hi! I'm just starting my lapband journey and was looking for other people that have gone through it to share their stories im at fort hood so im tricare south i believe. i got a referral from my doctor and have an august 15th consultation appointment set. I'm hoping everything goes smoothly without a long preop diet. im excited to get started with my new life!

Hi! I'm military also and have Tricare. (Moody AFB in GA) I've heard lots of stories about the process over the years as I secretly hoped my docs would bring this up as an option but never did. Finally moved here and had an appt to discuss weight and related issues for the millionth time. My BMI was just over 40, so my doc asked if I would ever consider surgery...finally! He gave me a referral, but I was unsure what that meant....Was I approved immediately? ....Did I need to go through the 6 months of documenting first? Tried to schedule an appointment with the surgeon's office for a consultation, but was told I needed to attend an informational seminar first (you may already have gone through this). The amazing woman who handles the insurance/financial portion of the process told me I needed 3 consecutive months of a supervised weight loss program noted in my records before Tricare would approve it. They approved me for the initial consult, but I still needed to provide proof of trying to lose weight. So I went home and signed back up for Weight Watchers Online, something I'd done several times along with a multitude of other programs and attempts, but I had never officially seen my doctor to discuss my progress monthly (supervised), just randomly and no real specifics. I did WW for three months, saw my doctor at the beginning of each month so he could write it in my records, discuss any issues, and called back to my surgeon's office right after my 3-month appt. Now, I am having surgery on July 31st!! This process started in January, but had a few delays along the way. Sooooooo excited!! I'm not sure exactly where you're at in the process, so I won't explain more. But if you have questions and are at the very beginning stages of getting Tricare approved, let me know and ask away! Good luck!

tricare prime north here (hub retired AF/25 years)

very easy experience and tri care has been awesome to work with

started process mid feb 2012 and banded june 2012..

wishing you best of luck

thank you! I'm just starting lol i haven't been told about any seminar yet, i just got the call for the consultation appointment for august 15th. i was told my authorization was approved through tricare for the evaluation, not sure what that all includes? I'm just so impatient lol and wondering what to expect after that. my bmi is 44 and my doctor immediately wrote me a referral as soon as i asked thankfully

I have tricare reserve (NG) seminar was in Jan ...banded April 3rd...good luck

My husband is active duty Army, we have Tricare Standard and it took 4 days for Tricare to approve the surgery. I'm a educator so I have my summers off and which allowed me to schedule the, what seemed like a million appointments, as quickly as possible. It took me exactly 8 weeks from orientation to surgery, which is scheduled for 12 August. I am so thankful for Tricare's quick processing and approval of my surgery, I'm so happy!!