I recently filled out the form on the RXFunction web site. Within a week I had a call from a representative of the company. She asked me some basic info questions, got my insurance information and asked for the name of my primary care doctor. She said they would check to see if my insurance would cover this device, which is now FDA approved. They have been widely distributed for patients who get health care through the VA, as the VA does pay for them. At one time there were a few states, including Georgia, where they could not operate for some reason, but that has now changed. About a week after the call, I went to my Primary Care to have blood drawn for my annual physical, which was a week later. That was three weeks ago. I mentioned my balance issues to the PA and she asked if I had contacted a company about walkasins. I told her I had. She said a representative of the company had shown up a few days prior to show them the device and explain how it worked. When I saw my Primary Care Doctor two weeks ago, he had gotten the word that I was interested in pursuing the Walkasins but needed help from insurance. He was in the process of filling out the paperwork for insurance and he added a few balance tests in with my physical so that he could note the results on the forms. Well, yesterday I received a call from the representative who lives in the Atlanta area. ( I am in Macon, GA). He had driven down to pick up the paperwork my doctor had completed and he wanted to come by to let me actually try the devices, and at the same time I needed to sign a form giving the company permission to pursue payment assistance through my insurance, which is BCBS Medicare Advantage. He arrived at my home about 30 minutes later. We chatted a bit about my balance issues... and he showed me the devices and explained a bit about how they work. Next came the trial. He slipped the insole portion into each of my shoes. I then slipped on the shoes. Then he placed the devices around each ankle and attached them to the insole by an lead that looked similar to the cables inside a computer. He turned them on with a push of a button, and I immediately noticed a slight vibrations in different spots beneath my feet as I put pressure on them. We went outside to try them on my walkway and driveway. I WAS BLOWN AWAY!!! There was an IMMEDIATE improvement in my balance.... and as I walked I felt like I did before my neuropathy began three years ago. I had assumed it would take time to get used to them.... but no, there was an immediate shift in my sense of balance and confidence in walking. All I noticed was tiny vibrations in the part of the insole that was being pressed as I moved through the steps. It was very light....and it was a vibration, not a shock like with a TENS unit. The Walkasins were not uncomfortable in the least, and he said that the more I used them, the more receptive my brain would become to those slight vibrations. The basic idea, as I understood it, was that the nerves on the bottom of the foot are no longer firing like they did before. But those in the ankle are still working. The vibrations from the bottom of my feet were sending signals via bluetooth to the cuffs around my ankles.... and that was immediately being transmitted to my brain, thus helping to restore my proprioception. He said these devices work on the same principle as a hearing aid that sends signals to the tiny hair follicals inside the inner ear... that in turn translates to sound for the brain to perceive. The Walkasins were invented by Lars Oddsson, PhD, who is of Swedish descent. More about his background here: https://med.umn.edu/bio/lars-oddsson He founded the RXFunction company in Minneapolis, but these devices are available all over the US ... and expanding. With my permission, the rep will have the company pursue coverage with my insurance. All I can do at this point is wait. I did ask how much the Walkasins were if insurance paid nothing. He told me not to worry about that, as they were going to do their best to get approval from insurance. When pressed, he finally said that private pay for the devices was $10,500, which would NOT be something I could afford. So today, as I wobble around my home and my yard as before, I'm hoping I haven't been shown a real solution to my balance issues but I won't be able to get it because of insurance not covering. THEY REALLY DID WORK. And I mean from that very first moment I walked with them. It was absolutely amazing!! So, for ANYONE reading this who has medical coverage via the V.A., contact the company and ask about them. The V.A. does provide them when needed!! And if there is a chance that insurance my help with the cost to make them affordable, DO contact the company. Here is the link to their web site: https://rxfunction.com/patients/

Hoping and praying this may be something that will help me!!! Best wishes to all...... Mike