Yahoo!!!

[makeitgoaway]

After a very intense battle with my insurance co., I have just been approved for a home unit narrow band UVB 6 foot home unit.:D

The insurance co. will pay the full $1500 benefit that I am entitled to. The box is actually $2250 but that is fine with me. They did not want to pay a penny in the beginning.

It was a very stressful battle.:mad:

I can't tell you how happy I am to be able to trade 2 hours a day worth of topical regiments for a few minutes 3 times a week.:D

I pray for good results with the new treatment.:)

:D :D :D

[chaimFL]

Congraduations on the unit! Be very careful not to fall asleep in the unit :D.

[BarbaraW]

Steve,
I am sooooooooo HAPPY for you!!!!

Congratulations and let us know how you're doing with it.

Yippeeeee!

[makeitgoaway]

Chaimfl-

I have to go see the Derm for instructions on how to use it. But, the one that I got just has 6 bulbs in one straight panel, so you just stand in front of it and then turn around for the back. From what I understand, you only use it for seconds, no time to fall asleep!

[chaimFL]

It only takes me second to fall asleep........and standing is no obsticle either :rolleyes:. I'm, of course, jesting here...mot of these units, as I understand it, have timers to prevent such occurences.

[IrisfromSpain]

Hi Steve;

I am SOOOOOOO happy for you......it will help you LOTS ...sun is great (as you already know). CONGRATULATIONS with your victory. The trick with insurance companies is: insist, insist, insist.... and when they deny: keep insisting. YOU DID IT. WOW. Great.

Sunny regards,

Iris :) :) :) :)

[makeitgoaway]

That is exactly how I did it!:eek:

[PJ Leary]

Hey Steve,

Way to go! Persistence definately pays off.:D

Yes, all boxes have timers. Be cautious until you know how you will react.

Good luck,

PJ

[airbooster]

I'm with PJ all the way glad you got it but be VERY careful. I had 32 puvas at the derms and that is basically what you have. They got carried away and fried me. Good luck and congrats airbooster:) :) :) :) :)

[makeitgoaway]

Thanks everyone for your support. I would like to know who has used NB UVB and what type of results you achieved, how long the results lasted, etc.

[bella247]

Congrats Steve!!

Hope it does wonders for you !!

:)

Take Care and Smile

Bella

I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once. --Jennifer Unlimited

[mama]

You ARE the man!!!


Congratulations on the new unit. I hope you have great success with it. Last Fri. my Derm gave me that option or Enbrel. I think I'm doing the latter.


The only thing I can tell you about clearance is that everyone is going to be different. The last time I used broad band I never cleared one bit. But, that wasn't narrow band. You just won't know until you try it. But, look at it this way. If it didn't work with some degree of success then your Derm never would have suggested it. Right?;)


GOOD LUCK!

[lc2t]

Good luck with the light treatment Steve. I had UVB for 9 weeks (3 times each week) last year. It started from 15-20 seconds in the first one and went up to 9 minutes in the last. I am a dark skinned person and I don't get burned easily but nevertheless I got a little bit of burn on my feet and butt. I would suggest you to put on moisturizers before the therapy and tell your doctor if you get too much redness or itching. It helped a lot in the first 4-5 weeks. But, after 5 weeks the P started to come back and never disappeared again. I haven't used any topicals during the light treatments and I think docs don't recommend it, since it raises the chance of getting burned.
Good luck again

[Carla]

That's great news! I wish you every success with the light box :)

Carla
xx

[makeitgoaway]

Thanks Carla and Levo

Carla-

I love your tag, "Dovonex. Because I'm worth it."


:cool:

[airbooster]

I had 32 Puvas but after 6 months P was back and hasn't left. Everyone is different though Good luck and Cheers airbooster:) :) :) :)

[Carla]

Thanks Steve,

I love your pic! :cool:

Carla
xx

[beladonna]

Congrats Steve-
Im happy that you succeeded!

I used the UVB last winter, but went to my derm' office for treatment 3x per week at first then, then to 2x. It worked great for me while I was using it.

But if I skipped a week or so, it would come back pretty fast and I would be back to the drawing board on getting clear again. So, the trick is to stay consistent. I was almost completely clear except for scalp.

Use alot of lotion after and some dovonex as well. Its a great combo.

I have used PUVA too, with much more success. Once I was pretty clear, I stopped treatment and stayed in remission for a few months.

I wish you a speedy clearance!





:D

[golfgump64]

Who do you have insurance with, and did you get the doctor to help?

[pkiner]

If I remember right, you said that you needed to visit with your derm for a time schedule of use. Make sure you stick to it. I got one of these two years ago after a long fight and used it before I got instructions from my derm. Needless to say, I burnt very badly. These things have brand new bulbs in them and I now start out at 30 seconds if I haven't used it for a while. The first time I did a minute per side and I looked like a tomato. I am dark skinned so I don't burn easily either. The thing works very well and I congratulate you on your persistence. You will find it was well worth it.

Paul

[makeitgoaway]

Golf-

I live in NJ but I have BC/BS of MA. From what I have learned, each BC/BS operates on their own terms in each state. Some will approve easily and others not at all. My Dr. was very helpful as was the Mfg. of the unit. With out having both of them I would have not gotten very far. My Derm. put together a great letter of necessity that took away almost any argument that they could have had regarding treatment. However, I obtained a copy of their policy on phototherapy. Even though it states that a home UVB unit is approved for the treatment of severe psoriasis, it was packed with so much double speak that they could have denied me about a dozen different ways. In the end they were trying to deny me based on procedure codes. It ticked them off, but I called in to member services (dealing with supervisor level at this point) and had a rep from the mfg. conference in with me who knew the codes inside and out. She took the wind out of their arguments and I was approved. I am also convinced that once I figured their direct telephone numbers out (thanks caller ID) and extensions and started calling them constantly, they were happy to get me off their backs. If you are considering it and can get your Derm to write the RX, shoot me a PM and I will help you any way that I can. I have received quite an education the past couple of weeks.

Good Luck!:cool: