Damander

Thanks guys! I am a HUGE fan of hcg and previously lost 60 lbs on it. I was able to keep it off until I got pregnant, and then my weight shot back up. I can't lose weight to save my life! Now I am in the process of being banded, and I was just thinking how wonderful hcg would be afterward to speed up the process since you generally don't lose as fast as you would if you got the bypass.

I am just trying NOT to lose weight (i know that sounds AWFUL) until I can get that referral to the surgeon and talk to him about it. I have been doing extensive research on TriCare Prime and its coverage, and on the Federal Register, there is an article dated 02/14/11 that states that Tricare will start going off of BMI instead of the MetLife weight chart. My BMI is 39.8, by the time I make it to the surgeon, I'm pretty sure that will be higher; I have a small body frame and other small health issues. I don't know if I have a comorbity, I will get my lab results when I go to my dr next week, but after all the reading that I have done, I am sure that I will be able to be approved. I hope so at least. If I get denied, I will appeal until I can no longer appeal an hopefully that works. I will continue to post on this topic to keep everyone informed about my journey and hopefully help others with theirs if things go my way..so here's to hoping!

Makes perfect sense. It's like you took the thoughts right from my brain and put them into words. I am just hoping that in time, I will be able to see a thinner me once I get the band and start losing the weight. <3 Thanks!!

That's a very good idea, I am just scared that my mental image of myself will not adjust and that I'll never gain the confidence that I used to have about myself.

This is so not about the lap band surgery, but I feel compelled to post! My 10 year old son has Cerebral Palsy and has two shunts in his brain. His last shunt replacement was done by a robot. I had no idea until his surgeon (that has been doing his surgeries since he was 2 weeks old) came out and told me everything went great and the robot performed this surgery. While I too, would have typically preferred my son's surgeon to do the surgery, I feel confident that if he approves of the robot, then I have nothing to worry about! Times are definitely changing! Good luck!!

So I just got back from my Dr. visit. Leave it to me to pick a PCM that doesn't recommend the lap band surgery. My weight today was 210, which is good in terms of being closer to having insurance approve my surgery. I go back in the morning for all of my lab work to make sure there isn't an underlying issue with my health for the weight gain (i know there isn't) and he recommends that I try medication such as amphetamines for weight loss before I go the surgery route, but said when I return to him in two weeks, If I still don't want the medication and would like to be referred to the surgeon that he would do so for me. Medication..amphetamines..for what? So I can be addicted to those instead of food? No thanks! My father is an addict and I am not taking any chances! So when I go back in two weeks, I will get a referral to a surgeon and hopefully be approved for this! In a way (i know its a horrible way to think) I kinda hope that when my labs come back, I have some kind of co-morbidy that will make me eligible for the surgery right off hand without the hassle. My entire family is obese, with a few members that are morbidly obese.. I NEED this surgery. I don't want to be morbidly obese as well

I haven't started looking for a bariatric Dr yet because it is my understanding that I don't have to see a bariatric physician with Tricare. I may be wrong, but I've been looking on the sites left and right and since it has become an approved surgery, all that is required is the PCM to refer it, and then the surgeon do a consult and agree with the PCM. Hopefully that is the case. I know for sure that Tricare doesn't require a supervised diet of any length which I am grateful for. I just switched to this PCM because we moved to a different city for my husbands recruiting duty, but it is still S&W and they should be able to see my history right there on the computer without me having to sign a consent to get medical records. Thanks Cocoabean, I will definitely "dress up" for my appointment tomorrow, to us overweight people we think "what's a few more pounds? I'm fat now, a couple more pounds won't change that!" but I know insurance companies don't see things like that. I'll post on here how my appointment goes and what needs to be done in order to start the process. Hopefully I don't have to gain more weight in order to qualify, though if I do I am pretty sure I'll gain it without even trying.. sad.. Thanks for the help everyone!!!