Tricare Denial..REVERSED!!

[Maggies 0]

JWRN, updated status, yay.

Karina, Thank you, but I wish you would have gotten your approval by now. Why in the world do they need that long to make up their mind. I talked to two different people this morning, and got the same info from both of them. I am looking forward to you coming on and telling us you have been approved. Hang in there. Maggie

[KarinaM 0]

Nov 8th? I know I was worried they would think I was a crazy person when I called 2 times daily!!:smile2:

YEP, the phone call t was almost funny, because I dumped on the poor lady how TriWest was to blame for my depression.hehehe. Well, I just can't take it anymore.

[HelloPenny 0]

Wow! I am so happy for you Maggie!

I hope your boat comes in soon too, Karina.

I am just still shocked... one that I got approved so fast and that any of you guys are having trouble now. So weird!

[tomatogirl 0]

YEP, the phone call t was almost funny, because I dumped on the poor lady how TriWest was to blame for my depression.hehehe. Well, I just can't take it anymore.

When the TriNorth lady told me I needed the H.Pylori test and then told me what it was for, I told her she was going to GIVE me stomach ulcers, so there was no reason to test.

[Maggies 0]

Hello Penny, Thanks, I'm still pinching myself. Have you been banded yet? Tomato Girl, Congrats on your approval. Was yours on appeal also? When is your surgery? I would love to be banded this month, so on Monday I am going to call the surgeons office as soon as they open. Wish me luck.

Karina, We need you with us. So we are just waiting for your appproval so we can all Celebrate in bandland.

My daughter is taking me to the Outback Steakhouse tomorrow and that will be it for me. I hope.:smile2: Wow, I eat when I'm happy, sad, mad, you name it, and it is a reason for me to eat. That is why I need the band.

Restless & JWRN, Please help me decide on Protein Drinks, which is best tasting & most Protein, etc. And any other tips would be greatly appreciated. We all need to start a thread and post at least once a day to give/receive support from each other. I'm just so happy about this.

My little grandson is with me until about 11:00 so I am still up and on the computer which is very rare this time of day. Good nite, Maggie:sleep:

[JamieNP 20]

Got some Protein Shakes for you.

Syntrax/nectar have great tasting ones but you have to order them online. I wrote to the company and they sent me 6 samples and they were all good. Walmart has a fantastic tasting Protein drink if you can find it. I can only find it when I am at my mom's in Indiana (I live in TN). It is Cafe Carmel shake by Atkins. Needless to say, I bought all of the cases they had. Also, GNC has a Protein Shake called "lean shake" and when made with milk it is good. I mix strawberries, blueberries, peaches or banana/peanut butter with it. If you have a CVS pharmacy where you are they have a blender that is exactly like the "magic bullet" but it is half price. I have a magic bullet, but I bought one of these too for work. I use it for every meal. My chicken last night was yummy pureed in the blender. Watch out for chili post op. When I could go to full liquids, I ate potato Soup (yum) and then chili, but the gas was terrible. Get some GasX for the bowel gas.

I also bought a pack of baby spoons and small little bowls. This helps with Portion Control. Oh, another thing. Try to find some bra extenders. These hook on to the hooks on your bra to give you some extra breathing room. One of the incisions on my belly is right on my zyphoid process (bottom of sternum) and my bras have been a little uncomfortable. The girls have been running free for the past 2 weeks, but I can't go to work like that!!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I guess in an odd way it's good I was so fat; tricare approved me quickly because of that!

shakes? uh. My doctor said to use EAS Carb Control AdvantEDGE or something EXACTLY like it (LOL) for preop and that's what I have. I can only stand the 2 chocolate ones, but my husband likes the Cafe Caramel. They also come in Vanilla (AKA Vile-nilla) and strawberry.< /p>

I'm no Protein Shake fan; when I'm HUNGRY I want food, not sweet gicky stuff. When I want sweet gicky stuff I want a shake from SONIC, not "EAS". Not to whine! LOL Just telling you that I'm not a good source for shake info. I just "get down" the EAS ones.

So far w/no restriction whatsoever I'm having no problem getting in my Protein. If/when it becomes a problem (I've always been a meat eater...beef, poultry, doesn't matter) I'll probably use one of those tasteless (no pun LOL) ones that you can drink or sprinkle...like maybe "beneprotein?" (related to benefiber I think)

Your doctor may very well have something specific he wants you to do for the first pre- and post-op periods, anyway!

:tongue_smilie:

[Maggies 0]

Good Morning, Its TRUE, I'm APPROVED, I checked online this morning and instead of saying not approved it said APPROVED. Wow, what a great feeling. I know the week after getting banded I may not feel that way but I think I'm ready for it.

JWRN & Restless, thanks for the info on the Protein Shakes. What is the magic bullet. Is it some kind of blender? Restless, have you had your first fill yet? That is another worry about not having any restriction for a while, but I guess that is when I need to really make the band work for myself. Thanks again. Maggie:wink_smile:

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Yeah, I got my first fill ... 1.5 cc's in a 14 cc band! LOL I told the doctor "That's not even worth the lidocaine you used to numb me!"

He said, though, that he would give me more restriction but I'd be more likely to be successful if I get out of the habit of snacking 1st and THEN get restriction. He's been right about everything else so I am doing what he wants regarding this, too. SO....no Snacks. I was going to try to go low carb but honestly I realized I was slipping into "diet mentality" and for me, that signals doom. So I have healthy foods, will eat 3 meals only, but no weighing, counting etc.

I hope it works. My next fill is in 3-4 weeks and maybe that will give me a little. I don't want to PB every other meal though. In fact if I NEVER PB or slime I'll be one happy camper.

And I've been happy ever since 7/10 when I went to the seminar! LOL Except for that very very brief time in recovery the 1st time, I've been optimistic, felt good and in control, and know that this is what I needed. Hopefully you'll have the same great experience! :tongue_smilie:

[Maggies 0]

Hi Restless, I think the way your doctor is doing it spells success for people like us who have had a long life of bad eating habits. I am a sweet-acholic, so that is something I have tried to curb in the last couple of months. I'm with you on th PBing, I don't ever want to do it. Does Tricare pay for the fills? My doctors office doesn't do fills so I would have to go to somewhere else to have them done. And since where I am having the surgery is 2 1/2 hours from home I might try to find something closer. How does that work with Tricare. I hope I'm not bugging you guys with so many questions. It just seems like now that it is really going to happen I don't feel prepared. I'm going shopping today to get a blender and check out Protein drinks. Maggies:shades_smile:

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I haven't paid for a fill but have only had one. The office mgr, I should say, didn't require any payment from me. BUT I'm tricare standard (don't remember if you are, or if it makes a difference) and I don't even have ALL my bills yet! :tongue_smilie: So I have to see.

And I have a great blender that I love, so I bought a Kitchen Aid 3 cup food processor. It is pink, it is cute, and it is perfect for pureeing and chopping and clean up is a snap! (Do I sound like a commerial? LOL) I looked at magic bulletss but wouldn't take one to work with me like JWRN did (I don't work yet, anyway, still a student, and we are expected to forgo Water and nutrition while on duty! LOL) I love my mini food processor though, since I do already have a great blender/osterizer thingie.

[JamieNP 20]

You can get the magic bullet at Walmart for $60 but the off brand that I found at CVS was $30. Here is a link The Magic Bullet Blender - Official Website

[Maggies 0]

Restless, I have Tricare Prime. I am going to call them tomorrow and ask how they handle the fills. JWRN, Do you have Prime or Standard? And if Prime, do they pay for the fills? Also, I went to the magic bullet site. Does it work as good as it says. I am going to run over to Walmart and look at them. We don't have a CVS here. I had an Isopure strawberry Protein Shake for Breakfast so today is the start of a preop diet. My doctor only requires fasting the 24 hours leading up to surgery. But I was told I have a fatty liver and I don't want them to open me up and not be able to place the band. I'm going to check out the site for the Syntrax/nectar shakes and see if they can send me some free samples.Maggies:shades_smile:

[JamieNP 20]

I have Tricare Prime and as far as I know they pay for fills. I love the Magic Bullet. The brand of my other blender (which is just like my Magic bullet) is Home Exclusives.

As far as the fatty liver goes, my surgeon said that they used to have problems with a large liver, but now the retractors are better and usually it is not a problem.

[HelloPenny 0]

Hi Ladies! Looks like I missed lots of posts yesterday.

I REALLY like EAS in the chocolate flavor for a Protein Drink. I bought my gigantic bag at Sam's. I did see the pre-made drinks at Wal-Mart yesterday, but they were almost out of then, and only had one package of vanilla. I'm not really a vanilla person.

An alternative to the Magic bullet is the Cuisine Art, Hand Held Blender. I would die without mine. I use it for EVERYTHING! It comes with a really nice 2 cup measuring container, that I make my drinks in, and just drink them right out of that. It also comes with a small food processor attachment and a whisk attachment. I use the hand held blender the most. I use it to mix up my drinks, Soups, eggs... anything I want mixed up really good. Here is a link.Cuisinart - CSB-77

My husband bought me a new one for my birthday before he left for deployment. I'm so glad he did, because I would not have packed it to come to my parent's house other wise! Was like a premonition that I would need it. He got it at JC Penney.

And I think I got approved super fast because I am a fatty, too! Can't argue with 200lbs overweight.