kathystrick

I am a state employee in SC, but have coverage under my DH's BCBS policy. The state of SC is self insured anad added a specific exclusion for WLS in 2004. Prior to then, it was covered. We are hoping to make enough noise to get someone's attention!

State employees in SC are denied coverage for WLS under the self-insured state health plan. We are attempting to start a letter-writing advocacy campaign in an attempt to get this changed. Just because you are not a state employee doesn't mean you can't have an opinion or a voice on this! Check out this link: OAC to see what you can do to help. We are in the process of composing a letter to all of our representatives and recruiting people to help us get our voices heard. Anyone interested in helping can email me at moonchyld70@yahoo.com. Please, SC, step up and help us get coverage for all state employees who otherwise may not be able to ever have the advantage we have had with this valuable tool of the Lap Band! :confused_smile:

This thread has been looked at 32 times and not one person has responded willing to just sign and mail a letter. I can't believe it!!!

While I don't foresee myself cheating (I am pre-band), I can see how that could happen. The male attention does increase greatly once the weight starts coming off and that can be very enticing to someone who has never experienced that type of attention. Add to that a less than perfect relationship with a spouse/significant other and it could cause serious problems for sure. I have to admit I have worried if my marriage will be strong enough to withstand the changes I know the band will make in me and my personality, but not enough so that it would prevent me from having surgery.

We had an attic fan when I was a kid too! Actually, up until the house burned when I was 19 we lived there and NEVER ran a/c at night, only attic fan and (eventually) ceiling fans over each bed. But I live in the south too.:biggrin2: That would explain why I have a hard time sleeping without a fan going though. I am a (sometime) pillow flipper and if I get hot, leg has to be out. DH gets cold when he sleeps, so even in the heat of a South Carolina summer we have to have a blanket on the bed. As long as he keeps his hot, sweaty body and blanket mostly on his side of the bed, we get along fine. I get ill when I get hot and am trying to sleep! :rolleyes2:

Haha!! Too funny! I would be happy if I could just get DH to get one, but he absolutely refuses!!

I quit buying variety store candles a long time ago because of soot and the really strong scents of some. It was just awful! I typically use beeswax ones, but am going to look into the soy ones. Beeswax can be expensive too.

I would call. What can it hurt? And you might just get a little peace of mind!

Hi! I don't know anything about your insurance, but I did want to welcome you to the forum and wish you luck. Keep us posted on your progress!

Thanks for sharing your story. You are really diong great! Hope things continue to go well for you!

Hi! Congratulations on your approval both of you! Let us know when you have your dates. Good luck!

My doc requires an over night stay, but some do the surgery out patient. Check with your doctor so you will know what to expect.

Let us know what he says. Good luck!

Hi and welcome to LBT! Check out the NC support thread for more members from the "other" Carolina. LOL Good luck to you!

Here is the link to a thread posted by a doctor here on the LBT site about the Realize band: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/new-band-update-realize-47058/. Hope this helps and good luck making your decision!

And maybe just a little excited? :rolleyes2:

I always think of Omarosa from her first appearance on the Apprentice when a situation like that comes up. Someone made a commnet to her about "the pot calling the kettle black". She told the person she was insulted by their racial remark. WTF???

I think she was saying she wasn't in fear of being denied after the 6 months because her BMI went below 40. At least that was the way I interpreted it when I responded and hope I wasn't wrong! :confused2:

Oh, ok! So how are you both doing with the weight loss so far?

I think the fear of failure is the worst of all because we have ALWAYS failed. I know it has been for me. Part of that failure includes being denied by insurance. The fact is, long-term success IS possible with the help of the Band!! Yes, some insurance companies make it hard for approval. If they make you go through a 6 month diet before they will approve you, who cares if it means ultimately you WILL get approved?? It is only 6 months, and chances are you have been fighting your weight a lot longer than that already. Plus, once you get approval and have surgery, look how much farther along you will be on your weight loss! It is just so frustrating to me when people say they are going to give up on surgery because of that 6 months. In the big scheme of things, 6 months is nothing more than a tick on the clock. Good luck to Cakegal. Glad you stuck it out and are almost there!! Let us know when you get that approval!

98 people being banded in a month with only 30 days and I am still alone??? :rolleyes2:

Trystelle!!!! I have a fear of that happening when I start losing weight. You reach an age where they just don't bounch back like they used to and I can already tell I have started approaching that age. :rolleyes2:

She is doing well. She was so happy they caught the guy, as you can all imagine I'm sure. She had surgery yesterday to start repair on her face. They did cheek and jaw repair first. It is definitely going to be a long and painful recovery for her, but hopefully a little easier knowing he is off the streets.

First thing this morning, I got a phone call that the deputy who worked at the school I work at for the first 2 years I was here was killed in an on-duty car accident early this morning. They think a deer or something ran out in front of his car, he swerved to miss it, car rolled, and he was killed instantly. He was only 36 and has at least 2 small children. Even though his death wasn't exactly due to the job, it still scares me. My younger brother has been a deputy on the same department for 6 months. Then a little later, DH called to tell me the daughter of a friend of his was in ICU after being brutally raped, beaten and left for dead over the weekend. They haven't caught the guy who did it yet, but we are seriously afraid DH's friend is going to take matters into his own hands. If he finds the guy before the police, we doubt the guy will make it to jail. So much sadness!!!:confused_smile:

Hi Margo! Any tips for making recovery easier? How did you avoid all of that terrible gas pain everyone talks about?