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I was a band to sleeve revision on May 8th weight pre surgery 231. Day of surgery 216. Current weight 183. Lost 32 since surgery and 48 all together. A size 20 tight to a 16. Best thing I ever did. :-)

Have you tried marinating the chicken in something like fat free Italian dressing or cooking it in some chicken broth? With hamburgers I have to have mine medium instead of well done to be able to eat it. I like pork with fat free honey mustard dressing. We have a Nu Wave oven like you see on TV and it's well worth the money. You can cook your meat from frozen and it stays really juicy. My husband hates turkey but he will eat turkey cooked in the Nu Wave because it's not all dried out. My surgery was June 1st. I'm down 29 lbs since surgery. I haven't had any problems with any foods but I'm a band to sleeve revision and my sleeve is a little larger - he only took out 75%.

Hi Jeffrey, welcome to the BEST support website for the Vertical Sleeve... I just wrote about my recent experiences with Band Vs Sleeve. I was revised on 9/15/10 and to date it is the best thing I've ever done. In going further, we do have a LOT of well established sleevers here who like to continue chiming in. They are all a great help, and none I've seen ever stop Loving their sleeves. Good luck to you!! Here is the link to my last 2 progress posts: 5 Months Post Op and My Revision is the Best Thing

I'll be honest with you, I won't sugar coat a thing..... Your what I call a big loser.... What I mean by that is you have over 150 lbs to lose. I'm a super loser with over 230 lbs to lose........ Now I loved my band at first but once I had good a fill with restriction I lost weight nice but not fast..... Then pop, wham had my first set of problems with the first bite attach is what I called it..... When I ate the first small bite of anything even chewed up and was a very small bite it would get stuck at the very top of my band...... The meal was over for me until it passed after hours.... I was hungry and could not eat a thing.... Went in for an unfill and that's when it all started... fill, unfill and so on until the weight started to come back on lsow but sure. We never could correct the problem........ I never got back to that perfect fill after 8 months of trying.... The sleeve does remove 85% of your stomach but I'm eating. I can eat just like a normal person with out over doing it anymore.... This was everything the band was suppose to do with out all the drama.... If I had the option back when the Band was placed I would have gone with the Sleeve the first time around...... Without blinking an eye...... I say that with all my heart.... I do not for a second regret doing the sleeve...I'm free of the food over load I lived with my whole life....... Take a look on ObesityHelp.com and go into the vertical sleeve section and read some of the results and the revision stories..... You have the power to choose....... Don't be afraid to remove your large unneeded extra stomach........ We big losers have created such large tummies we need to eat so much to fill them to be happy......Now I'm happy eating my small portions and don't feel I'm missing out on anything. The sleeve gives you room to eat yet not to over eat like we did to stay obese........... You ever want to talk I'll be more than happy to help in any way I can...... Cynthia Support meeting this month Thurs. 3/17/11 in the doctors cafe. @ 6:30 I'll be there and so will others who can help......

I have a friend who has Barretts esophagus from the band, which causes esophageal cancer. The band can permanently damage your stomach and esophagus. I couldn't wait to get mine out. Read all the band to sleeve revision stories.

Hello LilMissDiva Thank u so much!! for the reply and words of encouragement, Best of luck on ur 5k!! it is the best feeling in the whole world! you must already be so proud of urself for taking this huge step but let me tell u, as soon u cross the finish line that day "no matter when and how fast" you will be totally a new different person with new attitude! even better than the one u already have now! just keep going and keep visualizing ur dream:) Oh man I remember when I ran those 5k I kept cheering at myself alone and going "YES YES I DID IT!" for so long lol I fell down on that marathon, it took place by the pyramids where I live in Egypt and the road there isnt a good running one! and I dragged my friends along and I kept looking back to check on them, and then bammm! I fell!! but I got up and kept going and then after I was done I discovered how bruised my knees were and that I already bent my ankle! but the pain was not felt during the marathon!! adrenaline rush! LOL BEST OF LUCK SWEETY!!! WOWWW!! Thanks for the story and the encouragement. I can only imagine the sense of completion and exhilaration one must feel when getting accross that finish line. I just keep thinking that its tough doing it on the treadmill, but once you get that gleam of the FINISH line ahead I can see me sprinting as fast as I can for it!! :D Sorry your knees got bruised up tho... You have such a journey with your band and then now the sleeve! you sound like u are truly in love with the sleeve and all of the good vibe I keep getting out of this board about the sleeve is just breath taking!! Kudos for keeping ur back there to remind u lol ... I seem to be worried if I took off my band I will gain all the weight! It is just the fear of becoming that old girl again!! I think I will need mental therapy lol Absolutely yes, I'm mad over my sleeve!! Best thing I've ever done for myself, without a doubt. I do understand your reservations though, it's a scary thought gaining all your weight back, let alone even a few. It is absolutely your choice on what to do with your own body... but my personal opinion is that you really won't need it. It is a miracle in the way they cut our stomachs, it does not stretch back much, if at all. I have few questions for you, u seem to be hooked on exercise just like I love it too, so how is your energy levels? Yes, I do love to work out. I have always been that way since I was a young teen though, and it's something that I've always been able to stick with. That said, when one is obese such as myself it goes so much deeper than working out every day. It's always what we fuel our bodies with that makes us fat or fit. Something I had to learn the hard way over the years. My energy levels are really good. I have my lazy moments though, but honestly its no more than I think what a normal person goes through. There will be moments where I just don't want to do any workout or do anything really, but then I'll wake up one day and I'll be back at it full steam ahead. I just think that is my body's way of telling me it's time for a break. LOL!! If it didn't do this, I'd workout 7/365... I pull in hours worth of workout time too, it's nothing to me. I really REALLY love it. I get in about 12-1300 calories a day when I'm doing this. I get in much less though if I don't workout. I seem to supplement with higher calorie and high Protein shakes, so even two right there will bump it up enough to sustain my workout schedule. Cause honestly I feel like I eat soooo little now and fighting with my levels! so what if I got the sleeve and ate fewer than now as some of you are reporting on the board that you can go for only 800 calories a day! .. do u still feel active and ready for ur run? This last week I have not felt like training. I'd been training hard for the last two months steady and my body was telling me its time for rest... so that's what I did. But I was back at it as of early this morning. My only fear now is that I will do the surgery and I will still eat the same small amound and never lose the weight!! but ofcourse I will just gain the benfit of not feeling hungry all the time! #1 believe me, you WILL lose weight!! Trust me... #2 yes most of us get rid of the hunger pangs. It's pretty nice, not gonna lie. Sure don't miss that. I really would feel physical hunger ALL THE TIME!! I do not anymore. Sometimes I even have to remember to eat. I try to never skip a meal though because the best way to keep a fire burning (your metabolism) is to feed that fire (healthy of course!) how much time did ur surgery took? My total surgery revision time was about 90 minutes. How much time did u need to recover and go down and then also be able to run? I am six months out and I so far have lost about 65 Lbs. I still need to lose about 45 lbs to hit goal. However I was even heavier pre-band weight and from my highest I've lost 121 Lbs. I was able to start running again about 2 months ago. I think I was about 20 Lbs heaver than I am now. So 230 Lbs there abouts, and I'm 5'6". Do u have any pain? like on my band I always have a shoulder pain after I eat especially if I had too much!? If I understand your question correctly, then yes I did have band pain. My port pain was so chronic and terrible, my surgeon (at that time, not the same surgeon I have now TG) never wanted to do anything about it. Also eating was so tough and painful for me, even after one single of the tiniest bite chewed to mush anyone can do... so naturally I opted for softer (also known as slider) foods. Not good, defeats the purpose of the band!!! However now, no I do not have any pain. I do feel discomfort sometimes if I take too big a bite, don't chew good enough or eat too fast or even too much. But it takes awhile to get there, its not after one swallow, if you know what I mean. does the Water rule apply to the sleeve as the band? Yes, you should not drink at least 30 minutes after your meals. However, I do drink water all the way up to meal time. I will wait about 10 minutes then eat. It has not affected my fullness factor nor my satiety at all. I hope this helps!!!

Welcom to the board and congratulations on your success! I am another lap-band to sleeve conversion. I am only 3 weeks out from my revision and all is going well so far. I wanted to mention that the article you posted earlier was written in 2007. I am not sure what the stats were for sleeve in 2007, but I can assure you that the stats are very favorable for the sleeve now. You have already read through Tiffy's stuff. She is a wealth of information. You will find that those of us who used to have the lap-band and now have the sleeve are a bit fanatical about how bad the band was for us. Most important things (like everyone else has said): do your research, find an EXCELLENT surgeon that has experience with the revision. Not just sleeve experience, but experience taking the band out and then creating the sleeve. The stomach you are left with is so small - there would be no point in keeping the band there. I did not have any major band complications, but I had the shoulder pain, I could not bend over with pants on (because of the port), and I had 10 fills/unfills in a period of 3 years. I also couldn't eat chicken (always stuck). The band literaly prevented me from eating healthy food and encouraged me to eat bad foods to prevent pain. The day I had my revision, they stuck that needle in my port (OUCH!) for the last time and I was so excited that it would never happen again. This is a very personal journey and you will find what is best for you. Very best of luck to you-- Lara

wow, i am soooo depressed, in march right before my revision i weighed 185, i am now 217, and it seems that no matter what i do, i cant lose any weight, i have incorperated carbs into my diet, but it seems everyone is eating carbs what the hell is wrong with me..

Hello all! I have had my lapband for 4.5 years. The usual story here. Had success, lost 70 lbs in the first year. Then the band just changed. To much restriction, couldn't eat chicken, steak or eggs. Started rely on slidder foods. Had all the fluid removed b/c i was tired of having food stuck l the time. Have slowly gained 40 lbs back over the last 2.5 years. Was considering the sleeve back August but decided to give me band one more try. Since i have already paid for it and did have success. Have had several fills since September but here I am with minimal fluid i think somewhere between 2 and 3 cc's and having to much restriction agian while losing no weight. I have actually gained 4 lbs. I am exhausted from dieting and working out. My joints are killing me from all this weight pouding it out in the gym. I just do not understand why my body refuses to drop any weight. I am seeing my laband doc this coming Wednesday to discuss a revision. I have emailed him and told him i wanted to talk about this so he is aware. He said that he usually does them in two surgeries, waiting 3 months in between. I am very nervous about such an invasive surgery which is why i didn't opt for gastric bypass years ago. But i just do know what else to do. I feel like i have two choices: be fat or have this surgery. My hubby is behind me, which i was a little surprised. he was not a fan of me having the lapband but has always been supportortive. He hates the labpand and said he can no longer watch me choke on my food. When i brought up the sleeve he said that he loved the way that i am but realizes that i am getting nowhere on my own. He said that he sees all the work that i put in and that he is sad that i have to rely on surgery. I guess this post was more of a vent/telling my story and hoping for any info and stories that anyone has. Love this forum and have learned a lot.

Both of my port revisions were paid for by insurance....they were "medically necessary"

Oh my, where to begin. If there is a problem with the sleeve, (IOW, if restrictive alone does not work JUST like the band) then one can revise to RNY or DS. Education, it's a good thing. It's not on Google Cache. Funny how that works with drug companies that have unlimted pockets.

I attribute a lot of my success with VSG to loss of physical hunger. Plus, I really did follow the rules to a "T" to lose quickly, hit goal and worry about maintenance when I got there. I worked the crap out of my band. I fought to make it work, and I wanted to succeed. But, it failed me in the end, and destroyed my stomach. So, I was pretty hellbent on making the most of out my sleeve opportunity. I really did not make horrible food choices pre-op (pre-band), and even with a BMI of nearly 50, I had zero co-morbidities. Both of my surgeons were amazed for a 30something year old woman, with my BMI, and the fact that I smoked for 12+ years that I didn't have issues. My bloodwork looked pretty great pre-op, I really had zero indicators of being obese if you were to just look at lab results. I just ate a huge amount of food. The band did strip me of good food choices, but not on a regular basis. I only had my band for 8 months so I didn't struggle with it for an extensive period of time. Also, with my complications, my husband being gone, I was pretty hellbent on recovering fully, losing weight, and being an active participant in our life instead of just a spectator. The band did help me beat the learning curve of eating with the sleeve. I knew different tricks to help me through those rough spots because of the band experience. I also knew what to expect during the first 2-6 weeks post-op. I also think that to some degree, I felt like a failure again with the band. I did lose 23lbs the first 2.5-3 months with the band, but gained back 16 of those while trying to get my revision. I kind of felt like VSG was my last shot, and I had to make it work.

Oni, I am so sorry to hear of your troubles. I had the horrible lap band for about 1 1/2 years. It nearly killed me. I had some problems similar to yours. My body did not tolerate the band. Adhesions formed wherever the band/components touched. Even had adhesions under the band that nearly closed my stomach off completely. My original surgeon wouldn't listen to me. Even told me that I should be happy with the 85 lb weight loss. Didn't seem to care that I needed I.V. infusions nearly every other day. The original surgeon always did the band fills without fluoroscopy so he never even noticed the issues. Many times, with the first swallow of anything, even warm Water, I would have projectile puking episodes. Of course, the original surgeon tried to blame me for taking too big of bites (how could I take too big of bites of water?!!!). Well, to make a long story short, I found another surgeon. Firstly, the band isn't always reversable. Mine did irreversable damage. Secondly, they have been doing partial gastrectomies for many, many years. I felt extremely comfortable with the decision to be "sleeved". I am so glad I revised. I now have my life back. I went to one of the best revision surgeons in another country (even though my insurance would have paid to have the sleeve done in the U.S.). He LISTENED to me and made the diagnosis pretty much immediately. Took him almost 3 times longer than normal to do my revision due to all the damage the band had done to me internally. Basically, just find an excellent revsion surgeon and get rid of that killer lap and. It will be the best thing you will ever do for yourself. I absolutely have no problems now. The sleeve rocks. I feel like a normal person now. Can eat small amounts of anything I want. Never have to worry about puking (I remember the nightmare days of carrying plastic Walmart bags around to puke in at a moments notice, travelling with plastic cups in my car and puking while driving down the road, etc). Good luck in what ever you decide. Millie

Update: November 8th, 2012 - this morning weighed in at 204, down 17 since I posted on 9/7 - I may need to revise my goal! I absolutely need to move more - that is a big goal for 2013 for me and my famly. Keep going strong gang - even if we stall those losses pick back up again if we stay the course

I want to revise my goal for Jan. Previously I said I wanted to be 185 by then (was 208 then) but I am now 192.So I think I will drop it with 10 pounds and try for 175 by 1 January 2013.Will revise again if needed.

I have had lap band in which I lost 200lbs in 14 months and then 7 yrs after I had my lap band it slipped and I had it removed and I was 7 weeks pregnant so they wouldn't revise so I gained 100lbs but I am now down 55lbs down after my revision. The first pic is me at 150-155 after my first weight loss the 2 nd is me 45lbs down after this weight loss. I am pear shaped also(yuck) but as you will see at 150 I look great. I am 5'8.

I'm 5 years out RNY. I also had Gerd pre-op and my doctor would only do RNY. I haven't had any complications, strictures, hernias or anything of the sort. I stay pretty active and hike often. I think better time is spent researching your surgeon and their rates of complication. That has a much greater effect on your personal outcome than overall averages. If you're confident in your surgeon, I'd say go with the sleeve but be open to revision if necessary. Good luck on your surgery. HW 314 SW 296 GW 177 CW 169

It's funny. The timing of this thread is perfectly ironic as I had my band completely emptied last week because of awful pain when drinking mere liquids and awaking at night with vomit in my mouth. I am having an endoscopy tomorrow morning and will hopefully learn the fate of my band shortly after. The GI Series that I had last week was not promising: the flow through the empty band is too slow and my esophagus is "playing" with everything that enters it. I'm contemplating a sleeve revision because I fear I will continue to have these issues even with a new band. Have any of you "Old Timers" had a revision and if so, what was your experience like?

Cardshark, aren't you on sleevetalk too? Anyway, if you're not go to verticalsleevetalk.com the sister of this site. There are a lot of us band to sleeve revisions over there. Nope no, side effects. Just small portions of anything I want!

Wow man... Except for the Hurling part and the revision surgery, I would say that yours and my stories are nearly identical... I will just have to say DITTO on most of yours.

I don't think it's fair to present an all or none picture of this thread. I have had the band and revised to a sleeve after 3 years of band intolerance. I know several people who have the band and continue to do well with it. You stated you might have had the sleeve if more were known at the time that you had your band placed. I agree with you as I would have also. Knowing how much better the VSG surgery is for ME and having had the band and some of it's associated complications, my desire is to let those considering the band that it's NOT the only WLS option. Bottom line? Figure out what type of eater you are, talk to surgeons who perform various types of WLS, do independent research, and make an informed decision for YOURSELF.

I totally like and respect Wasabubblebutt! she knows that and I want you to know it too. I think she does good research. Having said that, I want to see the studies that back up her statistics. What I found, like the link below , lists MUCH lower repairs/revisions/replacement. The only other person I know besides me who has the lap band has had it since 2003 and loves it still, no issues. That is an admittedly SMALL sample, of 1. LAP-BAND: Statistics subframe and another, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/63973.php Again I say ask your surgeon for stats and get the sources of those stats, review, decide. Wasa may be right and I know she thinks she is or she wouldn't post that but until I can see those figures and consider the source myself, I have to kindly say ... well, maybe, or maybe not.

I understand. I initially had my consultation for the Lapband surgery. After reading up on it, I realized that they don't last forever. The thought of having addtional surgeries and possible not conquering my weight problem is frightening....Thus the reason I have changed my mind and decided on the sleeve. I don't like the idea of malabsorbtion. I pride myself on being 44 years old and looking 34 years old or less. I have seen people look aged with gastric bypass. I have also see people have a hard time keeping weight off. What I thought was unfortunate has been my fortune . My insurance company require 6 months of a doctor supervised diet. The mixed bag is that I am perfectly health......great bp, great blood sugar, great cholesterol. I have lost 32 lbs since starting with my doctor 4 months ago by eating all food groups and exercising. The bad part, I have had to wait for a long period of time which causes much reflection. My husband is encouraged. Most of the time, I am discouraged. Starting at 310, I thought the weight would fall off! Unfortunately, it did not. If you are considering Lap band surgery, look into the revisions and why people are getting revisions. I didn't want that band to erode inside of me. Also, I didn't want to go through months of adjustments trying to get a sweet spot to lose the maximum weight

This is my not so "Peachy Story" on my experience with the Lap Band and a few surgeons. Right now my husband is trying to get the band out of him and a revision as well; I used to post herea lot a very long time ago and even met some of the ladies from the DFW Band Group! I thought for a long time I failed the band, but according to the company's own research it is a rarity to make it as far as most of you guys have without complications. I myself had plenty of problems with the band and i hope those who were talking about problems drinking Water read my story below: Hello everyone my name is Carrie, I am originally from Texas, but currently reside in Washington State. I am 32 years old and I once weighed 302lbs at my all time high standing "tall" at 5'4". I was squeezing into a tight pair of 24 blue jeans and 3x T-shirts. It was at my highest weight I became pregnant. I was scared to death as I knew my blood pressure WOULD be a concern. Eventually it was at a level that put me at risk of having a stroke at 26 yrs old! Thus I was induced and eventually because my body wasn't ready to have the baby at 38 weeks after 18 hours of labor I failed to progress and ended up with an emergency C-section.When our oldest daughter was 10 months old we (my husband and I) began to look into surgical help as I was 297 after giving birth and he was 360lbs. We had a friend's girlfriend who had the Lap Band. She was doing great and totally loved life with the band. At 26 I was concerned about the safety of having my digestive system tampered with and decided that the band would be the best place for us to start, afterall it's reversable right? I had my lap band surgery in August 2005. I went from 297 to 160lbs in about a year. I was very close to reaching my goal of a normal BMI for my height. My hubby had his band surgery in January 2006. He works for a major computer software company here in Redmond, WA and isn't very active. He was raised to clean his plate no matter what and he eventually had to have his Fluid removed due to a dilation from over eating. Eventually I started having problems. I called the office of the Surgeon we used only to get a recording. He was gone. All of his patients were given away based soley on insurance to other doctors. It was at that time I began to realize that he was only in it for the money, he never cared what damage he did to the "meat" he operated on. He currently continues to Band people in California. So, I had done research and was told by this surgeon that the band is reversible. Well, yes, they can remove it but not the damage that IT CAUSES. I have permanent Esophagus Damage at 32 years old. I had two EGD (upper edoscopies) done and our surgeon's replacement only gave me a PPI and said the band looks great. He too didn't seem to have an issue in the fact I couldn't swallow WATER anymore and it took the nurses 6 tries to get an IV started in my dehydrated body!! Needless to say eventually he offered to remove my band and do a Vertical SLEEVE Gastrectomy. The Sleeve was a brand new surgery that he had recently learned how to do. He had never done a single surgery revision from Lap Band to Sleeve and insisted that it MUST be done in 2 seperate surgeries months apart. Of course he couldn't recall exactly how many times he had done this surgery, which his office manager didn't know either. Surgeons are generally very proud of their work and have no problem bragging about it. Thus I had a problem with his indirect lies. I told him he was just as bad as the other doctor as he was in it for the $ as well. His practice continues to grow and prosper in the DFW area. I found a surgeon based upon another lady who had suffered with a failing Lap Band and she had written about it on a forum directed to VSG. He was in Dallas and very close to my home at the time. He was educated in Mexico and praticed in Mexico for many years before coming to Dallas, so his English wasn't that great but for some reason I trusted him. I was very much the "dog who had been kicked too many times and snappy". I had constant sharp pains in my chest and couldn't swallow water very well. He had done several hundred revision from band to sleeves and mareketed himself as an Expert of the surgery. On August 26, 2010, I FINALLY had my Lap Band removed and the VSG surgery done. My new surgery was of course considered to be "investigational or experimental" thus our insurance covered the removal of the band and that part of the surgery. We paid $8k for the additonal time and skill needed for the VSG. I spent ONE night in the hospital and was more than ready to go home. The next few months was VERY rough. I had been primarily on an ALL liquid diet because my band had failed I had a hard time learning how to eat again. I knew if I ate too soon I could vomit and have staples pop thus getting the nerve to actually cheat was scary. My newest surgeon found that the original doctor had put my band in BACKWARDS and the second guy who did TWO scopes on me along with several films knew it. . The truth is most bands fail. Most are removed when the person it is put into can no longer tolerate the issues it causes. Do a Bing search for "Lapband Lawyer", yes, they too are starting to rack in the money trail for damages people had and bad medical care we got from doctors who didn't care if we lived or not. I weighed 243 on my day of surgery back in August 2010. I have since dropped down to 195. Take it I am still not "Skinny" but I can eat anything I wish, just not a lot of it. It's like I am ALWAYS walking away from the table of a big Thanksgiving meal. I no longer have intense hunger. As I am getting further out I notice my hunger is slowly returning which I'm happy about as I've not been interested in eating since surgery. All I can do is share my story and you must do what is right for you. I will say before you have any surgery you need to know the truth about what the risks really are. It seems that 2 out of the 3 surgeons I dealt with were after the money and didn't care about me as a fellow human being or someone's wife or the mother to two little girls who would have missed me had I passed away, which COULD have happend during my second pregnancy, I had a big belly from a full-term infant and a backwards band that was a few inches from my aorta, at anytime my baby could have kicked that band and ruptured my aorta. Scary huh? I'm here for anyone who wants to ask anything. As for future surgeries, even at 195 I am better off than I was at 295, so I will NOT be having anymore weight loss surgeries. My life is the most normal it has been since prior to my Lap Band surgery! The Sleeve has given me EVERYTHING that the band promised without the side effects, That alone is work a ton

Dave, Tricare won't cover VSG outside a MTF. Honestly, I was faced with the same dilemma, and as luck would have it, the MTF near us had 2 surgeons that had performed enough VSGs for my standards, and one of them had removed bands, and converted to RNY so I jumped through the hoops to have my revision at the MTF even though I see a civilian for everything else, and my band surgeon was a civilian with Tricare Prime. Tricare will not cover the sleeve outside a MTF until Medicare starts fully covering the sleeve. They did the same thing with bands. They will not overturn a denial, they will not do anything to cover the sleeve outside a MTF. I've been through it myself, and I've walked 4 friends through the process from Florida, DC, and Cali. I was hellbent on getting the sleeve, and I would have self-paid with Dr. Aceves in Mexicali or Dr. Nicholson in Dallas if Tricare would have not approved my revision. If I would not have been able to have VSG and self pay was an absolute no go, I would have had my band removed and stayed fat. I wouldn't get RNY if you paid me, and I refused to have another band placed even though both of those options were immediately approved without hesitation by Tricare. I'm sorry to be the bearer of more bad news. BUT, it's been "hinted" that Medicare "might" start covering VSG around 1/1/2011, we "heard" the same thing in 2009, but I have hope that Medicare will get on the ball, and Tricare will follow suit. If there is an MTF near you, check them out. I'll help you in any possible way I can with the Tricare situation. I'm an insurance agent as well, and umm pretty much know how to work the system. Keep all your paperwork from your current appointments, keep getting your PCP to weigh you, keep doing everything you have been doing. Do not settle for a surgery you are not 100% about.