Hel

I hope it works out for you both--Tricare approved me within a couple days, hope it goes that way for you. :redface:

Congratulations! This home stretch can certainly get one nervous! I'm getting banded on the 9th also, have to be at the hospital at 4am for 6am surgery. They won't need to 'put' me to sleep, I'll already be there! :frown: My pre-op is the 8th at 9am, it's a 2 hour drive from home so we're gonna just stay in El Paso overnight.. Good luck, and I'm looking forward to talking with you on the 'other side' LOL!

I was worried about my psych eval, wondered what they were 'looking for'. It really wasn't bad. There was a questionnaire of 500 True/False statements (not really a test--as the Dr. told me they just want to make sure I don't believe the TV has secret messages only for me, stuff like that), more of a personality type questionnaire. Then I talked to the Dr. for about an hour, mostly same as the other replies. They just want to know that you know what you are getting into, what kind of support system you have, and really they don't want to prevent you from having the surgery, they want to help you recognize where you might need the most help to be successful. That's why it's so important to just tell the truth and be yourself. I'm sure they expect you to be nervous, who wouldn't be?

My Tricare experience has been fairly easy. I too got a referral to a civilian surgeon, they helped me get through the other appointments. I told myy PCM about my attempts to lose weight, but I didn't have documentation, although I could possibly go back 20 years and find bank statements etc--they didn't make me. I have high BP as a co-morbidity, and was recently determined to be pre-diabetic. My only delay was the chest xray showed a mass on my heart, so I had to have a CT scan to make sure it wasn't anything serious. Once that cleared, I got my approval from Tricare in a few days. My pre-op appt is 6/8 and surgery is 6/9

Hi Everyone! I got the call yesterday, and my surgery is scheduled for June 9th with Dr. Lara in El Paso! My husband already got leave approved so he can be here with me, and although I'm nervous, I am ready! :cursing:

Congratulations! And have a great time on the cruise

Hi everyone! I've been lurking here for a while, reading some of your amazing stories, and have been quite inspired by you. My Dr. is Dr. Lara in El Paso, TX. I am waiting on my psych eval, then the EKG, labs etc. and final clearance then I get a band date. Although I'd like to hurry up and get it done, I'm taking the time now to read books and surf the net (how I found this site) for all the information I can find. I look forward to reading more from you, talking with you, and taking this journey with you. :laugh:

I have a very good friend here who has family and friends in Artesia, she goes there fairly often. One of these times I should go with her!

I'm in Alamogordo-- where are you moving to?

My husband bought me a wii, and the wii fit, my son is hooking it up for me tomorrow. I think it will be a fun way to start. I'm really glad you like it so much, I'm hoping I will too!

Hello, I am Tricare Prime in NM. I got a referral from my PC Dr. late January, my 1st appt with the surgeon 2/27. I need a psych eval, then the EKG, labs etc- once they are done I get a surgery date. The surgeon's office said Tricare determined I had no 'criteria', no 6-month diet, no waiting period. I think it really depends on your individual situation- weight, co-morbidities etc. I want to add something here which may or may not apply to you. My prior PC Dr (we live in an Air Force town, I go to the AF clinic- but my husband isn't AF) told me I had to do the 6 month diet and the nutritionist appointments. My husband (who does health benefits admin among other things) said that was an Air Force requirement, not a Tricare requirement. Then my PC Dr. moved on, it was a new Dr. I saw in late January, who gave me the referral without any trouble. It really is very individual, but let us know how it works out for you. Good luck!