ReneBean

Happy Birthday to our resident Sex Goddess. (And I say, give a present to yourself... that way you know you will like at least ONE of your gifts...) Enjoy!

If the kids know, she will find out eventually, anyway. I would think it is better that she hear it from you up front. If she's going to be judgemental, she's going to be. Nothing you can do will stop her. It won't matter if you tell her or the kids do. Good Luck.

You'll be fine. Breathe! We'll all be thinking good thoughts. :]

Don't deny the disco in your soul.... and don't forget the Funk It just doesn't get any better than Brick House! :]

Mastectomy Bill in Congress http://www.lifetimetv.com/reallife/bc/pledges/bc_mast_pledge.html Please check out this web-page to vote for important legislation. Thanks.

The likelihood of you dying under anesthesia is about the same as the likelihood that you will get hit by a bus crossing the street on your way home tonight. Deep Cleansing Breaths... Its ok. Really. We could all die any day for any number of reasons. This surgery is a good thing.

What do you do with yourself during the day, Ira? I notice that you tend to lurk in the evening... Give us something more scintillating than sweat pants, Darlin'. (but, yes, isn't it just that exciting to get a cheap deal?) :]

I'm Melting, MELTING.... (picture flying monkeys). I am afraid that snow is not on the horizon for us for the next little while... Maybe just a cool breeze. Yeah - that's the ticket. Everybody think positive thoughts about a cool breeze....

What a Rock! Ah, young love. Congrats! May you be as happy in ten years as you are today. :]

www.FitRX.com - another place to shop for those fab Protein supplements - and the prices are pretty good... Ultramet is pretty good, too. A full Meal Replacement with 42 grams of protein. :]

All right. I have called Blue Cross for a copy of their policy on "Investigational Procedures." I have faxed my denial letter to my coordinator at Lap Band Solutions. I have sent an e-mail to Don Mills at Inamed to see if he has any current research references that I can add to the ones in Alex's letter from the sticky thread. I have sent inquiries to both ObesityLaw.com and BandedLawyer.com to see about help for an appeal. The wind is kicking up...

OMG! I can only type with one hand because I am laughing so hard my eyes are watering. I have a Kleenex to stem the tide... I feel like my retinas are burning from just the thought of one of those little skirts with no matching drawers...SCARY!! Thanks for being my Rah Rah Girl, anyway, Eileen. I am actually in Dallas, Texas. Eileen started this chat and invited everyone - so here I am.

Hi Alexra! Welcome to our little chat. We could use a little "new blood" around here... "Need" has nothing to do with shopping. Now, Sexy Boots - that's what I'm talkin' about. I am so totally jealous that you have got your band. Oh well. Hot Damn, Girl! 86 pounds since late April? Way to go!! Stop by and see us any time. :]

Oh Jean - I know how you feel. How a 360 pound woman could see herself as anything other than HUGE is beyond me, now - but really, I always thought "oh, I'm not THAT big" until my leg swelling stopped going down at night. I finally got myself a doctor (Yeah - no doctor for the prior 5 yrs or so) and checked out the problem. (Venous Stasis - EEWWE). One day, when I was wrapping my legs (something I will have to do everyday forever if I can't find a comfortable pair of compression stockings) I thought - "Gee, this sucks. And my body will only go downhill from here on out." The "morbid" part of morbid obesity reared up and kicked me in the gut. I started researching for Gastric ByPass (desperation? uh-huh.) and found out about the Lap Band. I'm in the "Fight the Insurance Company" stage right now. I, like you, wanted immediate results - and within a few weeks, I had completed all of the pre-op testing and submitted the papers to the insurance company. Then, we submitted again (just assume they will lose or "never receive" the first set). Then I sat back to wait. And Wait. Then I got my denial letter. You have to just plan on waiting. Take up a hobby. (I chose LBT as my thing to do). At this point, I figure I have been dangerously fat for a long, long time. A few more weeks or months is probably (hopefully) not going to kill me... By the way, if you are "already dying" then you probably don't want to fly off to TJ just yet. Obtaining a Primary Care Physician is a good plan. Get a physical, start the pre op testing. There are LOTS of nice people here to hold your hand while you wait. (Dang it, Eileen!! Now I will be singing that song ALL DAY...) :]

Oh, yes - I will definitely make the appeal - and I guess I don't have to wait to at least investigate financing. (uh-duh). Of course, I can't afford to make any more payments right now - so I don't know why I am bothering - but I will investigate all the options. It's not like this was unexpected - but I had managed to hope that somehow, against the odds, insurance would look at my 59.7 BMI and think - "well, if she thinks it will work for her - let's give her a shot..." Talk about a vivid fantasy life... Anyway, my coordinator at LapBand Solutions is reviewing the letter with her supervisor and I have requested a copy of the insurance requirements for "Investigational" procedures as per the offer in the denial letter and I have a request for review in with ObesityLaw.com.

Oooooooo. You bring me THAT hat, and I'LL dance... Ole!

Mooning Maintenance Men?? Oh My. Well, I suppose I should start gathering up the bail money... Shopping Therapy. Hmmmn. It's a thought - but I have to stay in and gather ammunition and troops for my assault on Blue Cross. My coordinator at Lap Band Solutions is reviewing the denial letter and they will get back to me (hopefully soon) and I have sent some feelers out to the obesity lawyers. I will also be calling my good buddy Larry at BC/BS to see if I can wring any specifics out of him regarding the denial. Investigational Procedure, my left heinie! Of course, that brings me back to the bail money... Eileen, Honey? About how much should I gather up? Is Bail Expensive in Jersey? Tell you what. You gather up some bail money, too. It looks like I will be heading out to Burbank next month to participate in our Due Diligence file review - and it just so happens that the insurance company isn't far from there...

closet. He went to the door, opened it, and saw Kare standing there, glowering. She said...

I'm a Pina Colada girl, myself. So, do we get badges or something that say we are Honorary New Mexicans? (Yeah, Yeah, I know - Badges!? Badges?! We don't need no stinkin' Badges!)

Cocky is good. Enjoy! And show them how it's done on that committee thing. Don't be afraid to delegate. Just cause nobody wanted to lead doesn't mean they don't have to work! :]

Remember - breathe and read. Once you have made your ticker and you get to that last page - SCROLL DOWN. There should be three boxes with different codes in them. Copy & paste the bbCode.

Well, Honey, At least he had the balls to leave you BEFORE he found the 19 yr old skinny blonde... yep, it happened to me when I was 24. After 3.5 yrs you would think I deserved a little common courtesy - but no. At least your man is playing it up front. Then, after crying and hating life for a while, I was standing on a corner talking to my friend who ran the hotdog stand at the University of Oregon. She introduced me to this big, sort of scary looking guy and I thought - Hmmmn. "This guy looks ripe to take my mind off of that weasel. I think I will take him for a spin around the bedroom." What a wild ride. All I was looking for was a quickie - and what I got was 16 yrs of wedded bliss. You just never know. I know it hurts right now. It probably will for a while. Take your time, cry a lot. Vent a lot. Do something different. (I got a new apartment). Eventually it will work itsself out. ((((Hugs)))))

Thank fortune that I seem to be in a permanent maintenance mode - or I, too, would be concerned about gaining 95 lbs... But seriously, has anybody ever been covered by BC/BS of California? Or should I just go for financing, now....

Hello Girls and Boys... Has ANYONE ever been approved by BC/BS of CA for this procedure?? I kinda figured with a BMI of 59.7 I would be a no-brainer - however, I received a denial for my pre-approval with this text: "There is insufficient medical literature to determine the safety, superiority or equivalency and long term efficacy of this procedure in comparative trials with gastric bypass or duodenal switch. For these reasons it is considered investigational. The Blue Cross of California Medical Policy for Surgery for Clinically Severe Obesity, which is based on published peer reviewed evidence based medical literature, was used in making this determination." So, what gives? What does "Investigational" mean? Any help would be appreciated. Obviously, I will appeal since I consider this to be the highest for of the brown stuff from a male cow. Any contributions from the wise and experienced would be appreciated.

Hey, I wrote a song, too... after reading about the worst PB experience, ever. "I don't want to throw up, I'm a Bandster Rules Kid There's lots of rules that Bandsters learn to help us to live There's Chew to Goo and Eat Real Slow and Water to Sip Sip Sip I don't want to throw up cause, baby if I did, I wouldn't be a Bandster Rules Kid." Maybe not as good to exercise to, but it's an option. :]