LB_Annie

I got approved to meet with the surgeon, but I guess I have to get re-approved for the surgery itself after I see the surgeon. My appointment is April 11th. I wish it was sooner, but I will keep trying to be patient I'll let you guys know what happens after I see the surgeon. I'm still crossing my fingers and hoping that I'll be an April bandster!

I hope so! I'm shooting for early April!

Congrats!! That's so great! I got a call that they are approving me, but I won't get the official word until Thursday or Friday! How exciting!

I didn't have to do the six month diet. They wanted to know what methods I've used in the past to lose weight. I basically just had to talk through my weight throughout the last 5-10 years with the doctor. She didn't have all of my records.

We go on base to see our doctors. I'm getting a referral to a non-Tricare doc. Still waiting on that phone call I hope that your approval isn't too difficult!

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all of the input. I'm hoping that today is the day I get a call from Tricare

We have Tricare Prime, so I'm hoping that they cover everything. It will be interesting to see how everything plays out! We got here at the beginning of December. We love Germany! My husband and I both interned in different parts of Germany in college. We've been hoping to make it back to Europe for years! I hope your friend likes it, too! It takes a bit of time to get used to, but it's an amazing country!

I'm with you Erin, the sooner I can get banded the better! If they can offer me a surgery in March I'd gladly take it We're in the Wiesbaden area. I think we're a couple of hours away from Stuttgart. Originally they told me that it should only take a few days to get approved since I meet the requirements. I guess Tricare has been taking longer lately to approve things. Like I said, I'm just trying to be patient I can't help but call the Tricare lady every once in a while to check on the status though. Good luck to you, too! I hope you get your approval soon!

Thanks! I am so anxious to get my surgery date! I really hope that I will get to join the April group I'll have to see if they carry the EAS at our commissary!

Thank you! Do you prefer those in powder form or the pre-made kind? You're doing SO well! I can't wait to get to "Onederland!" Congratulations on all of your success with the band

Congratulations! That's amazing What a great way to start off your banded life!

Hi! I'm moving to Germany at the beginning of December and I wanted to get some information on this doctor because I'll be going in to get my referral as soon as we get there. We'll be living in the Wiesbaden/Darmstadt area, so if anyone has info on other doctors in the area that Tricare will cover, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

Hi Tamara! I have just finished all of the pre-req things to be approved for lap-band. I should have an appointment with Dr. Weiner scheduled by the end of the week. They're guessing that I'll have surgery at the end of March or beginning on April. I'll update you once I've met him

I have seen some old posts from other military wives who had the procedure done in Germany, but nothing remotely recent. I would love to talk to someone who went through the process over there. I'll be going in this time next month to talk to a doctor about getting the ball rolling. I am SOOOO excited! I've been reading tons on this forum and I definitely feel like I'm ready!

Thank you! How long has it taken you since the first time you talked to your Dr about it? Did it take a while to get the referral? I'm SO anxious to get it done. Honestly, as soon as we touch down in Germany I'm going to start working on finding a Dr. :eek: I want to have a sleep study done. Did you have one of those? I've lived in Europe, but never with Tricare, so I'm interested to see how it will all work out. Thank you SOO much!

Hi :frown: I'm a military wife with two kids and I am going to start the process for Lap Band once we PCS at the beginning of December. I can't wait! Good luck with your surgery!

I'm so glad you posted this :thumbup: Just starting out it's all pretty daunting. I get nervous thinking about it, but I am so excited about the possibility of being healthy!

We're moving to Germany in early December and I've recently started to look into the Lap-Band surgery. I'm 5' 7" and about 250 lbs. My whole family struggles with obesity, and I am just so tired of trying everything out there to lose weight. I have two young kids and I'd like to run around with them without feeling winded and like my lungs are going to collapse. I didn't ever really consider LB until late last week when I started looking into it. I would really appreciate any advice that banded people would be willing to give. Also, are there any other military wives over in Germany who are banded? I'd love to get a little insight on the doctors over there who perform the procedure. Thanks!

I'm hoping to go to counseling for my emotional eating issues while I have the lap band. A lot of my depression is tied to being overweight, which leads me to eat more (it's a vicious cycle, isn't it?). Once I really start losing weight I tend to be super motivated. I love to work out, but I have bad knees. I keep seeing that Tricare is pretty good about getting things signed off on for LB. I have seen a ton of people on here who have only have one month from the time of initially talking to their PCM to having the surgery. That would be a dream come true! Laura- 93 lbs in seven months is amazing! You must be SO motivated :thumbup: I can't wait to feel healthy again. Is the psych eval typically a big deal?

Thank you Cocoabean :sneaky: I really appreciate your quick replies. I totally understand the way you felt about telling your mother-in-law. I wouldn't ever tell my in-laws. They'd be a bit more judgmental than worried, though. I really think that the band is the way for me. I have tried so many diets. I actually lost 50 lbs on Weight Watchers after I had my daughter, but I gained it back after we PCSed and got pregnant with my son. I'm now heavier than I've ever been and it seems like nothing is working. I am an emotional eater. I am not comfortable with the idea of bypass because there are just too many risks for me. The LB system seems much better in terms of side effects. I've already told my close friends and family that I'm going to go for it as soon as we get to Germany. I am 100lbs overweight, so I think Tricare will approve me. I definitely want to make a major change here.