Hi everyone,

I have been trying to have surgery for a couple of years now, ever since SHBP added coverage. But, then my husband lost his job, so I had to put it off. But, now he has a job again, so I am moving forward. I have my first consultation with Dr. Chasen on January 7th. The lady from his office says that I have to do my 6 month supervised diet again because it has been a couple of years since I started last time, and I have to do my 6 months of support groups meetings, but I hope to have surgery in June! I wanted to wait til then anyway since I am a teacher and off for the summer, so it should work out perfectly! I am SOOO excited.

LaShelle,
Where do you get of of those adorable graphics that always accompany your posts? They are always so apropos!

Hey Rebecca,

I know it's not what you wan tto hear, but with the economy being so bad, now can be a challenging time to move to a new state unless you have a pretty significant savings, a good stable job waiting for you in GA, or some good family support here.

If you are contemplating moving and not in good financial shape, I would say stay close to home where your family can be there to help if you need them.

As far as housing, there have not been any section 8 vouchers released in GA for at least 5+ years. They had a sign up just to be put on the waiting list in East Point GA a few months back and over 10,000 people showed up. Of those they only had about 20 actual slots to fill.  It is estimated it will take 15-20 years for them to approve all the people on the waiting list.

It seems from your experiences you may have some health challenges and maybe even depression given your approval for SSI?  The added stress of coming to a new state where you will be alone and nowhere to live doesn't sound promising.

Think really hard and do plenty of soul searching and research before you move.   Georgia is not the land of milk and honey it was 5 years ago.  We have some of the highest unemployment and foreclosure rates in the country. People here are struggling just like you are in TN.

I live in Stockbridge. A decent 2 bedroom apartment in a safe, quiet complex will run about $750-950 per  month plus utilities.  There is no low income housing available in the government apartment projects. They are not even putting people on the wait list.

There are trailer parks and sketchy parts of town where you can get something for less, but I am not sure how comfortable you would be with that lifestyle?  

To maintain a responsible financial lifestyle your rent shuld be about 1/3 your net income. So, you should have about $2200 per month SSI to live in this area.


I'm not trying to scare you away. Just keeping it real.


Hope this helps.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE AND THERE FAMILYS.

I  am thinking about moving to georgia in janurary and i was wondering what part of georgia is good , right now i live in hixson tn , originally from california been here almost two years and i was just approved for ssi and lookng to get a place of my own again. i would like to know the nice places and the inexpensive places to live . somewhere near hixson or no more then a hour a way ,just in case i need my brothers help.
i would so appreciate any information also is there support groups in georgia for wls patients. i knwo here in hixson there isnt any and i have gained some of my weight back ,i had my rny in march 2006 and i weighed 400lbs and went down to 110 which of course i was anorexic and hospitalized now i put on weight and need support ,how do i stop the best friend i have ever had which is food again. i try not to eat but my family thinks i should eat and fried fried ,junk etc food. thats why i need my own place so i can do what i need to do for me . so again i thank you all in advance for any information you can give me . i would need income based places if possible or information on how to get housing vouchher program .

thank you

rebecca basra

I've done NCL,Carinvial, RCCL and Celebrity.... I would say RCCL is closer to Carnival but a bit  better at entertainment,food and overall quality...but has a great "party" and fun atomosphere


Celebrity ,being RCCL's sister company, is a bit more upscale and subdued.... The dining is more upscale and the entertainment more subdued... so it's a quiet more upscale type atomsphere but still fun..as any cruise to me is "fun". Think no daily announcements on the PA... no bingo etc etc.....I'll post pics when I get back.

and as far as group pricing... the pricing isn't usually that much different except they  may give you some On board credits... but that's about it.... ( you remember I own a travel agency :).....

They make their money on the booze and spa treatments....

CC