LB_Annie

I'm currently playing the waiting game. Any day now I should get an approval from Tricare and a surgery date. We're stationed in Germany right now and the Tricare lady said that I should be getting the surgery in April. I can't wait to join the April Bandsters! I've been trying out different Protein shakes in an attempt to get ready. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good Protein powder or ready-made drink? I've done a lot of research and I was looking into the nectar brand. Has anyone tried the strawberry Mousse or vanilla bean flavor? Thanks for all of your input/advice

Hi Tamara! I have just finished all of the pre-req things to be approved for lap-band. I should have an appointment with Dr. Weiner scheduled by the end of the week. They're guessing that I'll have surgery at the end of March or beginning on April. I'll update you once I've met him

Thank you! How long has it taken you since the first time you talked to your Dr about it? Did it take a while to get the referral? I'm SO anxious to get it done. Honestly, as soon as we touch down in Germany I'm going to start working on finding a Dr. :eek: I want to have a sleep study done. Did you have one of those? I've lived in Europe, but never with Tricare, so I'm interested to see how it will all work out. Thank you SOO much!

Hi :frown: I'm a military wife with two kids and I am going to start the process for Lap Band once we PCS at the beginning of December. I can't wait! Good luck with your surgery!

I have seen some old posts from other military wives who had the procedure done in Germany, but nothing remotely recent. I would love to talk to someone who went through the process over there. I'll be going in this time next month to talk to a doctor about getting the ball rolling. I am SOOOO excited! I've been reading tons on this forum and I definitely feel like I'm ready!

I'm so glad you posted this :thumbup: Just starting out it's all pretty daunting. I get nervous thinking about it, but I am so excited about the possibility of being healthy!

I'm hoping to go to counseling for my emotional eating issues while I have the lap band. A lot of my depression is tied to being overweight, which leads me to eat more (it's a vicious cycle, isn't it?). Once I really start losing weight I tend to be super motivated. I love to work out, but I have bad knees. I keep seeing that Tricare is pretty good about getting things signed off on for LB. I have seen a ton of people on here who have only have one month from the time of initially talking to their PCM to having the surgery. That would be a dream come true! Laura- 93 lbs in seven months is amazing! You must be SO motivated :thumbup: I can't wait to feel healthy again. Is the psych eval typically a big deal?

Hi! I'm moving to Germany at the beginning of December and I wanted to get some information on this doctor because I'll be going in to get my referral as soon as we get there. We'll be living in the Wiesbaden/Darmstadt area, so if anyone has info on other doctors in the area that Tricare will cover, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

Thank you Cocoabean :sneaky: I really appreciate your quick replies. I totally understand the way you felt about telling your mother-in-law. I wouldn't ever tell my in-laws. They'd be a bit more judgmental than worried, though. I really think that the band is the way for me. I have tried so many diets. I actually lost 50 lbs on Weight Watchers after I had my daughter, but I gained it back after we PCSed and got pregnant with my son. I'm now heavier than I've ever been and it seems like nothing is working. I am an emotional eater. I am not comfortable with the idea of bypass because there are just too many risks for me. The LB system seems much better in terms of side effects. I've already told my close friends and family that I'm going to go for it as soon as we get to Germany. I am 100lbs overweight, so I think Tricare will approve me. I definitely want to make a major change here.

I don't even know where to start with questions :sneaky: I am just so excited about the possibility of losing all of this excess weight and being able to keep it off! I didn't know that LB surgery was so common. Did you guys tell everyone when you went in for the lap band? I'm just telling a few people because I don't want to debate about it with people who are skeptical. It's hard to explain to my always-thin friends how difficult being overweight and losing that weight can be. If you had to do it all over again would you still choose to get banded? How long did it take you to really start losing weight? What are some of the down sides? For anyone who might be Tricare and in Germany- I've heard that there's a dr in Frankfurt who is pretty great. I'm wondering if his LB surgeries are out-patient or not. Sorry, I honestly have a million questions! I've been doing a ton of research. I can't wait to get to Germany and meet with the surgeon!

We're moving to Germany in early December and I've recently started to look into the Lap-Band surgery. I'm 5' 7" and about 250 lbs. My whole family struggles with obesity, and I am just so tired of trying everything out there to lose weight. I have two young kids and I'd like to run around with them without feeling winded and like my lungs are going to collapse. I didn't ever really consider LB until late last week when I started looking into it. I would really appreciate any advice that banded people would be willing to give. Also, are there any other military wives over in Germany who are banded? I'd love to get a little insight on the doctors over there who perform the procedure. Thanks!