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A dysfunctional gallbladder may be at the root of many cases of unexplained chronic diarrhea and a cholesterol-lowering drug which binds to the bile acids normally stored in the gallbladder may benefit patients with chronic diarrhea who did not respond to other treatments.

Researchers gave the cholesterol-lowering drug cholestyramine, which binds to the bile acids normally stored in the gallbladder, to 19 patients with chronic diarrhea unresponsive to previous treatments.

All 19 of the patients improved on the medication within 24 hours.

• Chronic diarrhea is a common problem among many Americans and many of these people are diagnosed as having irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

• About 10% of people who have had their gallbladders removed suffer from chronic diarrhea due to excess bile production, which usually comes on immediately following a meal.

• In the study, the patients underwent testing to measure gallbladder functioning, in which all 19 patients scored poorly, indicating their gallbladders were functioning anywhere from not at all to only 42% of normal.

• Researchers report that with the medication, the patients improved to the point that those who had previously had 4 to 10 bowel movements per day went down to having only one."

So I have been going back and forth with my insurance and clinic. First the clinic said they sent the stuff to insurance about 2 weeks ago. I called insurance at 1.5 weeks to see how things were going and they said they never got anything! So I gather the info the insurance gives (number to fax to, to who's attention, etc) and call back the clinic. After 2 phone calls to clinic, they call back finally and say we fax it again to the info you gave us.

So the next day I call insurance again to make sure they got it....they wouldn't really answer if they got it or not, but kept telling me that the clinic should have CALLED first to open a pre-cert claim, let the insurance assign a nurse to the open claim, THEN fax the paperwork requested by the nurse. WTF?!?!?!?!?!? Needless to say I WENT OFF as nicely as I could on how they needed to train ALL of their CSRs to give out the correct frickin information!!!!!!!!!!

In the mean time, I am in contact with my husband's work insurance liaison person who is also trying to check up on things for me. I get off the phone with the insurance after our nice chat and I call the clinic back once again and tell them the new requirements. They call me back the next day (today) to tell me that they had sent it again with the newest info. I call the liaison next and tell her what happened. She also called me back today to tell me she verified that they have the records and it can take from 10-14 days to get an answer.

Finally! I know they got it and there is an answer coming! Now it is time to work on the appeal that I know it coming because I don't have a 5 year record of my weight. Here is where the fun comes in.

I can show from the doc’s office that I was 320 in 2002. That is 5 years ago. I can show also weight for 2005, 2006, and of course 2007. What I don’t have is 2003 and 2004. But if you read the Bulletin posted by my insurance (Aetna) it says

Presence of severe obesity that has persisted for at least 5 years, defined as any of the following:

1. Body mass index (BMI)* exceeding 40; or

2.      BMI* greater than 35 in conjunction with any of the following severe co-morbidities:

Well, my obesity has persisted for at least 5 years since I can show I was MO in 2002 and still am in 2007. UNLESS (and I know these jackasses since they don't want to pay) the insurance will say that I was not MO in 2003 and 2004. Bastards. I have a feeling that will be the case.

I am even going back as far at 1997 to get records that show my weight has done nothing but increase. I think I was even MO as far back as 1997. I bet this STILL wont help, but I am gonna do it!

Arh....thanks for the vent. I am just pretty upset at it all because I have a feeling I will be waiting another 2 years for this to happen.