tomatogirl

Well, let's see October...fall....halloween...pumpkins...candy...costumes...orange...black...cats.... We have to be able to go somewhere with this

I'm supposed to be banded Oct 29th if all goes well. :thumbup: What are we calling ourselves?

The chances of an implant rupturing is very, very, very slim. They are made much better than they used to be. And even with the old ones, you had to have some serious breast trauma to cause a rupture (ie: your implant wouldn't rupture if you ran into the corner of you bureau drawers with your breast, but it might if you were in a car wreck and your airbag deployed). Silicone implants last ~7-12 years and saline ones last longer. But the problem with saline implants is that they can harbor bacteria- which can be a big problem if they rupture. If they rupture, generally the maker of the implants will pay to replace them, but if they're just breaking down from wear and tear, my understanding is that it costs the same(ish) as a regular augmentation. here is some info on how to spot a rupture/leak (with pics) US FDA/CDRH - Breast Implants - Potential Local Complications and Reoperations

Congrats! a step in the right direction.

Congrats! :biggrin:

That's the jist of the response I got, too.

What a cow (your PCM). You definitely need to change PCMs- I just did and I am MUCH happier. My new PCM has been a tremendous help in all this. get your records. Something has to be wrong.

My mother (and her twin sister) had it done and it looks great. My aunt had her lips done a little too pink for my taste, but it still looks good. I'd totally get it done if I had the extra cash.

I hope this is right- I'm going to call tmw and ask about TriCare North. I really don't want to have to stay overnight at a hospital that is 20 miles from my house, tops.

My PCM showed me a paper today with the list of requirements because she wanted to be sure she gave me all the referrals I needed (love that woman). One of the things listed was a PU_ test (as in PS-something, all initials) and she and I weren't sure what that was. Anyone know? I have a phych referral and a nutritionist referral...will I need any other referrals? This is getting overwhelming.

*watching this thread*

I didn't think there would be a problem (couldn't even think of a possible reason why), but you just never know. :whatchutalkingabout

I saw some of that at my local grocery store the other day. I'm going to have to pick some up. Greek yogurt is soooo good for you.

I just got referred to him for my surgery by my insurance co (who mistakenly referred me to a breast surgeon first ). Anyone have any experience with him? The only think I know about him is that he's kinda hot (from his photo on the hospital website) .

I'd start to research the insurance forum here. That is really where I found out most of my insurance requirements. I know that people aren't always a reputable source, but if 3 different people are saying the same thing in 3 different posts, it's probably right. Good luck!

I was researching protien shakes to use pre-surgery and a lot of people mentioned the Shaklee ones. I can't find it on their site (unless they renamed it Cinch). Can anyone help?

Well, I ended up emailing a friend of mine that my husband (of all people) remembered sold Shaklee. Apparently the Cinch stuff is their answer to Slim-Fast. Here are the Protein shakes: vanilla protein shake: ecobalance creamy cocoa protein shake: ecobalance And Meal Replacement shakes: cocoa meal shake: ecobalance french vanilla: ecobalance

I went and saw my PCM a couple of weeks ago for my yearly pap and asked her about banding. She said she would research the requirements and if I was really interested, she would put my referral in. She called back later in the week and said that I fit the criteria, so she would put my referral in. She put it in for Bethesda and it got kicked back because Bethesda doesn't do WLS, so she put it in for Walter Reed. I went out of town for 3 days, got back today and had my referal letter in the mail for a civilian doctor in town, which is fine. :tt2: But, um, what now? :confused2: Do I just call up and say, "Hi Dr so-and-so, I go referred to you by my insurance company for gastric banding" or what? What about the psych eval? Am I going to have to pay out-of-pocket for my appointments (I have Prime and we have primarily lived overseas, so I'm clueless)? PS- Oh and hi, I'm new here. :tongue:

VERY helpful! Thank you! Did you have any out-of-pocket costs? PS- I grew up in Mobile and my parents live in Panama City Beach now. I was just down there a few weeks ago. Small world!:thumbup: