Hi there. Just wanted to see if I could build a new home with some new (and hopefully old) friends. I do not wanna be 'homeless' anymore so here I am! This is gonna be a place for friends to meet (hopefully) and talk about anything & everything.

My name is Tracy and I live in Deer Park, Texas. I have been married for 6 years. I was banded in April '07. Got 4 pounds away from goal, quit smoking and gained 46-50 pounds back so I am on my journey again. This time as a non-smoker :w00t:

This is a life change and with it comes lifelong friends...wanna come along for the ride? :blushing:

Josie...I wish I was there too! We won't forget you!

I noticed that we have the same band dr! I love dr spivak and his staff!

That pic was taken as soon as we got done 4 wheelin' and I was grinning for hours after. It makes me smile thinking about it. I screamed & laughed until I thought i was gonna die! Good times! Wish I was there right now.

I don't think we need a 'leader'. We all draw strength/hope/determination from each other. We all have our bad days and good days so I think we should just leave it at that. We can tell who is having a hard time (me me me) and who is rockin'the band! lol We help each other out just being here for each other!

Today I have Macy home (ear infection) but she isnt running fever so that is a good thing. Maybe she can go back to school tomorrow. She sure isn't acting sick! lol

DH and I decided a while back to close our credit card accts and cut back on things....well, I called yesterday to get the U-Verse (cable, phone, internet) from AT&T instead of using Comcast...and since we do not have any other major credit card other than our bank mastercard we got turned down! I couldnt believe it. They weren't even gonna charge anything to the card, just have it on file for in case we do not return their equipment. What the heck would we do with the equipment? lol Oh well, I guess that is how comcast gets away with screwing people.

I am rambling now (I miss Jane...that is what she says )

Have a great day everyone! (((hugs)))

Hi guys

going to work on the bathroom floor, but wanted to check in...

Josie, it is freezing here isn't it! yuck.

I might have a fire tonight and watch a movie

that is kind of neat you found your grandparents names at ellis ilsand.

Tracy - MUAH... love ya sister

mom is crazy this am, she is getting dressed for a job interview and we have totally different taste... and she asks me over and over if i like something and i don't know what else to say, I am simple and she has 10,000 pr of earings ... ya know what i'm saying?

ok here i go!

Tracy- I worked in a bank fo 15years, and when all the foreclosure stuff was going on... I said just that... lose your house, you can't pay bills, what happens next, can't rent with bad credit, can't get a credit card, takes years and years to rebuild, what happens to all these people?????

It is a scary thing out there and this is just really starting to become an issue... watch... it is going to get worse!

It was a conscious decision to use cash for what we want and now it is almost like we are getting punished for wanting to be out of debt...it sucks. I know one thing...I am not going to get a credit card just to make AT&T happy. LOL

We made the same decision Tracy. We kept a major credit card---but I am only making the balance go away, not adding to it!

Our financial issues are a nightmare right now. BCBS has us sooooo messed up, and yet the problem is not them entirely. Rick went into A fib and a cardiologist admitted him to our local hospital. But when he gets in, on this beautiful new cardiology wing, we find out due to financial differences of opinion, there are no practicing cardiologists on staff. He is there with heart problems and no heart Dr.'s are available. So the hospitalist Dr. he ordered 3 EKG's a day to monitor the progress while using horrible nitro paste on him which give him massive headaches, and did nothing for the A fib. I called insurance, to get him transferred to Albq. but they require a Dr. to transfer, and if we check out AMA to take him ourself, we chance losing coverage for the issue at hand. So he spent 5 days in the hospital, with multiple tests......and finally a GP discharged him so he could go to ABQ. Now insurance has refused for 3 years to pay a cent of the bill, as the tests ordered were not ordered by a qualified cardiologist. We have fought and fought, and been turned into collection over it, even though it was in dispute. Well the collection company says they got a judgement on it, and we never received any notice of any court hearing. So we went to the court house, and sure enough----it says the server put it on our door--which is BS. So now we are fighting it again, have spent way too much on this, but the bill is over $60K!

So our credit is tanking, and we cannot seem to stop it. It concerns us over the job DH is trying to get....not to mention the general stress!

I have been paying on it, trying to keep our credit in tact, figuring worse case scenario, we end up paying $2750.00 for it, because that is supposed to be our max out of pocket. But BCBS says no it is not an accepted expense. So I tried to get a print out of what all had been paid, because they claimed they paid the acceptable billings, and no one will provide me with a detailed billing. I can get an itemized bill for 2 bucks a page, which I did, but it still does not show what is or is not accepted and why. And no one can or will tell me. Now that I have gone back to work, I do not have time nor patience to spend every off minute dealing with it, so I have been doing the ostrich thing, and poking my head in the sand like it is going away.....and I know it is not. Pray for me, I might hurt someone if it does not straighten out soon!

I have been working with a woman who I honestly believe knows less than I do at the insurance commission, and has been zero help......deep deep sigh.....

Well that is my story, and my rant.....and the saga of my economic downturn!!!

It sucks to be close to $100,000.00 in debt (the $60K was only one year) medically, and still be paying over $500.00 a month out in insurance---and supposedly have coverage. Our issues come in with us being in an area that is out of network, so little is paid, and we end up owing max out of pocket all the time. When you have several surgeries between us, it adds up quicker than I can pay it off....

Credit card was easy Tracy!!! LOL

Kat,

So sorry to hear about your finacial situation. What a stressful nightmare! I've been there in the past. I had my own business and ran up $70K in debt. I don't know how I sleep nights. I went to one of theose credit card counseling services, and they were able to gt the interest rates lowered, which was a big help. I didn't have any credit cards for years, but thank goodness for debit cards. I've been unemployed since the end of May, have gone through all of my 401K money, and have borrowed from friends & family to keep going. Needless to say, the situation has been depressing, but the one really bright spot has been the Band. I was laid off 1 week before surgery, and if it wasn't for the Band, I would have been stuffing food in my face constantly, which would have depressed me even more. The weight loss, and being able to fit into clothes I haven't been able to wear in years has really lifted my spirits. Unfortunately, it hasn't transfered over into organizing myself and getting a job. One day at a time...

Kat,

In my long rant, I forgot to ask - have you contacted your elected officials for help? Health Care is the hot button issue right now - try your US Senator, Congressman, State Senator, Assemblyman, etc. Elections are coming up, so you could find a sympathetic ear looking for a vote.

Good luck.

I only use cash myself, getting laid off 3 years ago messed me up horribly, but over the last very long 3 years, I have learned if you don't have it don't use it!

In NY we have Help Me Howard, etc on the major tv networks, call them if you are willing ot be on tv and they DO get results

I pay a fortune for BCBS and it is making me sick :thumbup:

Kat, what a nightmare. I would be bald by now trying to deal with that. On top of everything else you deal with. We are very lucky to have excellent insurance. Years ago I was a patient at St. Luke's Cancer Center for 6 months. Could you imagine what that bill would have looked like. Yikes. Ended up costing us only $100.00 and that was because I had requested a privat room for the week of my surgery. 3 surgeries, daily treatments, ER visit, Home Health 3 times a week. That would have sent us in to Bankrupcy.

Long day for me. I'm home now sucking on a Rte 44 Iced Tea with Lemon from Sonic. Took my sis to the Doc's. Took her grocery shopping. Came home and Hubby and I took off to church and spent 4& 1/2 hours mowing. Thanks to the cooler weather, there wasn't to much to cut, but still alot to do. Came home and had to go with Nephew to the dealership to get a copy of paperwork for the Insurance company. I am now home with my shoes off and relaxing. I need to get in and take a shower. I stink.

Josie, that is so cool about finding your Grandparents names. I hope to someday make it to NY. Never been there. NY city that is. I've been to Buffalo. LOL.

Kat, what a nightmare. I would be bald by now trying to deal with that. On top of everything else you deal with. We are very lucky to have excellent insurance. Years ago I was a patient at St. Luke's Cancer Center for 6 months. Could you imagine what that bill would have looked like. Yikes. Ended up costing us only $100.00 and that was because I had requested a privat room for the week of my surgery. 3 surgeries, daily treatments, ER visit, Home Health 3 times a week. That would have sent us in to Bankrupcy.

Long day for me. I'm home now sucking on a Rte 44 Iced Tea with Lemon from Sonic. Took my sis to the Doc's. Took her grocery shopping. Came home and Hubby and I took off to church and spent 4& 1/2 hours mowing. Thanks to the cooler weather, there wasn't to much to cut, but still alot to do. Came home and had to go with Nephew to the dealership to get a copy of paperwork for the Insurance company. I am now home with my shoes off and relaxing. I need to get in and take a shower. I stink.

Josie, that is so cool about finding your Grandparents names. I hope to someday make it to NY. Never been there. NY city that is. I've been to Buffalo. LOL.

You always have a place to stay in upstate NY, I'm 2 1/2 hrs from the city, and 45-60 mins from the adirondaks...

Kat- WOW...OK so my little lack of a credit card for new cable is not such a big deal after all. Thanks for putting it all in perspective for me! LOL :thumbup:

I hate that you are going through that...it has to suck! I just do not understand it though. People who have insurance seem to pay through the nose for it and when it doesn't cover something I just don't get it. Like my band...not covered. Aetna said not no but hello no to any kind of weight loss surgery. When in the long run it would save them my bills for heart attack, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure....morons

In hind sight I wish I had gone to the media first, but now that it is in litigation, no one will air it.....day late and many, many dollars short at this point!!!

Off to a late softball game, and I have a headache from hell.....

Softball is another stress in my life now.....wow it sounds like I am doing nothing but complaining, and I really hate being that way!!

So....on the bright side, I can now play softball! I can run, and the only thing flopping are the girls!! And DH kinda likes it thataway!!!

See y'all tomorrow!

Softball is another stress in my life now.....wow it sounds like I am doing nothing but complaining, and I really hate being that way!!

So....on the bright side, I can now play softball! I can run, and the only thing flopping are the girls!! And DH kinda likes it thataway!!!

See y'all tomorrow!

OMG, I almost shot coffee out my nose. You are so funny! Guys are so easy to please, right? LOL :biggrin:

Good morning ladies! Today is my day to get off my butt! I have reached 233.5 again and it is time to regain control of this. On my mark, get set, GO :smile:

So what does everyone have on their agenda today? We have to go to the grocery store. Not fun but it has to be done...our cupboards are bare. Funny how blue bell just magically repleneshes itself in the freezer...:biggrin: I am out right now so I will get some SF blue bell at the store today.

I will post later what I have eaten today to keep myself honest. Right now I am having coffee with equal and creamer. I plan to have oatmeal for breakfast...

Have a fantastic day everyone! :biggrin: