rakes4321

Hey, we are Air Force and I had my surgery at Wright Patterson AFB in January. 5 weeks after my surgery, Tricare "Okayed" paying for fills, before that, you were on your own for fills. I am 6 ft and had a BMI of 36. I also have (or had at the time, I just had another sleep study and I don't have it anymore!) sleep apnea and had to be on CPAP. My PCP was a hinderance! She actually told me that the military didn't do that surgery and even if they did, I would n't qualify. So, she wanted to send me to the psych clinic to get meds! So, I pushed for a consult with the endocrinologist, who happened to be friends with the general surgeons that DO do this surgery for the military. I would call the Tricare office and ask them WHY you were denied. The regulation states that your BMI must be at least 35 and have ONE of the three co-morbidities.......Diabetes, High blood pressure, or sleep apnea. I'm not sure, but I think that what you might be running into is the particular facility that you are stationed at. WPAFB only started doing these surgeries in March of the previous year. The surgeon had only dont about 50 or so lapbands when he did mine. There is a fully functioning hospital with emergency room at WP. Before that, you couldn't get it done. I think that you may have to be stationed at or travel to a base that has a hospital. Which, from what I understand, aren't very many, only 3 or 4 in the country. Maybe, like the fills, at a later date, they will give people referals out for the surgery. Before they changed the fill thing, my surgeon said that I could just fly back, because we just PCSed to California, and he would do my fill. So, be encouraged......wait for the results for your sleep test. If that comes back positive, you DO qualify, that is not the issue......it's whether or not they will pay some civilian doc 30,000 to do the same surgery that they can get military docs to do for a lot less. So, I would try to work this angle with tricare..........if I can get to a facility that does the surgery, can I get it done? Hope that helps. Amy

I think that your assesment is correct, that you've done something that you're not ready for. My doc said absolutely no abdominal work for 6 weeks! You are just three weeks out! I would tell your surgeon and let him tell you what he thinks. I hope you feel better! A kind word....you're body is not the same body that you had, take care of it! Amy

Yea, I'm leaning that way. Right now, I get about 70-75 gms daily, but I guess that my body needs more!:wink_smile:

In regards to a vitamin, I take the adult Centrum, one daily; which is what my doc prescribed. Pill to pill, they are the same, with the riboflavin being omitted from the Centrum. But I am not taking as much as you are. I'm not able to ascertain when you have had your surgery, but if your surgery is indicative of your join date, you would be right on the mark for drinking so many protein shakes. But as you get out of all of the eating restrictions and are supposed to be eating "normal" foods, (my doc, anyway) prescribes not drinking your calories or protein. I am still amazed at all of the different approaches that docs have with the same proceedure! I hope your "non-hair loss" continues! But if you had your proceedure done in June, it is a little premature for your body to "see" the full effects of what it has not been getting- or just the sheer shock to the system. Please keep us posted on your abundance of hair. I hope you keep it all, of course, I will be extremely jealous! Have a great week!

From what I understand from my doc, and others that I have talked to is that it doesn't start showing up until month 3 or 4, and that's exactly when it started. Supposedly, it should only last for a couple of months, then grow back. I do have new growth already, but it is still falling out faster than it is growing in. I look rather ridiculous with my hair in a pony! Kind of like Medusa! It is also good to know that I'm not alone, not that I would wish hair loss on my worst enemy, but you know what I mean! Best of luck to you all!

I'm really at a loss, because we have always eaten fresh veggies and a fresh meat ever since we got married. Eating good has always been a good habbit, our amounts have been the main issue. But back to the hair thing...I know that I eat plenty of good fat. We just had avacados tonight for dinner. I know that we get enough other veggies. I heard that hair loss would happen as a result of lack of protein from the first weeks post-op, but that it would taper off. Mine hasn't tapered off yet. I have gone from not being able to wrap my fingers around my hair when I put in a pony to being able to wrap them around the equivalent of twice. I just don't want to end up skinny and bald! Thanks for all the input. It's all good information to mull over.

Every time I run my fingers through my hair, dry or wet, I get a hairball the size of a small rat! I am taking my vitamins, I am getting veggies and protein. When does this stop? Frustrated, Amy

I've noticed that there are TONS of people on metformin. My endo had me on that, too, and I couldn't be more than 10 feet from a toilet! No matter the doseage, it TORE me up. He decided to put me on Avandia , which is much less harsh on the system, and I am a happy camper! So, from personal experience, and I have metformin a good chance- 3 months, talk to your doc about Avandia. It is also a very tiny pill, compared to metformin, and it goes down very easy. I don't even have to take water with it, it's so small. I take one in the am and one in the pm. As far as results, I can't really compare the two. I was on metformin before the band and Avandia like two weeks before surgery. It has made a world of difference for me, maybe it will for you! Amy

Well, we moved just 2 months after my surgery in January. We are all moved in but I have yet to find a fill doc. No one seems to want to take me in due to the fact that I had the procedure done on a military installation. I guess there is no money in follow up care. I am down from 269 to 229, but have hit a plateau. Looking forward to another fill soon. It is good to spend a little time on this site and see how well everyone is doing. Good to be back. Amy

Hey, just wondering if anyone knows of a good fill doc in the Torrance/El Segundo area. We are moving there in four weeks and I need to find someone! amy

Hey, just wondering if any of you have started running yet?

I have the biggest headache and the only thing I have is Advil migrane, bayer, and ibuprophen.....

I have the biggest headache! What am I supposed to take? All I have in the closet is Advil migrane and Bayer and Ibuprophen.

oops, that was an abrupt ending.....Hope you do well with yours. I'm going to let is go until I can't stand the pain and then fly back to my surgeon and let him do it, I really like him.

I just walked in the door from my surgeons office. I have had pain across my belly at my belly button. I finally had to go in, it was starting to worry me. He stuck his finger in my belly button and within seconds, he said that I have a hernia. In 97, I had a spine fusion where they went in from the front, so I have a vertical scar from the bottom of my belly button to my pubis bone. He is guessing that the surgeon didn't close up completely. He said that it is more than likely internal fat that is poking out right now and is inflamed, and that I needed to kind of try to push it back when I lay down. He said that ideally, he would repair it after I have lost all of my weight, but if I can't stand the pain, that he needs to go in and repair it. Oh, and that heavy lifting will make it worse. Which is great, we are moving in 5 weeks and we have a house to pack! Yikes! Well, good luck to you with your situation. I don't know, "hernia" is such a gross word. They could have made it not sound so bad:wink2: What did your surgeon say? Are you in pain?