I have some pretty severe problems with my feet that they are well aware of that limit my mobility. So the walks are out for an area to work on. I should have had the surgery years ago when our insurance was excellent. But at the time my children were small and who can carve out 6 months (3 per foot minimum) to recover when you're raising children?

My frustration is that it's all smoke and mirrors. We MUST participate or we will be denied health insurance, but they can't actually help with anything. They'll send a million emails for links on healthier cooking, how much water you should drink in a day etc. but anything else and they're useless. OH and they'll send me coupons for OTC medications that are similiar to the Rx ones I take.

When the program first began I was excited. I thought it would be a bridge to the insurance company. At that time my GI specialist increased my Nexium to twice a day. The insurance company declined to cover this, stating that it was not the customary dosage. This is a "premium" medication (we now have three catagories. Generic, Name brand, and Premium) and they will only pay a portion of premium. My GI tried to work with them and say ok, Nexium in the morning and a similiar one (I forget the brand) in the evening. Nope, they'll pay for one, not the other. My doctor was as mad as a wet hen. He attempted to fix the problem himself but "could not speak to anyone with any medical knowledge whatsoever." So I made my first call with a list of things that the insurance company decided they were not going to follow the doctor's orders on eager to find a compromise that would increase my quality of life. Nope. They could not help me there. They are a sub-contractor of the insurance company and have no contact with them at all. They can send me links, tell me how to cook veggies, drink more water, get more sleep, eat five small meals a day, etc.

So I have to make a minimum of three calls a year. Although the program is paid for for an entire year and I may have as many calls as I want . I agreed to say I would cook the veggies because that is the only way I can get them off of the phone. They don't listen. For example, my health coach suggested dipping celery in ranch or putting peanut butter on it. I LOVE celery, I eat it plain, I do not need to dip it in or cover it with anything to make it better. That was a 45 minute conversation while I was moving my daughter into her freshman dorm of college. OK, I'LL DIP IT IN FAT FREE RANCH DRESSING. So we have 15 minutes of "my area of improvement" and 15 (as long as I go along with the program) of healthier eating.