mommakatx2

Well, my husband is going to Hawaii, but he will be training and then deploying soon after he gets there. We decided it would be best for me to take the kids and go to Colorado, where I have family. I will be joining him in Hawaii when he gets back.

Thanks Long2B, I'm a nurse so I'll be very hypervigilant about DVT's. I may ask my doc for Lovenox for a few days, see what he thinks. I also thought about getting SCD's or TED hose for trip. We want to drive straight through as much as possible, so I'll be the car a looooong time. Blech.

Hello and congrats to everyone! I'm Bente and I'm also being banded on the 23rd . What time will everyone's surgery be? I think I'm on for 0800 EST. I have to be there by 0600 and the nurse told be the surg time will be about 2 hours after my arrival time. I am SO SO SO SO SO excited!!!!! Can't wait to keep up with fellow band-day members!!

Got my surgery date today--April 23rd! That is THREE days befor we get in a car and drive 18 hours cross country . Thanks for everything, these forums are fabulous!

Come to think of it, my PCP put the referral in for a nutritionist eval, but it was just a general one, not related to bariatric surgery. I didn't end up using it though, because I preferred to use the one at the bariatric center (and I had already paid for it). Ask your PCP for the referral, Tricare should then cover it.

Each region has a different website for patient info. We're Tricare North so my info wouldn't be there. Thanks, though! My nutritionist fee was covered by the $300 bariatric program fee I had to pay to the surgeon, but probably isn't payable by Tricare because it's not a required part of their approval process. That's my guess, anyway. My surgeon called today to give me my date and instructions and I MISSED THE CALL !!! TWICE!!! I work nights and I'm in the middle of 6 12 hour shifts, so I was so exhausted I didn't hear the phone ring today. Oh well, I guess I'll find out tomorrow after I get off of work in the morning.

First of all, take a deep breath :tongue: Your situation is very similar to mine. My advice to you is to be upfront with your doctors. You are most certainly not the first person to have surgery and then relocate. Being up front may even help you in the long run to speed things up. I started the process for WLS in December. In January I attended to seminar. While waiting for my other appointments, I found out we were moving in MAY. The first thing I did was tell both my PCP and my surgeon's office so that they knew I was under a severe time crunch. I did not want to start the whole process here only to be banded at another facility or have to start over. After all was said and done, my surgeon put a rush on the approval for insurance. Like you, my insurance required more documents which took 10 days. Once they had them, they approved me the very same day. Tell your doctors and be upfront with them. That's the only way they can really help you get this done. :biggrin:

Ok. We're Tricare North, so maybe that's just the way they do things. Trying to be patient but oh-so excited!

Blessd--I agree with minpinmom, the first step is to make sure your insurance will cover the procedure and what their requirements are for coverage. Minpinmom--I have another question for you. I remember when you were approved you said you were checking online for the decision. Was it MyTricare.com or something else? When I check MyTricare, it has the request for authorization there, but it still says "In Process". When I called two seperate times, I was told it will remain like that until I am discharged from the hospital, and then it will be changed to "Approved". :confused2: That doesn't make a whole lot fo sense. Where did you see your approval online?

I hope it gets approved. FWIW...Tricare needed more info from my surgeon as well before they approved it, so maybe that's a good sign!

Thank you! I am so excited! It seemed to take forever...but now I'm feeling better :biggrin2:. Minpin mom, so you didn't have to do any bowel prep or liquid diet before surgery?

I'm so sorry to hear about that. Did they tell you why?? I'm still waiting on my status. Don't give up hope just yet...you never know what could happen. I haven't heard of anyone appealing with Tricare just yet, but I have heard of great success with insurance companies after appeal. Good luck to you!!

No, I don't think it's the surgeon. The letter I received asking for the test specifically stated Tricare needed the result before they could make a decision. I guess it all depends on who gets your referral. That's how it seems, anyway. So many of you have been referred and approved like lightning. I feel like I'm one of the unlucky ones, lol.

Wow...I'm so jealous of all of you who have been banded so fast . I am *still* waiting to hear if Tricare will approve or not. I started this whole thing in December! We are getting ready to PCS in about, oh, TWO WEEKS!!!! My surgeon knows this and assured me he'd have me in for surgery well before our PCS date. Now I'm not so sure. :thumbs_up: Just popping in with my woes...still glad to hear of all the approvals, though, and congrats:thumbup:

There are two different types of gas pain that you experience post-surgically. Unfortunately, most often, the only thing that helps is time and walking. Gas pain #1: This is the pain related to the gas they use to inflate your abdomen during surgery. The air is removed, however a tiny bit does sometimes remain and can cause the bloated feeling and the referred "gas pains" in the shoulder. The only remedy for that is time. Gas pain #2: This is the pain caused by the gut trying to normalize itself after surgery, and is not always related to actual gas present in the bowel. The bowel is EXTREMELY sensitive, and surgery in the abdomen tends to make it stop moving (the bowel is *always* moving--called peristalsis). When the bowel finally starts moving again, some 24-48 hours after surgery, the pains felt are actually cramping sensations as the bowel moves in an uncoordinated fashion in the beginning. Medications do not generally relieve this type of pain either...the gut just needs to get back to normal. Physical activity helps this along. Try to avoid narcotics (vicodin, percocet) to relieve the pain, these will slow the gut down, when you want it to start moving. Heat, activity, and sometimes Gas-x can help. Most of the time, though...it just takes a while.

I'm still in the process of getting the LB approved through my insurance, but I found out over the weekend that my surgeon is not just a bariatric surgeon, he is a general surgeon as well. In other words, he does things like appendectomies, colostomies, etc. I'm not sure how that makes me feel. I think he is a great doctor and I liked him right away...but knowing that he doesn't do JUST bariatric surgery has me going . It's too late to change doctors, in my particular case. How would you feel?

Hi Tori, I didn't have any problem getting the referral for the surgeon from my PCP. I went in for an appointment and told him that's what I wanted, and he put the referral in the same day. I have a civilian surgeon in a Center of Excellence in Louisville, our MTF doesn't do bariatric surgeries. The bariatric center required that I attend a seminar, nutrition consult, psych consult, and nurse consult before I could even meet with the suregon. After I finally had that completed, I then had to have a sleep study done, a visit to the pulmonologist and cardiologist, and labs drawn. I finally finished with all the appointments on Monday. Now I just have to wait for one more lab to come back. I'm hoping everything is submitted to Tricare by the end of this week, as we are getting ready to PCS in 4 weeks!!!! My surgeon knows this and has been great in trying to get everything done in time. Good luck and keep us posted!

CONGRATS TO YOU!!!! I am still waiting for everything to come together to my surgeon and be submitted to Tricare, but it's encouraging to hear of the approvals! I am 5'8" and 266. Can I ask, were you on meds for your BP? I have higher BP but my cardiologist said I don't need meds until my heart shows signs of enlargement. I wonder if Tricare will still consider that a comorbidity. Anyway, congrats and good luck! Keep us updated!

I'm wondering how many surgeons went ahead and scheduled your surgery before even submitting the paperwork to insurance? Just curious, because I am going to ask for this. We are moving to Hawaii in April, and I don't want to lose my chance because it gets pushed back for some reason. My insurance has a pretty quick turn-around for approvals...about 3 days...so I'm not concerned with that part of it. Just curious if it's done.

I wouldn't attempt to access the port without medical background. As an onocology nurse with 4 years experience accessing both chest wall ports AND peritoneal ports (for peritoneal chemotherapy), I wouldn't hesitate to access my own port. As long as I could feel it and the diaphragm without difficulty. However, I would *never* tell someone else that it's okay to do. Without knowledge of the anatomy of a port and the correct method and materials...it's just too risky. And remember...you may be SOL if you access your own port and something goes wrong. Insurance and doctors may not want to touch you if you've been doing something you shouldn't. It would be considered "non compliance". Just something to think about.

I'm not sure which threads you're reading but pretty much since Tricare began approving the lapband, they are covering it 100% FOR THOSE WHO QUALIFY. Like any other insurance company, they want to make sure they are paying for people who really need it, not just want it. I am in the same boat as you...my BMI is only (only! ha!) 40.something, but Tricare does not go by BMI...they go by the amount over ideal weight. You are right in saying that if you are 100lbs overweight, then you must have at least two comorbidities. Comorbidities can be a lot of different things, though. Asthma, sleep apnea, hypertension, arthritis, high cholesterol, etc. are just a few of them. I am still pursuing the lapband and I'm waiting for my surgeon to call so that I can make my first appt. I've already been to the seminar, nutrition consult, and psych consult (required by the surgeon, not Tricare). Good luck to you and keep us posted! I have three kids also and we're facing our third deployment here in about 6 months...so I know how you feel.

I recently learned that I have fatty infiltration of my liver. I've already had one CT scan, and I have to have another one on Tuesday to evaulate the damage. What I've read about FLD states that it is inadvisable to lose weight quickly, as this can actually make the condition worse. WLS is contraindicated for this reason. Have any of you had experience with this? I'm afraid that I will not be able to get the surgery done now because of this. I am not surprised that I have a fatty liver, as this is a common occurrence in the obese population, but I am worried it will affect my chances of having this surgery. Anyone with experience, please help!

Thank you SO much for your replies. I figured it wasn't a big deal, and I will know from my CT scan tomorrow how big my liver is. I was just worried that it would hinder my surgery somehow. You know...before you actually GET banded, you're a nervous wreck about all the reasons why it WON'T happen

Hey everyone. I am getting so anxious and frustrated here. I know things don't happen overnight and I know how the medical system works (I'm a nurse), but this seems borderline ridiculous. I started the process for the lapband in December. The timeline has gone something like this: Early December: Initial appt. with PCP to ask for referral. Mid December: Referral approved, called surgeon to make appt. Was told I had to attend WLS seminar before I could make an appt. Jan 15th: Attended seminar. Nurse at seminar told us we could call the very next day for our initial appointment. Jan 16th: Called for appt. Was told I had to submit 20-page "application packet" before I could get an appt. Mailed in packet within a week. They received packet and gave it to the nurses for "review". Called SEVERAL times to check status of packet beginning late January. FINALLY was told last week that the nurse had my packet and should be contacting me for an appointment. Received letter on Saturday that I was missing one page from my packet, and that if I don't turn it in within 10 days my file will be placed in "inactive status" and after 30 days they will throw my packet away :eek::thumbup: MIND YOU...all of this is for an appointment with the NUTRITIONIST, NURSE, and MENTAL HEALTH EVAL which they make you do before you can even MAKE an appt. with the SURGEON!!!!!!! I also have to pay a $300 "registration fee" which is not covered by insurance and which I have to pay regardless if my insurance even APPROVES the surgery or not. Is this normal? Are the similar experiences out there where it has taken this long and this many hoops JUST to see the surgeon???? It seems like people just call the clinic and get the appointment, and before long are waiting for their approval from insurance. At this rate I won't even get to see the surgeon until...??? I'm just frustrated. We are military and scheduled to PCS to Hawaii in April, which I very clearly stated to the clinic on several occasions...not to push my application ahead or anything, but to get an idea if this WLS is even a possibility on my limited time left here. I need commiseration...is this really the way it goes?

Thanks for the support! I guess all I needed was to whine and moan a bit...nurse called me today and I now have my very first appointment scheduled for next Monday. It's just the nutritionist and psych eval, but dang it...it's a start! As far as the $300 goes...I think it's a bit much to pay if you later find out your insurance won't cover you for some reason. Supposedly it is for all the consults (pulm, cadio, psych, etc). They are a Center of Excellence, guess they just do it a little differently. At this point, I would hand over my cat if it meant LBS was in my near future lol.