ArmyOfMe

I too paid a certain fee for some of my medical records. "Charges A provider cannot deny you a copy of your records because you have not paid for the services you have received. Even so, a provider may charge for the reasonable costs for copying and mailing the records. The provider cannot charge you a fee for searching for or retrieving your records." You are probably paying for someone's time to retrieve the records, make copies and supply postage, if necessary.

Jacqueline is correct. I had my surgery while still under Tricare South (Standard plan) with the same surgeon as hers. I am very happy I didn't have to go thru this process while under Tricare West. They are still all over the place since UHC took over. I started the process end of March and had my surgery in May. All Tricare wanted was 3 months of PCM supervised diet. Rest of the paperwork like medical history for the past 3-5 years, I provided myself. I had every doctor that treated me sign a letter of medical necessity which I wrote myself, as well as my weight history starting 8 years old to present. I also wrote Tricare a personal letter as to why this surgery would be in mine and their benefit. I was approved in a week. I pretty much bombarded them with every paperwork I put my hands on and was weight related. My Tricare co-pay was 25. Rest of the surgeon/nutritionist/psych eval/fitness eval. fees were my personal responsibility. Tricare does not cover any of that. Remember, they're a bureaucratic entity. In the long run, they want to save money not spend. Good luck to you.

I agree with Music. Don't focus on the calorie count but what you are putting in your pouch. I doubt you are eating an entire pizza pie or a whole double cheeseburger and fries. Those are the junk foods we should be worried about. Notice, I said WE, because at the end of the day, we are all in this together. You are not alone. Also, remember that your whole body is in shock. Eating more is not a bad thing, you are putting your pouch at work. Eating less will send the message of starvation mode and you tend to stall or lose very slowly because there is nothing for your pouch to work on. It gets lazy/too comfortable. Don't beat yourself up and focus on your protein and water intake.

Home grilled chicken, grilled mushrooms and Nathan's thin hot dogs. No bun/bread for me. Love summer BBQs with the family.

I had a bit of Buffalo Wild Wings grilled chicken salad. Ate the chicken and the bits of fetta cheese first. Had a bit of the leftover salad later in the day. Rest of it went in the garbage disposal.

I had a Subway salad 2 days ago. It was disgusting for me. I think it varies by place. The one I had my salad from, had nothing fresh. I don't even think the guy cared to at least chop and blend properly. I much more prefer the Charley's Subs grilled chicken salad. Glad you had a good experience, tho.

Went to the Chinese place in town and had their chicken noodle soup. It was tasty. Shared it with my baby. Husband finished the rest of it after he polished his med. plate of Gen Tao's chicken.

I loved eggs pre-op but now ... I can't bring myself to touch them. It's so sad. I can only stomach them if they're masked in foods.

I used Splenda on strawberries and loved it. Mixes great with decaf unsweetened tea, as well.

Not pain but a lot of discomfort. It was mainly because my FIL drove like an idiot. We hit traffic on the way home (2 hrs out of town) and out of anger, he drove like a freaking maniac. I felt every bump and turn. Never cursed someone so much in my life.

You can personalize the recipe at your liking.

Why yes, yes I do. Ingredients: 1/4 cup rice cooked in 1/2 cup water for 10 minutes and drained 1 pound ground chicken 2 minced garlic cloves 2 finely chopped medium onions 1 large egg 1 tablespoon salt or to taste 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons sweet or hot paprika 1 head cabbage, about 4 pounds 2 pounds drained sauerkraut (rinsing optional) 1/2 cup tomato juice 2 tablespoons lard 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 cup sour cream Preparation: In a large bowl, thoroughy mix ground chicken with garlic, half the chopped onion, egg, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon paprika and drained rice. Set aside. Remove core from cabbage. Place whole head in a large pot filled with boiling, salted water. Cover and cook 3 minutes, or until softened enough to pull off individual leaves. You will need about 18 leaves. When leaves are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to cut away the thick center stem from each leaf, without cutting all the way through. Place about 1/2-cup of meat on each cabbage leaf. Roll away from you to encase the meat. Flip the right side of the leaf to the middle, then flip the left side. You will have something that looks like an envelope. Once again, roll away from you to create a neat little roll. Cut any remaining cabbage leaves into fine shreds and set aside. Place sauerkraut in a large casserole dish or Dutch oven (about 6 inches high, 16 inches long and 8 to 10 inches wide) and pour tomato juice on top, and enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cook 5 minutes. Place reserved shredded cabbage in casserole. Nestle cabbage rolls in the sauerkraut. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt lard in a small skillet, and add flour and remaining chopped onion to make a roux. Cook slowly for about 10 minutes or until golden yellow. Turn off heat, stir in remaining 1 tablespoon paprika and 1 cup cold water until smooth. Gently remove the stuffed cabbage from the casserole to a warm platter. Take a ladleful of sauerkraut broth and whip it into the roux. Return this liquid to the main casserole, stirring well. Bring to a boil. Gently replace stuffed cabbages, cover and bake 15 minutes. Mix some of the pan juices with sour cream and pour over the stuffed cabbages when serving.

I use Celebrate chewable vitamins. Comes in a variety of flavors with or without iron. I buy mine from Amazon but I think the Vitamin Shoppe sells them too. Celebrate has all the vitamins/supplements we need post-op and most prefer them over the competition, from what I've noticed on forums.

I think my ticker is showing my weight loss still. Not as fast as my peers but I am grateful and happy with my progress, so far. I could have never lost this much in such a short amount of time without WLS.

Losing hair is not my biggest concern. I've been thru it postpartum. Not different now. It slowly grows back as soon as 8 months. Though, I can see how aggravating for others hair loss might become. My RNY buddy has beautiful long red hair that she religiously takes care of. I know it would sadden her very much if she would deal with post-op hair loss.

I read on every forum I am on, that pill form meds do not get absorbed properly or at all anymore. That's why, personally, I chose the implant.

My husband made some sloppy Joes with ground chicken. I had one only, mini bun including. Got some discomfort (like with any solid food) but I made sure to rest for 45 min like I always do. All was good afterwards and even went for a 2 hr walk.

Most of the foods I eat (minus broth soups) make me hyperventilate, gives me cold chills, nausea followed by vomiting, dizziness, shaking. Last episode was tortellini with pesto sauce. I had maybe 3 tortellini and that's all it took to send me to "hugging the toilet bowl".

I was never told by my surgeon nor his nurses to stop BC. I was on none anyways. Still, shows how different requirements are. I also was not told not to get on any BC immediately after surgery. Not intentional but I got my Nexplanon 1+ month after surgery. Dumb luck, I guess.

I was sore for a good month. Liquid pain meds helped a lot with taming the pain. Tired, oh yeah. Still exhausted and without energy even now at 3 months out.

What's everyone doing today? Welcome and congrats to the new May peeps.

Good luck, today!

I love Tricare South. They are easy to work with. My Bariatric Coordinator has the easiest time with them out of all insurances. After being done with children, I plan on submitting for skin reconstruction, as well.