Hello,

looking at all the options out there and right now the sleeve is looking like a much better fit than the band for me and my wife. Unfortunately TRICARE will not cover this procedure at this time (Medicare now codes so I'm sure other insurance will follow) so we are looking at other options. Being retired military we found out that Madigan Army Hospital performs the surgery and I'm just curious if anyone up in this area has used them? Thanks!

Just a quick update. We went the briefing on gastric surg at Madigan. Was very informative. The Chief of Surgery spoke and was very positive on why this type of surgery needed to be done and why he thought the sleeve was a much better option then the Band. He did say the Roux-en-Y was the gold standard of weight loss surgeries but that is just a little too dramatic for me.

Now it is on to the pathway as they call it. Nutritionist / Physc and a few other humps to jump then you get to see a sugeon.

Glad to hear the seminar went well, and that the sleeve is a covered procedure there. I had my surgery here at Eglin AFB, and received top notch care. Keep us posted on your progress, and let us know if you need anything.

Thanks Tiffykins,

Was pretty impressed with the whole setup. Like how they take this as a true life change and not a quick fix. Just a tool, and like all tools can be used properly or not.

One thing if any of you are interested in Madigan, each Dr. performs about 30+ surgeries a month, so yes they have the experience there. I will keep this going on info for anyone who is interested.

Hi I went to my info session at Madigan today and was somewhat discouraged to hear I would have to wait 4-5 months before beginning the pathway! And that it will take a couple months to complete the pathway and get a surgery date. Can anyone who has gone through Madigan let me know how long it took you to get your call about starting the pathway?

vmgraves, We too where hoping for a more quick timetable, but it has gone pretty fast. And in someways I think it is good, really gives you time to get your head truly wrapped around what it is your getting ready to do. We have started the pathway and while it sounds like a long drawn out process, you can actually finish it pretty quick as you can double or triple up the required classes all in one day, so what sounds like weeks will only be a couple and then it is off to see the Dr! We go in next week for round two with the nutritionist and counselor to help with goal setting, then check out the support group. The nutritionist part is pretty important so pay attention. I think going in and just getting the surgery without the added benefit of all this support that Madigan puts at your disposal would make the process awhole lot harder. It is not as simple as surgery and poof you are skinny. There is alot of mental as well as life change that goes into this.

I think if you buy into their "pathway" you will find that all the wait is for a good reason and time will just fly by. Good Luck!

vmgraves, We too where hoping for a more quick timetable, but it has gone pretty fast. And in someways I think it is good, really gives you time to get your head truly wrapped around what it is your getting ready to do. We have started the pathway and while it sounds like a long drawn out process, you can actually finish it pretty quick as you can double or triple up the required classes all in one day, so what sounds like weeks will only be a couple and then it is off to see the Dr! We go in next week for round two with the nutritionist and counselor to help with goal setting, then check out the support group. The nutritionist part is pretty important so pay attention. I think going in and just getting the surgery without the added benefit of all this support that Madigan puts at your disposal would make the process awhole lot harder. It is not as simple as surgery and poof you are skinny. There is alot of mental as well as life change that goes into this.

I think if you buy into their "pathway" you will find that all the wait is for a good reason and time will just fly by. Good Luck!

Dickson, I couldn't agree more with you. While I didn't have to go through a pathway because I was a revision patient, I found the support, and constant education vital in my recover and found it very comforting that I had so many resources at my fingertips to support me through this process.

I absolutely love that we have the nut and psych and constant access to support groups, and major aftercare through the military hospitals. I know some people don't need or want it, but, in my opinion, we have a huge advantage in our journey due to the resources provided to us.