MrsMAJL

Thanks, you do as well!

Dr. Martin did my TT, he is currently deployed to Afghanistan. I was not even on a wait list. I went in to see about having my port stitched back down, it was moving all over the place, and the doctor asked me if I had thought about having the skin removed. Of course I thought about it, just didn't think it was possible through TriCare. He sais that since they were already going to be in there, they might as well do it. Had surgery less than a month after that.

I did see a memo hanging in the nurse's room saying that as of July 1st they would be charging $1800 for a TT as they are not medically necessary.

I am waiting for a call from plastics myself now to get my arms and legs done.

I also have Yahoo IM if you want to chat there: unimk2

I had my TT done at Madigan last Sept. and was very happy with the results. I didn't have my band placed here, I was in KS when that was done.

Small world, my husband is also coming back in Sept. If you would like to get together sometime or just email or IM more to talk about it please feel free to contact me. My email address is ALionberge@aol.com.

I also had my surgery at WTLSC in Overland Park and can't say enough good things about them. I had my surgery done just over 2 years ago and have lost 167 pounds. I hit my goal last July, had a Tummy Tuck and am maintaining. I believe my story might even be up on their wall in the office by now and it's on their blog site:

LAP-BAND Success Story: Amy Beats Her Goal Weight!

Good luck to all of you and if you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

My port is very visible. I've lost over 160 pounds and have and have had a Tummy Tuck, so there's really nothing there to cover it anymore (you can see it in my tummy tuck pics on my profile). It's a little weird at times, but I think I'm going to jokingly tell everyone that questions me about it that it's my on/off button! LOL!

I am here for anyone that needs help, needs questions answered, etc. I am a 36 year old married female and have been banded since 4/18/08. I reached my goal of 160 pounds lost a few months ago, went from a size 32 to a size 6/8. I started at 318 and am now at 158, so I surpassed my goal. I had a Tummy Tuck 9/18/09 and am the happiest I've ever been.

Drop me a line and I'd be happy to share my experiences with you!

popcorn is not necessarily evil, unless it's drenched in butter, cheese, etc. I have popcorn all the time and it actually goes down well for me. It's a pretty good whole grain snack.< /p>

I have Tricare Prime and had my LapBand put in almost a year and a half ago and have lost over 160 and I'm at goal. Best decision I ever made and Tricare paid 100%.

Someone asked about Tricare paying for a Tummy Tuck, so I'm answering that from my experience. Tricare paid for mine 100%, but I was also having surgery to have my port reposition and tacked back down. My port came loose soon after my original surgery and it was never a problem until recently. I was moving all over the place and would also wind up near my waistband causing pain. Anyway, since they already had to go in to fix that, my doctor asked me if I ever thought about having it done. Of course I said yes, but I didn't think it was covered. He told me that since they were already going in that it could be done at the same time. Long story short, mine got covered because I already needed to have surgery. My suggestion to everyone would be to have every little spot, rash, etc. documented (no matter how small) by your doctor. That way when the time comes to start talking about having a TT done, you have documented proof that you are having issues with excess skin.

I have Tricare Prime and I didn't have to pay anything out of pocket (surgery was done off post). I also didn't have to have a psych eval. My approval came very quickly, 6 days from a visit to my primary to approval, and I had surgery less than 2 months after my talk with my primary. I have done really well and have been at goal for about 3 months now (had surgery 4/18/08 and lost 160). I just had a panniculectomy a month ago and that was covered 100% as well, but I also had to have my port repositioned so it was done at the same time.

I saw that someone that replied was in Lakewood, WA, I'm in Puyallup. We should get together sometime. Feel free to send me an email off of LBT at ALionberge@aol.com

Sorry not getting back to you about coffee yet. Things have just been crazy. I just had my Tummy Tuck yesterday and before that all the tests that go with being in the hospital.

My husband is in the military and is now stationed at Ft. Lewis. We moved here in January from Kansas, I hated it there. We love it so much here that this is where we are going to stay when he retires in about 5 years. Where in Puyallup are you? I am on 74th Ave. Ct. E, off of 144th.

You have done well with your loss as well. I was thinking of starting a lapband support group in this area. I haven't heard of one around here, so figured it would be easy enough to start one. Let me know if you want to get together for coffee or something.

I'm in Puyallup as well. I would love to get together people in the same area. I moved here in January and don't have too many friends here yet and my family is all back on the East coast.

I've had my band since 4/18/08 and am at goal. Going in for a port reposition and Tummy Tuck in Sept. 18th.

If anyone is interested in getting together, I'd love to hear from ya.

I have Tricare Prime and didn't have to have a psych eval. I also didn't have any other tests, I just got a referral from my PCM and that was it. I had my surgery just under 7 months ago, so I'm wondering why it seems like everyone else needs to have one and I didn't. I find it hard to believe that they changed the requirements in such a short period of time, it took them long enough to cover it.

I went through my surgery alone (my husband is in Iraq and my family is not from where I am living now) and I would not suggest doing it. I did fly my mother in to be with my "kids" (my dogs) while I was gone and I took a taxi there and hired a car to bring me home. My mother has some vision impairment and could not drive me there and it was more important to me to have her watching my babies. Besides, your doctor should not allow you to drive home and be home alone. You have to remember that you have just had surgery and will still be under the influence of the anesthetic drugs and you never know when complications could arise. Also, my doctor would require that I stay overnight if I live an hour or more away from the surgical center.

Speaking from the emotional part, it was more stressful and upsetting to be alone and not have anyone I know there when I woke up from surgery. Good luck!

Not dumb questions at all, especially if you don't know the answer to them.

Pretty much exactly what I felt. It lasted for a couple of days and then got better as I was getting back to regular food. Don't be surprised if it takes a little longer to get back to "normal", sometimes it depends on how long you have been liquids as well.

Congrats on getting your band! I had it as well for a couple of days after surgery. It's from having only liquids and the medications, it is pretty normal. Once you start getting back to regular foods you will become more regular. Hope this helps!

Congrats on getting banded! Fills are not an exact science and everyone is different in how they react to a fill. I currently have 8.4ccs in my 10cc band and have pretty good restriction, others that I know with a 10cc band have a lot less and are getting great restriction as well. Fills are sometimes a constant adjustment and everyone has a different "sweet spot".

If you are losing hair then you are not getting enough Protein. You should be getting between 60 and 100 grams a day. (Some doctors say 60, some say 100. Mine wants me to get 80 to 100 a day)

I also have Tricare (Prime) and I didn't have to do anything but get a referral from my PCP. After that, I made my appt. for my initial consult On March 4th of this year. I got my approval for surgery from Tricare 6 days later. I had surgery on April 18th of this year.

I am not sure if they have changed the requirements since I've had surgery, but I was 100+ pounds overweight and had bad knees.

I also have Tricare Prime (West) and my timeline is as follows:

February 21st, referral from PCP

March 4th, consult with surgeon at surgical center

March 10th, approval from Tricare

April 11th, pre-op bloodwork, EKG, chest x-ray

April 18th, surgery

Highest weight was 319, current is 229, goal is 160

I go to the Weight Loss Surgical Center in Overland Park. I had my surgery there as well and have been extremely happy with them. Everyone there is very nice and professional.

I'm in Lansing, so I'm not too far from where you are from.

It is most likely from the tube that was down your throat to help you breath during surgery. It will take a little time for that to go away.

I am in KS as well, Lansing (near Leavenworth). I had surgery on April 18th this year and have to say I'm doing pretty well. I've lost about 70 pounds so far and have had 5 fills. I actually think I've hit my sweet spot with this one.

I posted before somewhere else about wanting to start a support group for people near me. If anyone is interested email me at ALionberge@aol.com. I would love to set something up. Hope to hear from people soon.

I also want to have a clothing exchange at the meetings. I have a lot of clothes that I'm sure someone could get some use out of. So, if you have clothes that are too big for you, start cleaning out the closets now!

I'm looking to start a support group in this area and was wondering how many people would be interested in joining. I didn't really want anything formal, just a get together with people that have had the surgery, going to have it, or are thinking about it.

I don't know of anyone close to where I live that has had it so, I figured that there has to be more people like me that are looking for support. Right now I'm looking into places to have a meeting. If anyone is interested, feel free to send me an email with what days are good for you and we'll see if we can come to a concensus on a date and time. My email address is ALionberge@aol.com.

I have had my lapband for a relatively short period of time (4/18/08), but I would love to share my success with other in my area. I have lost 56 pounds so far and have just about 100 to go.

A little about me, I am a 35 woman, married (to a deployed soldier), and work from home.

Even if you don't need a mentor, I would love to meet other in my area with the Lapband. There aren't too many around me that I know of. Looking forward to hearing from someone!