of you pointed out this time around I know what to expect and can prepare. Thank you for putting this into perspective for me. The surgeon says I will spend at least three days in the hospital for physical therapy. I spent less that 24 hours in the hospital the first time around which horrified my current doctor. He said he requred more time to observe and monitor my progress before letting me get over a hundred miles away from him. The first time I was told I couldn't go home until I learned how to use crutches. Considering I've spent a LOT of time on crutches in my life (this is the twelve surgery on this leg since I was a kid) I proved in a hurry I was crutch-competent. LOL I got in the room at 8 o'clock at night and was on my way home by 8:30 the next morning. I came home with a staph infection (something the surgeon was not very concerned about; they referred me to our family doctor for treatment) which set me back considerably in my recovery. Apparently my current knee can't be re-used. It will have to replaced. I wonder if they will let me keep it? LOL This leg has been broken, set, rebroken and reset and the knee rebuilt once and I have the hardware from each episode. I'd like to have the knee to add to my collection. LOL How morbid is that? Thanks again everyone. I appreciate it! I will keep you updated. Lori