At my wits end :'(

I don't know what else to do. Im 30 yrs old and morbidly obese. My BMI is 54.6. I cant afford normal insurance and accoding to the medicaid site i dont qualify for that either. I dont know the ins and outs with medicaid. Please please can someone help me. Im praying that i can get the surgery - not to lok cute - but for health. Sheri

Sheri, I wish I knew anything about medicaid. I can't help with that. What insurance do you have? Have you checked with them to see if they cover it? I'm sure there are places on this site that can help you find information with insurance...... Good luck and please feel free to post here with any questions we may can help with! Dee Dee

I dont have any insurance right now. Ive been out on Workers comp for a year, and that will be even longer im sure. I blew out a disc at work, and have had 9 Dr's and still nothing is being done. Im sure my wieght has alot to do with it (The not healing part). I barely make enough to cover my bills, so i cant afford any other form of insurance. Since ive been out on workers comp i missed the sign up for insurance at work. Besides, they have BCBS, and from what im told, they dont cover the operation anymore. Like i was telling my great friend Amy, im about to give up and gain 500 lbs and say screw it. I just dont know what else i can do to get this done. Thanks for listening, Sheri

Hi Sheri I am so sorry that you are having such a difficult time. I am very empathetic of your situation b/c I had a difficult time "getting things going" to have my surgery. I had researched the surgery for a few years prior to my decision, then came the issue of how to pay for it. I researched a lot of options, for me the one that made the most sense was taking out a home equity line of credit. Now, I know everyone may not have that option - and I'm not sure if this will help, but I just wanted to relay some of the other options I either looked into myself or have heard about from other people. On the main board I have heard of going thru the state's rehab center. Now, I am not sure about Ga, but others have had success with this in other states. You may want to post on the main board & ask advice on what all you need to do to get started. I found a site: vocrehabga.org/ (add the www.) & I think this is the site for our state rehab office, but I would get good info before you go blindly into it to improve your chances of success. The other option is looking into medical financing. There are a lot of companies out there now that are offering it (Care Credit & Capital One are 2 I know of). You could probably do a web search & get numerou****s. I know you mentioned $ being tight & I completely understand. I was recently divorced & living on my own for the 1st time in years when I took this on. I can tell you one thing it is the best thing I ever did for myself & if I pay for it for the rest of my life I consider it a worthwhile investment (at least I have a chance @ living long enough to pay it off now). Well, I hope that helps some. I know it is easier said than done, but try not to get discouraged and keep pushing forward. Some of our greatest miracles come to light after the darkest periods in our lives. Good luck & God bless. Angel RNY 2/3/04 187 lb since surgery / 50 lb while preparing for surgery = 237 lb total

Sheri, Contact Tonya W on the message board, posting "It's my birthday"...I know she dealt with medicaid. I told her about you. y'all try and talk so you can get things worked out.

Well I called yesturday to my lawyer to make sure that me applying for disability wont interfere in my case with them, and she assured it it wont. She told me to call the health dept here in Waynesboro. In calling them, they told me to call DFACS. OK did that. They then told me that im not eligible for medicaid unless im disabled. OK look up more info LOL I found the info i need online for the Social Security Disability application. I spent 5 hrs last night filling out everything online. Seeing how ive had 12 drs so far for my injury, it took me forever to list everyone and everything that has been tried. I had to print out 19 medical releases and send those off. One of the adjusters in Swainsboro called me this morning and did my application over the phone. I have to mail them my birth certificate. Not sure what happens next, but i know that i have to be labeled disabled to get medicaid. UGHHHHH Will this ever end right????? I appreciate everyones concern - it means more than you will ever know. Love you all, Sheri