mglaro

I do live near a base -Camp Lejeune, N.C. however, my surgery is being done in Greenville, Dr. Mann. It is being done by civillian not military. Calundra, I am a military wife and yes they do cover it if you qualify...being a good candidate. You will need to discuss it with your PCM and get him/her to put in a referral for you to have a consultation to be considered fpr bariatric surgery. Right now they may tell you they only cover bypass, but it may not be open to public right now. As soon as I hear from my coordinator the details on the approval for the band, I will post more info.

ok just got back from my visits today. rhonda, my coorinator says that dr frost called her himself to inform him of the approval. there is a brand new band out called lapband ap system- 360 omniform technology. it's the widest band available, soft, precurved, individual sections and has a high fill volume (0-14cc). the precurved inflation area evenly distributes pressure for complete coverage of the stomach anatomy. it creates broader area of stomach contact to help ensure secure placement so this causes for less chance of slippage which is what she thinks is the reason why tricare is now approving it. it also has a new unlocking mechanism that facilitates repositioning during surgery for accurate placement. positive lock marker ensures the device is secure. the streamlined design makes insertion through retrogastric tunnel easier. she didn't have any specific information for me to pass on regarding approval, but she said she was going to try and reach dr. frost today for some more information. when she speaks with him she will call me and pass the information on to me.

I am meeting her and the doctor for my pulmonary eval tomorrow so I will ask her for more details then and see if i can get some information to help others get their journey started :mad:

I just spoke with my coordinator again this morning to confirm. She says it has been approved. She has been fighting trying to get this approval for the band for sometime now. She says it may not be public yet which is why tricare is saying it is not covered. She has been to seminar with over 50 ppl connected including Dr. Sparks who sits on the board for tricare. She said it is approved just a matter of time b4 the people at tricare office know the new procedure and give out that information. She assures me it is a done deal as she would not be stupid enough to start spreading it and risk having to do a retraction. She was just lucky enough to be one of the few people in the backdoor on this issue. Just wanted to give out the news but I can understand ppl being skeptic about this issue as it has been a long struggle.

I have just started all the testing required to get approved for gastric bypass. My consultant called me today with the news that Tricare has officially started approving Lapband. Now I have a choice to make. Maybe hearing others opinions would help me. I am what you would call borderline, so I know I may hear lots of people saying why am I going through such a drastic process. Well, here goes. I was lucky enough to never had to struggle with my weight as a young girl. My weight problems didn't start until I had my 3rd child and used that dreaded depro prevara shot. I have now had 5 kids and am done! I am 5'1 and weigh 207 lbs. I have struggled with weight loss yoyo for some time. I had joined the gym again after moving to north carolina in october. Then i got rear ended in dec and again in march. I have horrible back pain and a tear causing pain through my psyatic nerve on the right hip. I can't do exercise. I can't even pick up my kids :s I have officially been discharged from chiro labeled as chronic condition that I will have to deal with pain management. Hence my decision to discuss perhaps having this surgery and removing the extra weight will help relieve a good amount of pain I am having. I know some of the pros and cons versus the 2 surgeries. One being one is irreverasible , the other needs management. Then there is the time differnce as one helps you loose faster. One of my concerns is exercise. I can't do it now, hoping I will be better after some weight loss. If I can't exercise, will the band still help me loose weight or for that reason would I be better off with the by-pass? Now faced with having my choice I am more confused than ever. I have until my appointment with the surgeon in the next week or so to decide which way to go. I was hoping to get some advice and more information on what to expect. My husband is deployed in Afganistan right now but he is supportive of what I decide to do. I also have my mom and brother here to help me through this. I'm just worried and confused. Any help would be appreciated

No my consultant told me this. When I first went to see her she told me tricare did not cover it. I went through the beginning stages of my testing in the program and then she just called me and told me she got word that tricare just approved coverage of lapband.

Good news, my consultant informed me today that tricare has officially approved the band.

I have just started all the testing required to get approved for gastric bypass. My consultant called me today with the news that Tricare has officially started approving Lapband. Now I have a choice to make. Maybe hearing others opinions would help me. I am what you would call borderline, so I know I may hear lots of people saying why am I going through such a drastic process. Well, here goes. I was lucky enough to never had to struggle with my weight as a young girl. My weight problems didn't start until I had my 3rd child and used that dreaded depro prevara shot. I have now had 5 kids and am done! I am 5'1 and weigh 207 lbs. I have struggled with weight loss yoyo for some time. I had joined the gym again after moving to north carolina in october. Then i got rear ended in dec and again in march. I have horrible back pain and a tear causing pain through my psyatic nerve on the right hip. I can't do exercise. I can't even pick up my kids :s I have officially been discharged from chiro labeled as chronic condition that I will have to deal with pain management. Hence my decision to discuss perhaps having this surgery and removing the extra weight will help relieve a good amount of pain I am having. I know some of the pros and cons versus the 2 surgeries. One being one is irreverasible , the other needs management. Then there is the time differnce as one helps you loose faster. Now faced with having my choice I am more confused than ever. I have until my appointment with the surgeon in the next week or so to decide which way to go. I was hoping to get some advice and more information on what to expect. My husband is deployed in Afganistan right now but he is supportive of what I decide to do. I also have my mom and brother here to help me through this. I'm just worried and confused. Any help would be appreciated :Banane30: