Infected left shin
ICD-10	L03.
ICD-9	682.9
DiseasesDB	29806
eMedicine	med/310  emerg/88 derm/464
MeSH	D002481

Cellulitis is an inflammation of the connective tissue underlying the skin, that can be caused by a bacterial infection. Cellulitis can be caused by normal skin flora or by exogenous bacteria, and often occurs where the skin has previously been broken: cracks in the skin, cuts, burns, insect bites, surgical wounds, or sites of intravenous catheter insertion. The mainstay of therapy remains treatment with appropriate antibiotics. Skin on the face or lower legs is most commonly affected by this infection, though cellulitis can occur on any part of the body. Cellulitis may be superficial — affecting only the surface of the skin — but cellulitis may also affect the tissues underlying the skin and can spread to the lymph nodes and bloodstream.

It is unrelated to cellulite, a cosmetic condition featuring dimpling of the skin.

BCBSIL SAID "You have not lost enough weight", non was specified. Not in the policy, not on the phone, not in a letter, NEVER MENTION before.. But mind you, in over 4 yrs, I have lost 95lbs. Most recently, 10 lbs in 8 days from stress, and add some High Blood pressure, for the first time in my life.  I want to share something with anyone who reads my blog, it goes BEYOND the whelm of playing by the rules, I got this next bit of information from Walt Linstorm, and Attorny, Advocate in California, his web address is www.obesitylaw.com I have learned so much about the laws in just a short amount of time. I wanted any one going through this to arm yourself with knowledge, if you have a Group plan, from employers, LOOK at why you do not have the same rights as if you had self funded insurance and why we get treated like SHIT.. Read what the E.R.I.S.A. act of '74 is: In the United States, employee benefit plans are exclusively controlled by a massive, often incomprehensible, federal statute called the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) (29 U.S.C. '' 1001'1461). In 1987, the United States Supreme Court rendered a decision called Pilot Life Ins. Co. v. Dedeaux (1987) 481 U.S. 41. In that decision, one of the most broadly sweeping and anti-consumer opinions in the history of the high court, it was determined that ERISA "preempts" all state laws with respect to employee benefit programs, which includes group health policies. What does that mean? Many of you are familiar with the term "bad faith" with respect to insurance companies denying claims. If they act unreasonably, they can be held liable for damages, possibly even punitive damages if their conduct is reprehensible enough in the handling of a given claim. However, since Pilot Life, policyholders no longer have a "bad faith hammer" to hit an insurance company over the head. That decision states that ERISA governs all rights and remedies in the group health context. Those remedies do not include damages for bad faith or punitive damages. In short, under ERISA, the only thing you can get are the benefits due to you. Sometimes you can get your attorneys' fees. That's it.     RETURN TO TOP

    How does this impact you everyday? Most of your patients have obtained their insurance as a benefit of their employment. That means their rights against the insurance company are strictly limited. Insurers know this and therefore act much more unreasonably in claims handling, knowing that the most that they can be held accountable for are the benefits themselves. They face little other exposure. Insurers know many patients won't contest a denial of benefits. They just go away. Insurers also know that attorneys are less likely to become involved in ERISA cases because there isn't the specter of large damage awards to making handling the case on a contingent fee basis worthwhile to either the patient/client or the lawyer. So insurers become tenacious in denying valid claims, knowing that they can't be held accountable. That's the primary reason why we have the difficulties we do in getting these procedures approved........((( Now))) That is on Walt's website to help Doctors learn how to help patients fight the good fight! I want everyone who has had to battle, JUST LIKE ME, to understand alittle more of WHY we have to, it helps when we write our APPEAL letters, it helps us to figure out WHY they treat us like they do. Before I knew all of this, I just thought my insurance COMPANY hated me!!! Come to learn, they HATE everyone EQUALLY!! It is political, it is about control, they have the money, the power, and NOTHING is STOPPING then, and THE LEGAL SYSTEM SET IT UP THAT WAY!!! Arm your self with knowledge, so that way you can plan your attack, we don't always win, but we don't aways have to run away either!!! GOD BLESS US ALL AND GIVE US THE COURAGE AND KNOWLEDGE TO STAY STRONG AND FIGHT THESE BASTARDS, AS THEY TRY TO STRIP US OF OUR DIGINITY, ROB US OF MONEY, AND PREVENT US FROM LIVING!                                                                  Hugs, stay strong my family!!! Shirl