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I am a dependent about to undergo surgery tomorrow at madigan, which is at fort lewis WA. I have mixed emotions but most of all am nervous.

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I am a dependent about to undergo surgery tomorrow at madigan, which is at fort lewis WA. I have mixed emotions but most of all am nervous.

I'm pulling for you and hope everything went well! Would love to hear and update on how you are doing!

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I came home today and feel better than expected with minimal pain more soreness in my belly.

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I am also having my surgery this month at Bethesda national naval medical center. Has anyone had their surgery there? if so what was your experience? mine is scheduled for the 25th. I am doing my 2 week liquid diet now .

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@nanny02 I had my surgery at bethesda in may... i dont get on here much you can email me at skn1224@gmail.com if you have any questions..

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I am going through Walter Reed at Bethesda to do my sleeve. I was wondering if anyone had it done there by Dr. Worlton. I am struggling to see the light at the end of this long tunnel with the way things are being handled right now.

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Heather, I just had surgery on 2/24 with Rehgrig. I love Dr. Rehrig, but it is my understanding he will be leaving to teach for a little while. I will say that I have heard nothing but good things about Dr. Whorlton in my group meetings. (She preformed surgeries on people iin my group.) I am glad it is over, and so happy I made this choice. I am down 43 lbs total and 33 since the liquid pre-op. Best wishes, let me know of you have any other questions.

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I just had mine done at Ft. Riley. The bariatric program just started here and I was in the first group to have it done here. The surgery went as I expected. I had a lot of post op complications right after and was in the hospital for 6 days. The staff on the surgery floor were fantastic!

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<p>I just had mine done at Ft. Riley. The bariatric program just started here and I was in the first group to have it done here. The surgery went as I expected. I had a lot of post op complications right after and was in the hospital for 6 days. The staff on the surgery floor were fantastic!</p>

... You just had it done at Riley... Could you please tell me your process... To getting accepted.... They cover Vertical Sleeve gastrectomy?? What were the complications! I have so many questions...

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Melissa,

Attend the monthly bariatric seminar! They have been held the first week if the month! You will get tons of information! You will need your primary dr to put in a referral for you to meet Dr. Cancelada and he will confirm if you are a candidate for the sleeve!

Then you get to attend weekly classes about nutrition and met with a dietitian. You will be assigned a case manager. You'll also need to see a psychologist/psychiatrist.

Yes, Tricare covers it. It is a new program that started here at Riley. So far the only places that have this is Ft. Lewis, Ft. Carson and now here!

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Melissa,<br><br> Attend the monthly bariatric seminar! They have been held the first week if the month! You will get tons of information! You will need your primary dr to put in a referral for you to meet Dr. Cancelada and he will confirm if you are a candidate for the sleeve!<br><br> Then you get to attend weekly classes about nutrition and met with a dietitian. You will be assigned a case manager. You'll also need to see a psychologist/psychiatrist.<br><br> Yes, Tricare covers it. It is a new program that started here at Riley. So far the only places that have this is Ft. Lewis, Ft. Carson and now here!

Thank you so much. So nice to have the information. We are pcsing to Riley out report date is June 10. I will definitely be at the first meeting July the 1st then. I've been following the opening of the bariatric center there ever since I knew we were going there. I had also been looking into the possibility before finding out this information of paying on my own. We are currently stationed in Germany. And the doctors here have not been helpful at all. All the doctors tell me is to lose weight ... They are complete jerks about it to. I am far from lazy and I have tried so hard for so long to lose this weight but it's just not happening. Thanks so much for the information. How is your weightloss progressing?

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I know this is an ancient thread, but I had VSG at JBER in Anchorage, AK with Dr Clark. It was an amazing experience and I've had 2 other friends end up going as well with wonderful outcomes.

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I know this is an ancient thread, but I had VSG at JBER in Anchorage, AK with Dr Clark. It was an amazing experience and I've had 2 other friends end up going as well with wonderful outcomes.

Glad to know this is a possibility. I'm very excited. Thanks for sharing.

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Hi everyone! I am in San Antonio, TX. I am trying to start the process to have the VSG done at SAMMC. I went to my PCM and was told I might not be a candidate and I did not get a referral. This is so frustrating! I have been battling with my weight since I was 17. My BMI is 36.6. I have GERD, possible sleep apnea, and depression. Has anyone been through the process at SAMMC? Can you tell me how you got started? Also, does anyone know of comorbidities other than the obvious ones usually listed that they will accept? Thanks!!

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My name is Kevin. I am an Air Force Veteran. I had my sleeve done at the Palo Alto VA hospital July 22nd this year. I have lost 32 pounds so far.

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    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
      · 0 replies
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
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    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
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