Damander

I do/did have very irregular and HEAVY periods. 6 weeks after I had my son, I got the Mirena and I don't have a period at all now, but I didn't tell the Dr that. He knows im on Mirena but doesn't know I don't have a period anymore. I just said "yes" when he asked if my periods were irregular..lol Thanks!!

Ok, I know I said I was going to keep this up to date, so I went to my Bariatric surgery seminar tonight and got the information to go to my psych eval (which tricare WILL cover) and I also talked to the surgeon afterward which is actually the surgeon at the surgical center that I would be going to about whether or not it would be difficult in getting approval and he said his experience with tricare prime is that anyone with a BMI of 40 or over gets approved automatically. The patients with a BMI of 35-39.9 are the ones that have to have a co-morbidity. I do have reflux which is considered a co-morbidity, but not really to Tricare. So basically he says since my BMI is 40.4, I will get approved no problem..lets see if he is right! He said if I get my psych eval done and meet with him and the dietician, I can have my surgery by mid september, yay!! Keep everyone informed!

I am hoping that after I attend this seminar tomorrow, things start running smoothly. Today I hit a BMI of 40 and while I know that Tricare doesn't go off of BMI, I am hoping and praying that I get approved for this. I REALLY need this.

So I just had my two week checkup with my dr to go over my lab work. He is running more labs because my thyroid levels are borderline high and my iron is low but other than that, no health issues. I am attending the required bariatric surgery seminar tomorrow night before I can get in with a surgeon for a consultation, but I'm telling you after all is said and done, I am going to find another PCM. When I told him again today, that no I don't want any medication I want a referral to a surgeon, he went out to talk with his colleagues and I heard him talking about the fact that I gained 30 lbs in 8 months..and laughed. So, I have gained weight but that is no reason to laugh at me. I am so furious about this.

Wow! Congratulations! Can I borrow that scale?! I think mine is broken..

Good bye Dos XX, hello thinner me! Small price to pay for what we will achieve with the band!

Completely agree with Cindy C! Some places that I shop I am a 14, and others not even the 18's fit; it just depends on the brand but of course I love the places that say I'm a 14

Thanks guys! I am a HUGE fan of hcg and previously lost 60 lbs on it. I was able to keep it off until I got pregnant, and then my weight shot back up. I can't lose weight to save my life! Now I am in the process of being banded, and I was just thinking how wonderful hcg would be afterward to speed up the process since you generally don't lose as fast as you would if you got the bypass.

I am just trying NOT to lose weight (i know that sounds AWFUL) until I can get that referral to the surgeon and talk to him about it. I have been doing extensive research on TriCare Prime and its coverage, and on the Federal Register, there is an article dated 02/14/11 that states that Tricare will start going off of BMI instead of the MetLife weight chart. My BMI is 39.8, by the time I make it to the surgeon, I'm pretty sure that will be higher; I have a small body frame and other small health issues. I don't know if I have a comorbity, I will get my lab results when I go to my dr next week, but after all the reading that I have done, I am sure that I will be able to be approved. I hope so at least. If I get denied, I will appeal until I can no longer appeal an hopefully that works. I will continue to post on this topic to keep everyone informed about my journey and hopefully help others with theirs if things go my way..so here's to hoping!

Makes perfect sense. It's like you took the thoughts right from my brain and put them into words. I am just hoping that in time, I will be able to see a thinner me once I get the band and start losing the weight. <3 Thanks!!

That's a very good idea, I am just scared that my mental image of myself will not adjust and that I'll never gain the confidence that I used to have about myself.

I know everyone is different and sees themselves differently but my question is this: For those who have been overweight for a while and physically look in the mirror and see fat, when you lose the weight after the band is it hard to tell the difference? Do you see a thinner you or do you still see the exact same fat person as before? I ask because I am in the process of trying to get approval for the surgery, but in every diet I have been on before (even where I lost 60 lbs ) I still saw a gross me. I looked in the mirror and still saw the same person that I was before I lost the weight..Does that ever go away? Does my head ever catch up to my body??

This is so not about the lap band surgery, but I feel compelled to post! My 10 year old son has Cerebral Palsy and has two shunts in his brain. His last shunt replacement was done by a robot. I had no idea until his surgeon (that has been doing his surgeries since he was 2 weeks old) came out and told me everything went great and the robot performed this surgery. While I too, would have typically preferred my son's surgeon to do the surgery, I feel confident that if he approves of the robot, then I have nothing to worry about! Times are definitely changing! Good luck!!

Hey guys, I'm just curious to see if anyone that is banded has also tried hcg since being banded and what were the results?

So I just got back from my Dr. visit. Leave it to me to pick a PCM that doesn't recommend the lap band surgery. My weight today was 210, which is good in terms of being closer to having insurance approve my surgery. I go back in the morning for all of my lab work to make sure there isn't an underlying issue with my health for the weight gain (i know there isn't) and he recommends that I try medication such as amphetamines for weight loss before I go the surgery route, but said when I return to him in two weeks, If I still don't want the medication and would like to be referred to the surgeon that he would do so for me. Medication..amphetamines..for what? So I can be addicted to those instead of food? No thanks! My father is an addict and I am not taking any chances! So when I go back in two weeks, I will get a referral to a surgeon and hopefully be approved for this! In a way (i know its a horrible way to think) I kinda hope that when my labs come back, I have some kind of co-morbidy that will make me eligible for the surgery right off hand without the hassle. My entire family is obese, with a few members that are morbidly obese.. I NEED this surgery. I don't want to be morbidly obese as well

I haven't started looking for a bariatric Dr yet because it is my understanding that I don't have to see a bariatric physician with Tricare. I may be wrong, but I've been looking on the sites left and right and since it has become an approved surgery, all that is required is the PCM to refer it, and then the surgeon do a consult and agree with the PCM. Hopefully that is the case. I know for sure that Tricare doesn't require a supervised diet of any length which I am grateful for. I just switched to this PCM because we moved to a different city for my husbands recruiting duty, but it is still S&W and they should be able to see my history right there on the computer without me having to sign a consent to get medical records. Thanks Cocoabean, I will definitely "dress up" for my appointment tomorrow, to us overweight people we think "what's a few more pounds? I'm fat now, a couple more pounds won't change that!" but I know insurance companies don't see things like that. I'll post on here how my appointment goes and what needs to be done in order to start the process. Hopefully I don't have to gain more weight in order to qualify, though if I do I am pretty sure I'll gain it without even trying.. sad.. Thanks for the help everyone!!!

Hi guys, I really need some advice!! I am 25 years old, I am 5'1" and I weigh approx. 208 lbs (last time I weighed; weeks ago). As far as I know, I don't have any other health issues (aside from being fat and VERY uncomfortable) that I know of (I go to the DR in the am) but I am addicted to food.. I don't quite know my body type, I would say I'm small framed but the Metlife site says I'm medium.. I want the surgery. I've tried every diet possible, my latest was the HCG diet.. I dropped 60 lbs (from 230) and kept it off **kinda** until I got pregnant, gained a bunch of weight afterward and I can't get it off for the life of me. In order for my insurance to cover it (Tricare) I have to meet all of these requirements..my question is there anything that I can tell my Dr that will convince him that I need the surgery and that he agrees I should have it? This is just my regular physician to talk to him about my weight.. ugh...I just don't know what to do.. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!