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.

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.