eazes

Tricare may approve you because of the 2 comorbities but that's not always a guarantee. From what I have seen with various doctors that Tricare referred me to over the years. They will probably approve you to see that doc but it is up to the doc to say yeah or nay when it comes to the surgery. IMPO, I think you will be approved. Let me know how things go. Good Luck!

Oh man that sucks because right now it's the only thing keeping me from smoking. I guess I have to find a favorite mint now.

I was sitting in my car starting to fill out the new patient package I picked up from my surgeon's office. I was told I could fill it out early. Well anyways...I'm filling it out when this lady comes to my car and asks if I'm filling out a job application. I told he no. She asked if it was for a family member. I told her it was for myself. She then gives me this pamphlet and starts talking to me about being a Jehovah's Witness. I told her that I was not interested but I thanked her for the pamphlet. She told me to read it because it would probably change my mind about surgery. I just looked at her and smiled and said thank you and put my car in drive and pulled off. Nothing against Jehovah's witnesses but I couldn't help but be a little put off. This lady was actually thinking that she could change my mind about surgery. First of all she didn't know what kind of surgery I was going for also why would I change my mind. it just struck me as odd that she would say that.

I finally lost 5 lbs. It's only been a month trying to work it off. It felt like I was working against myself since during this time I was also on my cycle and I am notorious for gaining weight during that time. Now I have to work to keep it off and lose more. I'm not sure how much the doctor will want me to lose before he will do the surgery but I figure it will be good to lose some before hand and be in the habit that way when he says I need to lose 3 or 5 lbs or whatever it will be a cake walk.

I finally lost 5 lbs. It's only been a month trying to work it off. It felt like I was working against myself since during this time I was also on my cycle and I am notorious for gaining weight during that time. Now I have to work to keep it off and lose more. I'm not sure how much the doctor will want me to lose before he will do the surgery but I figure it will be good to lose some before hand and be in the habit that way when he says I need to lose 3 or 5 lbs or whatever it will be a cake walk.

I have Tricare so it's relatively quick to get approved. I should say it's quick as long as you meet the requirements. I got my approval about a day after my doc put in my referral. What's taking a long time is meeting the requirements for the surgeon before I can get a surgery date.

Words of wisdom...Thank you so much for posting this. It will be very useful to me and I'm sure to others as well.

I'm with you! I know I'll never be a size 2 and really I don't want to be. I like having a little thickness to me and so does my husband. He told me when we started dating that he didn't like skinny women. I just want to get down to a weight where I am proud of my body and that is a lot more healthy than the one that I am occupying now.

I plan on taking a 3 days. My doc suggested a week but I work a desk job with absolutely no lifting. Unless you count paper. LOL Also I work part time so basically for 1 week I'm only going to go in for a few hours a day just to touch base and complete paperwork. I told my supervisor that I would just take it a day at a time and she was cool with it. I'm assuming my recovery is going to be similar to when I had my 2 c-sections so if I have that to go off of then my recovery should only take a couple of days before I'm back to normal. Atleast this time I won't have to take care of a baby. LOL

I'm so excited. I called the doc's office to see if they got my psych eval results and if so if I could schedule my appointment. The nurse said they normally would wait until they received them but since their next appointment isn't until early next month she would go ahead an schedule me. My first surgeon's appointment is on July 11th. I can't until that day. She gave me a warning that the doc may want me to lose some weight but I already knew that anyways. I'm still trying to lose weight while I'm going through this process. It's nice to finally get to meet the surgeon and get a little closer to being banded!

I don't have one to spare but I do have an idea. If it's a matter of not having a credit/debit card you could always send a money order. I know amazon.com will allow you to put in your checking account information and they will debit you're account that way or you could order it and send in payment. They just will not ship until payment is received. If this is not possible for you search around the net for lap band information. That is where I got majority of my info. I know there is a website that has books online that you can read. I mean you can read the whole book. I can't remember right now what the website is but if I find it I'll PM it to you. Good luck on your search.

I was DEATHLY afraid of telling my hubby. My husband is very athletic and works out constantly. For him losing 20 lbs is a walk in the park for me it's a marathon that just doesn't seem to end. When I first told him about it I thought he would lay into me about how all I need to do is eat right and exercise, but he just looked at me and said that if that's what I felt I needed to do then he would support me. He also told me that he didn't care what my weight was as long as I was healthy. Because he said those things I know that he will support me wholeheartedly. Basically what I am trying to tell you is give your hubby the benefit of the doubt. You never know he may surprise you. I know mine did.

I just got home from the drive-in. The kids and I went to see The Incredible Hulk. Well actually I watched and they slept in the backseat. You know I spend why too much time on these boards because as soon as I got home I put the kids to bed, changed into my night clothes and jumped right onto my computer. Anyways...THIS MOVIE ROCKS!! It was so much better than that first one they put out. They even had some cameo appreances from others associated with the character. I thought it was a great movie and it should do great in the box office. I told my hubby that I am willing to see it again if he wants to go to the movies to see it. (He didn't come with us because he had a work related function to attend.) It kept my interest through the entire movie. I didn't want to miss a minute. I give it 2 thumbs and 2 big toes up!

I just got home from the drive-in. The kids and I went to see The Incredible Hulk. Well actually I watched and they slept in the backseat. :tt1: You know I spend why too much time on these boards because as soon as I got home I put the kids to bed, changed into my night clothes and jumped right onto my computer. Anyways...THIS MOVIE ROCKS!! It was so much better than that first one they put out. They even had some cameo appreances from others associated with the character. I thought it was a great movie and it should do great in the box office. I told my hubby that I am willing to see it again if he wants to go to the movies to see it. (He didn't come with us because he had a work related function to attend.) It kept my interest through the entire movie. I didn't want to miss a minute. I give it 2 thumbs and 2 big toes up! :cool:

I haven't been banded yet. I just scheduled my first appointment with the surgeon so I'm close to the end of the first leg of my weight loss race. After this 1st visit and after I complete all he pre-op tests I'll be able to schedule my 2nd visit and know when my surgery date is. I'm hoping his nurse's estimate is right and I can be banded at the end of July.

Maybe she had her own reasons for approaching me. I don't know. I just thought she was a bit over the top. She made me very uncomfortable while I was sitting there listening to her. I tried not to be rude and I heard what she had to say. I took her pamphlet to be nice and that was the end of it. Personally she would not and could not change my mind. I believe in God and I know he is watching over me. If He did not want me to have the surgery I believe I would get some sort of sign. Not to get all religious or anything but I know I'm doing the right thing for me.

I was sitting in my car starting to fill out the new patient package I picked up from my surgeon's office. I was told I could fill it out early. Well anyways...I'm filling it out when this lady comes to my car and asks if I'm filling out a job application. I told he no. She asked if it was for a family member. I told her it was for myself. She then gives me this pamphlet and starts talking to me about being a Jehovah's Witness. I told her that I was not interested but I thanked her for the pamphlet. She told me to read it because it would probably change my mind about surgery. I just looked at her and smiled and said thank you and put my car in drive and pulled off. Nothing against Jehovah's witnesses but I couldn't help but be a little put off. This lady was actually thinking that she could change my mind about surgery. First of all she didn't know what kind of surgery I was going for also why would I change my mind. it just struck me as odd that she would say that.

I'm drinking 4 - 6 oz protein shakes with 5 carrots (it's the only veggie i have that doesn't need to sit in a fridge) and then I have grilled chicken or fish and a side of veggies for dinner. I just started this diet so I'm hoping to shed some pounds before I meet with the doc. Hopefully by then I've dropped so much that I won't have to drop anymore or have so few that I can just go to the bathroom to lose it.

Yesterday I got a call from the surgeon's office to find out if they received the referral from the psych eval. I know I'm supposed to wait for them to call me but I'm too anxious. I know what the psych doc will say he told me that he sees no reason for me not to have the surgery. I called the Bariatric Coordinator and found out that she's going to be out of the office until the middle of next week. Well that is just unacceptable. I then called the surgeon's office and had his nurse call me back later that day. She said since they were so booked up that he wouldn't be able to see me until July so by the time I would have my appointment then they would have my evaulation and been able to review it. I now have my first visit on July 11th. I'm so excited. I know what to expect during this visit but I'm still curious about what the surgeon is going to talk to me about. Will he say he won't do it? Will he be able to do it soon? I asked the nurse for her honest estimation when I could be banded and she told me barring any extra tests at the earliest the end of July. WOW! That would be great. She says they already have the OR booked at the hospital here on the 15th and 29th of July so I could have one of those days. I'm going to talk to her today to see if I can knock out some of those tests needed early. I'm hoping I can. I told the doc at the first seminar I attended that I am VERY aggressive when it comes to something I want. Worse case senario they tell me I have to wait. We can only see.

Yesterday I got a call from the surgeon's office to find out if they received the referral from the psych eval. I know I'm supposed to wait for them to call me but I'm too anxious. I know what the psych doc will say he told me that he sees no reason for me not to have the surgery. I called the Bariatric Coordinator and found out that she's going to be out of the office until the middle of next week. Well that is just unacceptable. :cool: I then called the surgeon's office and had his nurse call me back later that day. She said since they were so booked up that he wouldn't be able to see me until July so by the time I would have my appointment then they would have my evaulation and been able to review it. I now have my first visit on July 11th. I'm so excited. I know what to expect during this visit but I'm still curious about what the surgeon is going to talk to me about. Will he say he won't do it? Will he be able to do it soon? I asked the nurse for her honest estimation when I could be banded and she told me barring any extra tests at the earliest the end of July. :tt1: WOW! That would be great. She says they already have the OR booked at the hospital here on the 15th and 29th of July so I could have one of those days. I'm going to talk to her today to see if I can knock out some of those tests needed early. I'm hoping I can. I told the doc at the first seminar I attended that I am VERY aggressive when it comes to something I want. Worse case senario they tell me I have to wait. We can only see.

What are you doing for your pre-op diet? I was told my doc doesn't suggest one but I've decided to go on protein shakes during the day and have a lean meat and some veggies for dinner. The nurse at his office suggested that I cut out carbs completely until after the surgery when I am able to eat normal foods again.

Mine is a goal that every woman should have... I plan on buying the most skimpiest, sluttiest bikini I can find. Go on a cruise with no children in sight. Dock on some romantic island with beautiful beaches and make love while the waves cover our bodies. As you can see I've thought about this a lot. LOL

Ever since my last psych eval, which was only yesterday, I've been thinking about a lot of things. I've been having a lot of doubts about what I'm doing. I still believe that having this surgery will help me lose weight and I have to make major changes to accomplish this goal but I still can't help but doubt my ability to do so. I keep thinking about all the things I have started and never finished. If I can't even finish a diet that lasts 6 weeks how am I going to do one that requires a lifetime commitment. I love food. I love to eat. I love candy, chocolate, chips, cookies (notice a pattern here). Then I think about all the things that could happen if I am not committed to making myself a more healthier person. I won't be a good role model for my children. Leaving my hubby, my kids, my family before my time should be up. Having to exist in the shadows because I let myself go completely. These things go back and forth in my head. I'm just scared of what's to come because for right now the ball is not in my court so I can't dictate how things will go until after I have surgery. I know I can do it but my mind is having conflicting issues. The main thing that keeps coming up to drive them away is how I felt when I made my decision to go forth and have the surgery. I was happy and excited. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It was as if I knew in my heart I should do this and it was finally catching up to my brain. I know it's normal to have these doubts. I know others on the boards have them too. I'm so glad that I have the boards to turn to because now I know I am not alone in how I feel. So as I finish this post I finally have gotten these doubts out of my head and can move forward in preparing for the days to come. I am a strong person. I'm probably stronger then I give myself credit. I can't wait until I can look in the mirror and finally see the person I imagine myself to be.

Try GNC. If you can go to the store there is one that my hubby uses. It's called Whey protein. I think Optiumum Whey protein. It comes in different flavors. Also there is Syntha-6. It also comes in yummy flavors. Try Cookies n Cream or Milk Chocolate. YUM!