[JJames]

Melody, I am very happy to first hear that you are doing so well and second hear that someone was able to find a crack in the armor of the medical insurance wall of armor! My surgeon informed me that he "could" perform the surgery without any FDA-related issues, as it is what I need as his patient. My battle is with getting my medical insurance to pay for it. Unless it is an FDA approved procedure, the deem it "experimental" and use that as their loophole for not covering the procedure. I also consulted with, and received a defensive posture from both my company's HR Department and our medical insurance broker. My guess as to why this was the case is that the company which I work for is "self-insured". I don't know exactly what that means, but I am certain that these two individuals benefit from preventing the spending of any money! Unfortunately, I think my surgeon has been burned by the insurance companies enough in the past that if I cannot have anything ensuring they will be covering the procedure, I must pay up front and in full out-of-pocket! Glad to hear you're doing well and I will continue my fight.