thatDEgirl

Check with your surgery center as well. Mine has a WLS closet that you can bring in old too big clothes and get smaller clothes. Too bad for me that they are over an hour away.

I am joining the ranks on the 22nd!

We've been Tricare Prime for 9 years now and the only thing I have ever had a copay for is prescriptions done through an off base pharmacy or the mail order service. I even have an off base PCM, no copays. Are ya'll retired? Maybe that is the difference? I just looked online, that must be the difference TRICARE Cost Share .

Thanks Orea! While it stinks in the meantime,I do know that the man upstairs will not give me more than I can handle.:thumbup:

If you have Prime, why have you had to pay? Just curious, since I am Prime and have not had to pay anything and have been told I won't either. My PCM has been the biggest hurdle in this whole procedure although it really hasn't been bad. I went to the PCM about it in December 2007, she said she would put a referral in after all my blood work came back. During that time, we discovered I have a form of leukemia. Fast forward, I have since gotten the go ahead from my oncologist and bone marrow transplant team and I go back to my PCM in late May 2008 for the referral. Consult with surgeon on June 3rd, nutritional eval and pysch eval less than a week later. Now we are just waiting on my PCM to update my referral to evaluate and treatment. 18 phone calls in one week and I come to find out that myself and another lady fell through the cracks in the transition from MTF to civilian surgeon since we are losing one of the military docs on base. Finally on June 27, I was approved by TRICARE (within one business of my PCM finally getting the referral straight). Pre-op appts on July 14 and surgery on July 22. For once, I have been pleasantly surprised at TRICARE.

Hi all, I'm Lacey, 28, mom of a 6 year old little girl and a military wife. I finally got through all the TRICARE (insurance) hurdles and am scheduled to be banded by Dr. Nye at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola on the 22nd. I've been bigger almost my whole life, hovering ab=round 160-165 at 5'2" through HS and college. I got married and went off the pill, only to gain 60 pounds in 3 months. It was then that we discovered I had PCOS and infertility. More weight gained through treatments and then pregnancy. At my highest I was 265 but have stayed at 230-235 for the last 2 years. While we lived in the UK, I was offered gastric bypass but was unwilling to take a step that drastic with a little one. Once I discovered, TRICARE was now covering lapband, I promptly made an appt with my PCM. She was willing to put in the referral, knowing my history (I also have bcp induced high blood pressure) but we soon found out after some blood work that I have a form of leukemia. After getting all that learned about, etc, my oncologist gave her blessing for lapband and here I am. Looking forward to sharing with all of you!

2 days clear liquids is all my surgeon wants.

This process really hasn't taken that long, I *just* initially inquired about it back in December. Ran into some issues along the way (I was diagnosed with CLL) but the approval is finally here! I get banded July 22nd!! How can you be so excited and nervous at the same time!?! :tt2:

Thanks! RDK211, I hope your recovery is going well!

Hi! I'm in Niceville, military as well. I get banded on July 22nd, so if you ever want to chat fee free to say hey!

TRICARE Prime seems to be moving a bit quicker now...at least it feels that way. I had my consult on 6/3 and was approved on 6/27. That is even with a 2 week wait I had because my PCM kept sending the referral in wrong.

Updated July Butterflies List 1 wsw27 1 tillydog 1 doedoe1961 1 staylucid 1 mygirlayanna 2 minidriver 2 slim2be 2 BethO 2 mrsgriffin2u 2 trudeip 2 Barbiek 2 annabella 2 SanDiegoSusan 2 anita reyna 2 jjenkins2411 3 BigBander 3 scoutmama 3 2GoodDogs 4 joiful 7 ginnyc 7 AmyWA 7 Redheada 8 blaze 21 8 Louisville Lesa 8 zeama 8 cinda 8 flowers 8 JaJeanne 8 Booklady 9 Sarv 9 MarylandMommy 9 siouxsie Sioux 9 Rivieramaya05 9 lalaredd 10 sallen21 10 Goobe 10 2Blite4life 10 melmel 10 Fancy Nancy 10 vannie 11 wstone 11 falloons 11 melallot 13 OvrLvl 14 MaidMarion 14 Chellets 14 pbpunisher 15 Fearless55 15 Flowerpurr 15 lynlynkr 15 pschmolle 15 perfectforme 16 eyespy 16 lisainbohemia 16 lotzasunshine 16 SciTeach 16 lynlynkr 16 michkor 16 jomomma 16 Charlene K 16 nanaislosingit 17 3m’smom 17 tnag86 18 toogoode4u 18 CapitolChick 21 clayverde 22 zillyanne 22 TeriVA 22 kimaly 22 lleighton5 22 Choromom 22 annesan 22 thatDEgirl 23 BABOOMER 23 shellbell99 24 nyllrap 24 linksmom 24 lisadental 24 Frypan 25 Kiki220 25 Nachtigall 28 splfrd 28 mamanmidwife 29 Cherub 30 orea15

The Blue Angels are awesome, although being an AF wife, I prefer the Thunderbirds :tt2: Jet noise, the sound of freedom!

Hi all, I'm Lacey and live in Niceville, FL near Eglin AFB. I am on the path to lapband, only awaiting approval from TRICARE. Dr. Nye in Pensacola at Baptist Hospital will be doing the surgery. While I am overweight, we are mainly doing this due to my CLL. The CLL increases my risk of other cancers and so does the weight...put both togather and they might as well just permanently stick me in a radiation chamber...LOL!

Thanks for the welcome! CLL is chronic lymphocytic leukemia, I was diagnosed in February. Basically, my white blood cells are abnormal and don't die off like they are supposed to. Eventually I will have to have a bone marrow transplant but the transplant docs think that could be as much as 10+ years down the road.