Consumer columnist and West Hartford resident Harlan Levy has more than 20 years of experience writing stories about everyday experiences that anyone could encounter.

Harlan Levy. Courtesy photo

By Harlan Levy

Here’s a reminder of an airline policy that we forgot – and literally paid the price – on our nine-day trip to sunny, summery, Miami Beach (temps high 70s, no rain, no snow, daily piña coladas).

Our airline, United, waives the $40-per-checked-bag charge if you pay for your trip using a United credit card. Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and other airlines also waive their checked-bag fees if you buy your flight with the airline’s credit card.

So, because we had bought the flights there and back with our CapitalOne card, we paid $40 per bag (for two bags) each way. Ouch!

A side note: United’s movie choices are pathetic: Transformers 2, Forrest Gump, The Legend of Ron Burgundy, a craft skills TV show, and the 2024 film If.

Unfortunately my video screen would not play anything but parts of Gump intermittently. We wanted to see “If,” with Ryan Reynolds and a girl who hallucinates giant imaginary toys, but all we had was the trailer, including a huge gummy bear, who complained about its life and kept emitting loud blasts of gas. “My eyes can taste it,” Reynolds says, asking the girl, “Can’t your eyeballs taste it?”

After watching the trailer about 30 times, my wife gave up and turned to Forrest Gump and his box of chocolates, the fifth time she’s seen it. “I decided on a bumpy flight that it was better to see it again rather than wait for the bumps.” Meanwhile, I kept trying to get the news and sports channels with no luck. So I read a book. After a three-hour delay in Houston, where we had just attended a friend’s wedding, the plane – with its extremely cramped seating – took off, landing after a severely bumpy last 20 minutes, at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Summer was gone, and frigid temps, snow, and ice replaced it.

Disposing of empty gallon water jugs

Instead of putting an empty gallon jug in your recyclables barrel, taking up space, you pour extremely hot water into the jug. Then you wait a few minutes and pour it out, which should collapse it with your help. Then you pour very cold water on it to keep the collapsed shape, and toss it.

Caption: #1: To collapse an empty gallon water jug, first fill it with piping hot water. Photo credit: Harlan Levy

Empty the hot water and collapse the jug. Photo credit: Harlan Levy

After collapsing the jug run it under cold water to keep it collapsed. Photo credit: Harlan Levy

Breast implant warning

The Federal Drug Administration has released a wide-ranging report on saline- or silicone-filled breast implants associated with “breast implant illness, generalized or unexplained illness, or unexplained systemic symptoms” reported in 10,318 cases between Jan. 1, 2008 and June 30, 2024.

The average age of the patients as identified in 6,191 of the cases (60%) was 42.6 with the time from breast implant to the beginning of the symptoms in 76% of the cases was 5.6 years. Several reports on children born to women with breast implants appeared to show that the children showed symptoms or events attributable to the mother’s implants.

Courtesy of Harlan Levy

Of the 10,318 reports, 4,210 (or 41%) reported the patient undergoing device removal averaging nine years after the beginning of symptoms. Since 2011 the FDA identified 1,380 cases of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

The top 10 most common symptoms or signs:

• Fatigue: 41%
• Joint issues: 31%
• Anxiety: 23%
• Autoimmune diseases: 23%
• Brain fog: 23%
• Hair loss: 20%
• Illness: 19%
• Depression: 17%
• Rash: 17%
• Weight loss or gain: 17%

The appearance of such symptoms has been reported with all types of breast implants regardless of filling, shape or surface characteristic, and the symptoms appear anywhere from right after implantation to years later, the FDA said.

Now you know.

NOTE: If you have a consumer problem, contact me at [email protected] (“Consumer” in subject line), and, with the power of the press, maybe I can help.

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