Update on my Department of Labor claim

After many long telephone calls to the Department of Labor regarding my claim, specifically the Part E section which provides monetary compensation in two ways, I have an appointment for my Impairment rating. I go to the doctor on May 18. As I have mentioned before there are two ways to receive monetary compensation after winning Part E. They are wage loss and an impairment rating. In the impairment rating the doctor looks to see how the beryllium disease has affected my body. Hopefully all will go well as this is our future income we are talking about. Please pray for this visit, that it will proceed well and the doctor will have an open mind.

Please continue to pray for my mother-in-law during her recovery time. Jackie will be flying to Texas in order to be with her mother on their birthdays and Mothers Day. Please pray for Jackie as she is a nervous flier. I know you guys will have a great weekend!!

Until next time.....................................Danny

Latest Medical News etc.

I apologize for not posting any sooner, but I was trying to gather all the information I could so my blog would make sense.
On the medical front I have been having severe breathing problems so I contacted my doctor at National Jewish Hospital and they asked me to come in for an evaluation. I had the usual lung function tests, blood work and chest x ray. The chest x ray showed the cause of my breathing problems. I have nodules in my right lung. According to my doctor this should not be a serious set back. My doctor wanted me to have a CT scan which I did have yesterday. I do not know the results yet, but will share them with you when I receive them. If all goes well I probably will have to go back on steroids for a while. I also went to see my family doctor today to gain any other information possible and he backed up what my pulmonary doctor at National Jewish said. They both said it is very unlikely the nodules would turn cancerous, not impossible, but unlikely. Needless to say that made me feel much better. When you have a doctor tell you have spots in your lung x ray it is not a pleasant feeling.
So again we wait for more information from my doctor.

I would like to send a special greeting to my mother-in-law, Marjorie, who is at home in Texas recovering from back surgery. I know this is a very difficult time for her and Kenneth, but I know everyone is praying for a successful recovery for Marjorie. So from your son-in-law in Colorado I pray for your health to continue to move forward and I love you very much!! You are the best mother-in-law a guy could have!!

I will keep all of you informed on my health and look forward to hearing from you.

Until next time......................Danny

Government claim update

I have some good news to report. I won Part E on my claim against the Department of Energy regarding my Beryllium disease. Now I have to submit medical proof that I have wage loss and physical impairment due to my illness before the government will pay any money. I don't know how long it will take until I have any money in hand, but I am sure it will take quite a while. I did go to my doctor today and gave him a list of items that the Labor Department will require. Hopefully he will produce the desired results in a timely fashion.

As far as my weight loss surgery, I have an appointment with the surgeon on March 16th. I still have other items to fulfill so it is a slow process. I will keep you up to date on how I am progressing.

I would still like to hear from you through my email. Some of you I have not had contact with for years. Let me know if you like the blog and if you have any comments on how to make it better will be appreciated.

Take care and until next time.............Danny

It has been a while.........

It has been nearly a month since I have posted any new information and now seems to be a good time to update everyone. Progress has been slow on the lap band surgery adventure. As I have said before I have to complete a long laundry list of items. On February 16 I will be attending a surgical orientation class and after that I have the followings items to complete. I have to meet with these people:

1) EKG, Chest X ray and Blood work.

2) Pulmonary Doctor to clear for me surgery.

3) Psychologist

4) Hospital's Registered Dietitian

5) Physical Therapy (Basically starts an exercise program)

6) Consultation with my surgeon.

7) Hospital's Head Surgical Nurse.

It is possible the doctor will order more pre-op testing after my consult with him.

I am going to try my best to accomplish the majority of these tasks within the next two weeks. If you would like to learn more about Dr. Georgescu click on the link below:

http://www.cssdenver.com/index.htm

While on the home page click on Our Doctors to see a picture of Dr. Georgescu and read his bio. Dr. Georgescu has done gallbladder surgery on Jackie, Brian and me. He is a very compassionate doctor and has an excellent bedside manner. He will stay and answer all of your questions during an office visit. I would not want anyone else to perform the lap band surgery on me.

I want to also update all of you on my claim(s) against the Department of Energy. I talked to a representative with the Department of Labor today and was told it may take up to 90 days for the adjudication board to issue a ruling. I was told that it normally does not take the full 90 days. The representative I talked to still maintains I have a very good case and that we are nearing the end of this road.

He also gave me good news regarding my case. As of January 9, 2009 the government has approved me for medical benefits which will pay 100% of all my medical expenses. I feel that if the government has approved medical benefits for me then I should have a good chance of winning my claims. They are supposed to be sending me an insurance card to use when I go to National Jewish Research Hospital or anything related to Beryllium disease treatment.

Please pray for me and my family regarding the disposition of my claims. Hopefully we will receive some closure after a long hard battle.

Hopefully I have not bored you with this posting, but I wanted to take time out to update you all on my current status.

Also I want to wish my sister in law, Jerry Sue, a very happy birthday which is on the 9th of February. When it comes to having sister in laws I was blessed with the best.

Until Next Time.....Danny a.k.a. P Bear

My claim moves forward.....

Yesterday I received a letter from the Department of Labor stating that part of my claim (Part E) has been forwarded to the final ejudication board within the Department of Labor. My claim was originally filed in April of 2005, so it has taken a long time to reach this moment. The Labor Department official who is overseeing my claim says that I have a very good chance of winning. Only time will tell. The other part of my claim is Part B. I am waiting on a letter from my Doctor and once that is on file Part B will be sent to final ejudication board also.

As always I will keep you informed on any late breaking news regarding my claim.
Also I attended my first class on the lap band surgery and I will have to re-qualify for the surgery again. This will take a while to complete, but I am going to try and finish everything as quickly as I can.

Until next time............P Bear

A Big Decision!!!!!

My life's walk has certainly been unique these past four years. With my numerous health issues always rearing their ugly head I often just wonder where my life is headed. For the last year and a half I have been considering a medical procedure that would dramatically change my life as well as my health. In June of 2007 I attended a class regarding a weight loss surgery known as the Lap Band surgery. I followed that up by meeting with the surgeon and his staff regarding the possibility of having the lap band surgery. In order to have the lap band surgery there are several areas in which one must qualify. Fortunately for me I did qualify and my insurance will pay for the surgery. The next step after this is to complete a long list of necessary items in order to have surgery. At that point Jackie and I spent much time considering the options available to me to improve my health. After some time I decided not to have the surgery. I am not sure I know or understand all the reasons I decided not to have the surgery, but the main reason I did not proceed with the surgery was I did not know if I would be fully committed to all that it was going to take to achieve a successful outcome. Since that time I have from time to time thought about the surgery and where I would be now if I had committed to the surgery in June of 2007.

That brings us to the present and I have decided to take a giant leap and have the lap band surgery. I have been talking to Jackie for some time now and she is fully supportive of my decision. I called the doctor's office today and unfortunately because it has been a year and half since I have seen them I have to repeat the class. In other words I have to start over. I will attend the class on January 12th and then meet with the doctor again. I don't know how long it will take to complete all the requirements necessary to have surgery, but I am going to do whatever it takes to be successful with this medical procedure. Hopefully if all proceeds according to plan I will look a lot different when Jackie and I go to Texas for her parents 60th wedding anniversary.

I fully understand that this is going to be a major lifestyle change for not only myself, but for Jackie and our family also. I am fortunate that I have a very supportive family which I will need because I know there will be days when I wonder what I got myself into.

My ultimate goal is to improve my overall health and enjoy a quality of life I have not known for some time now. Please pray for us during this time of preparation for surgery. I assure you that I am not making this decision in haste. Jackie and I have put a year and half of thought into this decision and know this is the correct decision for my overall health. I welcome any input you would care to email me regarding the lap band surgery and my decision to have this procedure. I will continue to update my blog as news warrants.

For information regarding the Lap Band surgery go to:

http://www.obesitylapbandsurgery.com/intrmain.html

As always until next time............P BEAR