Wow, I'm sorry it wasn't a great day, but I am so glad it wasn't worse. You met up with a lot of nice people, too. Today has really stunk with the weather. We have the ice storm going on in NY too. We got a tease with the warm weather for the past two days and then get hit with this storm. Again, I am glad that you came out of this ok. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Sue

Hey Julia-Thanks for the laugh-this is too funny!!haha Sharon

Hello Gang can't do the Ethel wants to know as we are going away..see you later. Joan M

Subject: Fw: Beware! Most of you have read the scare-mail about the person whose kidneys were stolen while he was passed out. Well, read on. While the kidney story was an urban legend, this one is not. It's happening every day. My thighs were stolen from me during the night a few years ago. It was just that quick. I went to sleep in my body and woke up with someone else s thighs. The new ones had the texture of cooked oatmeal. Who would have done such a cruel thing to legs that had been mine for years? Whose thighs were these and what happened to mine? I spent the entire summer looking for my thighs. Finally, hurt and angry, I resigned myself to living out my life in jeans and Sheer Energy pantyhose. Then, just when my guard was down, the thieves struck again. My butt was next. I knew it was the same gang, because they took pains to match my new rear end to the thighs they stuck me with earlier. I couldn't believe that my new butt was attached at least three inches lower than my original. Now, my rear complemented my legs, lump for lump. Frantic, I prayed that long skirts would stay in fashion. It was two years ago when I realized my arms had been switched. One morning I was fixing my hair and I watched horrified but fascinated as the flesh of my upper arms swung to and fro with the motion of the hairbrush. This was really getting scary. My body was being replaced one section at a time. How clever and fiendish. Age? Age had nothing to do with it. Age is supposed to creep up, unnoticed, something like maturity. NO, I was being attacked repeatedly and without warning. In despair, I gave up my T-shirts. What could they do to me next? My poor neck suddenly disappeared faster than the Thanksgiving turkey it now resembled. That's why I decided to tell my story. I can't take on the medical profession by myself. Women of the world, wake up and smell the coffee. That really isn't plastic that those surgeons are using. You KNOW where they are getting those replacement parts, don't you? The next time you suspect someone has had a face "lifted", look again. Was it lifted from you? I think I finally found my thighs - and I hope that Cindy Crawford paid a really good price for them! This is not a hoax. This is happening to women in every town every night. WARN YOUR FRIENDS! P.S. I must say that last year I thought someone had stolen my breasts. I was lying in bed and they were gone! As I jumped out of bed, I was relieved to see that they had just been hiding in my armpits as I slept. Now I keep them hidden in my waistband. A fellow WLS friend of mine sent this to me and I thought it was so appropriate. Hilarious! Julia

Hi all, I just a phone call earlier from the woman that handles the insurance at the PS office. Now I've heard that some offices don't even deal with insurance, that you have to pay up front and deal with the insurance afterward, so the fact that he has someone who only does that is very encouraging. Anyway, she did tell me that it's not too early for me to start this since a lot of times the only way the insurance companies will cover any type of skin removal is to show a 6 month or so history of dealing with chronic issues related to the excess skin. So in addition to rashes, she said to document if I have foul odors which I hate to say, but does happen sometimes. She said if I work in an office that is close to others, tell my PCP that because it can be used as a case for insurance. If my excess skin causes back pains, or affects my ability to be a "good wife" to my husband, document it. But document it with my primary. Also if I have a rash and go to him, I should ask him to prescribe a different cream so that it shows that different things are not working. She also suggested that I go to a chiropracter for my back pain which would also show that I am getting treatment and perhaps the reason I have back pain is because of my excess skin. Just like when I was looking to be approved for the WLS and needed a letter of support from my PCP, so I will need that to seek approval for the PS. She said that she's been successful getting the belly approval with the insurance I have so that's good, but the other stuff is iffy. She said if I get rashes in the thigh-pubic area, to "repeat it with me, kids" DOCUMENT it. Also, take pictures and email them to her so that they start to have a file on me. She said that it normally takes 5 - 6 weeks for her to get approval so if I start now and wait to see how long before I stop losing and maintain that weight, it will still be about 6 months or so, so when I am actually physically ready for the surgery, my approval might be ready. So I have an appointment with my PCP on Sat and I will talk to him about all this so that when I need his letter, he is aware of everything. Because I was not happy with him when I needed the letter for the approval for WLS. (It's all in my profile). So I am all about making sure that I do everything I can to get as much paid for as possible. If I think of anything else I will post it. Take care all, Sue