Denied.....now what!

Ok, the title says it all. My insurance company has denied my preauthorization for the gastric bypass. They said that I did not present information proving that I'd failed a medically supervised weight loss plan. That's what the letter said. I'd received the news from a phone conversation I had with the company before I got the letter. In that conversation, the person indicated that "they just need to make sure I'm not doing this for cosmetic reasons". That's funny. Yeah, I'm 320#, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, arthritis, GERD, and other bariatric conditions I will leave unmentioned - but I might be in it to have abs like David Hasselhoff....RIIIIGGHT......

Ok, I realize that most folks who undergo this surgery have to jump through some hoops to get approved, like participating in a doctor supervised weight loss plan for 6-12 months, but at this point it seems like such a waste of time. I know I can lose maybe 10# if I starve myself and work out like a fiend, but according to the NIH, the only true method of attaining long term weight loss for the morbidly obese is with bariatric surgery.

I plan on drafting an appeal letter, providing information regarding my failed "medical weight loss program" in 2001, and my attempts since then. I will also include the NIH studies I mentioned, and will become the most stubborn phone caller since the invention of telemarketing. Might work, might not - either way I'll keep dieting as much as I can, and in 4 months I'll have the right amount of "time served" to go for approval again.

Bummer though - I was really psyched up for getting this done and over with and on with my new life.

Any ideas, I could use em.....

Hotlanta nights....

Sorry for the meager posts lately, but I just got back from Atlanta, where I was attending the American Society of Hand Thearpists meeting. The setting was at a swanky Hyatt in Atlanta, right downtown. Just me and a few thousand other hand therapists, about 95% female I might add. We listened to research article presentations, went to numerous vendors booths and generally devoted our 7am-6:30pm schedule to all things upper extremity rehabilitation. I know, most of you have yawned at least once by now......

Overall I enjoyed Atlanta - has that old south feel in parts, and that "struggling to fight blight" feel in others. The most suprizing thing I noticed was the number of homeless men throughout downtown. I couldn't walk two blocks without seeing a guy sleeping in a doorway, or carrying everything he owned in a bunch of grocery sacks. Not to say anything about race, but generally these were 25-45 year old african american males. I wondered, "what's their story", "are they from here, or have they come south for the fall?" It was one sad perspective on the downtown scene.

As I'm getting ready for surgery, I took a walk each evening of about '45. Each walk cost me at least $1 for the one persistant panhandler that would get my attention (they're good). I kept thinking "whatever you do unto the least of these, you do it unto me", and felt like such the hypocrite when I'd pretend not to hear them as they gave different renditions of "I need a dollar so I can get something to eat". I've heard great stories of people who tell the panhandler, "I won't give you money, but I'll gladly take you to McDonald's for a meal", and then they witness to them. Or, they say ok, and lead you to a dark alley next door to McDonald's and beat you senseless to get the "beer money" they really want....... Dilemma of conscience.

As a general rule, I don't give $ to panhandlers (I'm sure most of the $ ends up at the nearest liquor store), but I do support our local homeless shelter and give to the united way etc. I know that's an easy cop-out, and that it's not personal witnessing. I need to come up with a better plan of what to do in this situation. Any ideas?

Well, It's good to be home, but I'm really bushed and need to get some shut eye. That's all for now.

God Bless and Good Night

The Unseen Blogger: Crikey!

The Unseen Blogger: Crikey!

Ok, really now, who didn't see this coming.....Tragic none the less....

CAIRNS, Australia (AP)- Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the “Crocodile Hunter,” was killed Monday by a stingray while filming off the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44. Irwin was at Batt Reef, off the remote coast of northeastern Queensland state, shooting a segment for a series called “Ocean’s Deadliest” when he swam too close to one of the animals, which have a poisonous bard on their tails, his friend and colleague John Stainton said. “He came on top of the stingray and the stingray’s barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart,” said Stainton, who was on board Irwin’s boat at the time.Crew members aboard the boat, Croc One, called emergency services in the nearest city, Cairns, and administered CPR as they rushed the boat to nearby Low Isle to meet a rescue helicopter. Medical staff pronounced Irwin dead when they arrived a short time later, Stainton said.

“The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest dads on the planet,” Stainton told reporters in Cairns. “He died doing what he loved best and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. He would have said, ’Crocs Rule!”’

“It’s a huge loss to Australia,” Prime Minister John Howard told reporters. “He was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. He brought joy and entertainment and excitement to millions of people.”

Stingrays have a serrated, toxin-loaded barb, or spine, on the top of their tail. The barb, which can be up to 10 inches long, flexes if a ray is frightened. Stings usually occur to people when they step on or swim too close to a ray and can be excruciatingly painful but are rarely fatal, said University of Queensland marine neuroscientist Shaun Collin. 'Extraordinarily bad luck' Collin said he suspected Irwin died because the barb pierced under his ribcage and directly into his heart. “It was extraordinarily bad luck. It’s not easy to get spined by a stingray and to be killed by one is very rare,” Collin said.

News of Irwin’s death spread quickly, and tributes flowed from all quarters of society.
At Australia Zoo at Beerwah, south Queensland, floral tributes were dropped at the entrance, where a huge fake crocodile gapes. Drivers honked their horns as they passed.
“Steve, from all God’s creatures, thank you. Rest in peace,” was written on a card with a bouquet of native flowers.

Stainton said Irwin’s American-born wife Terri, from Eugene, Ore., had been informed of his death, and had told their daughter Bindi Sue, 8, and son Bob, who will turn 3 in December.