kmwheel

Hi Everyone, my name is Kristin. My husband is AGR with the Illinois ARNG, and I'm a substitute teacher (elementary certified but never had a classroom of my own). I got tired of waiting for Tricare to approve VSG (didn't want lap-band or RNY), so we're going self-pay to Mexico. I am very excited and maybe a little nervous. I have a very supportive husband who's going with me, but we're not really going to tell anyone else until I'm back and recovered. My surgery is scheduled with Dr. Ramos-Kelly in Tijuana.

9/15 with Dr. Kelly. I can't believe I have a date. I have been waiting for 3 years!

So great to hear it all went well. I'm scheduled with Kelly for 9/15. Can hardly wait!! Best wishes to you.

I have my passport but my husband does not. He's military...so I'm pretty sure they'll let him back in the country with his military ID, birth certificate, and driver's license. Too late to worry about it now!

I cut and pasted what they sent me into a PM for you. I hope it helps. It's not a very specific list, which I would have liked.

I told a lot of people the first time I went and did not end up getting the surgery (insurance denied), so I felt like a fool. My husband told the people at work (two skinny b*****s included) stating, "I had to, because I had to get the time off." Ummm...no, you did not have to tell them, thanks for invading my privacy. Anyway, that really ticked me off, so I swore him to secrecy on this one. I will have no problem telling anyone after it's done, but I want the actual event to be private and I don't want anyone telling me horror stories about a friend of a friend or surgery in Mexico, etc. I'm not telling my mom and dad. She's a nurse, and I think she'd worry too much. I just don't want to deal with everyone else's opinions or ideas. This one's for me! I totally support your decision!

I gave up on waiting for Tricare to get on the bandwagon with VSG...I don't want to die waiting. I was going to get the lap-band, but the surgeon's office submitted my paperwork with the post-diet weight so I got a big fat denial. In other words, I qualified when I got there, and that's the weight they should have submitted...or at least one that was over the required weight! I jumped through every hoop with them, including paying $800 out of pocket for all of the tests, and they screwed me over. Long story short, it's been over a year since I was crushed by that, but I think that I was meant to do something better. I'm now scheduled to have a self-pay VSG done in Tijuana, Mexico...and getting approved was no hassle. I am age 38, 5'4", 230 lbs. with hypertension.

I'm an active duty family member with Prime Remote (North) and I can either get Lap-Band or RNY locally, but VSG isn't an option yet. I would have pushed harder if they were even doing them at that facility. I don't have any other options right now that would be a reasonable drive for me, unfortunately. It is good to know that they can't deny me care, though!

Okay, just an FYI in case someone else is looking into this. I called Blanchfield Army Hospital at Ft. Campbell, KY. They are not doing VSG at the moment at all. They have done 40 of them, they love the procedure, and now all VSG is on hold (at their hospital) until Tricare adds it to their allowed procedures. They told me that they wouldn't allow me to drive there, we'd have to be stationed there. I think this is all good information. It makes me wonder how soon Tricare will approve VSG. Thanks again to everyone for the replies and information.

Ft. Campbell, KY is about 6 hours from me and my husband said he'd gladly drive me there and stay a few days if necessary. I'm going to call them tomorrow because someone on another board said they'd had their VSG there. I imagine I could do my pre-op stuff here and then just go down for the surgery? I wouldn't even mind going twice or three times, that's not a bad drive.

Thanks for the fast reply! I have Prime Remote, so I don't think that 100 miles thing pertains to me. Since Tricare doesn't approve the VSG, I was wondering about the MTF's. I won't have any problem getting banded about 10 miles away, so I guess that's the path I'll have to take for now, unless I want to wait for Tricare to start approving the sleeve. The only MTF within 100 miles of me is Scott AFB and they only have a clinic and not a hospital. Thanks again! Kristin