I am just finding out that Tricare won't cover the sleeve through a civilian surgeon. Balboa in San Diego is the closest military hospital to me that does the procedure. It is 5 hours away from me but I guess that is doable. Does anyone have any experience with them, I would really love some help with this process. Who I need to talk to, what questions to ask, how much I can get done locally so I don't have to drive that far a bunch of times.

Thanks in advance to anyone that can help me out.

Hi! I am in the same boat as you. Balboa is 3 hrs (not counting traffic) from my home. I decided to go for a sleeve instead of Lap Band, so I started the process last month.

Fortunately, there are a lot of things you can do that don't require you to go there. You can have your sleep study, psych consult, and an evaluation from your primary care manager (all required) done where you are and have those records sent to Balboa. You will have to go there for pre-op education classes which are mandatory. There are 2 you will have to attend and they are usually scheduled one day after another, so to make it esy on yourself, you should plan to go, stay overnight in SD, if you can and attaend both clases over 2 days. You have a nutirtion consult you must go to, and you will have to drive there for that. They are more than likely going to require that you lose some weight and you can probably do that through a program at your local facility. I am going to my nutritionist here for those visits. You need a recent pap done (within last 3 years) and a mammogram if you are over 50 (within 1 year), but can also do those locally and have the reports sent.

The best way to start is to self-refer to the bariatric surgical unit. Go to the MCSD website and go to the bariatric surgical clinic portion of the site. There is a phone number you can call and do a self-referral. They will then set an appointment for you to go to SD, attend the bariatric information session where they discuss with you surgery options and different aspects of the surgeries they perform. They do a quick screening of your info and, once they determine that you are a good candidate for surgery, give you checklist of all the things you need to do prepare for surgery.

I started this joiurney almost a year ago, so I am in the process of having all my records sent to Balboa and trying to acheive the 20 lb weight loss they are requiring of me. The hardest part is I already made one trip to Balboa, and I have to go AT LEAST 2 more times before my pre-op testing and surgery, and one of those trips I will be staying overnight.

Soooooo, that is what you have to look forward to. It isn't a hard process, just an extensive one. And as long do everything on the list and meet the TriCare qualifications for surgery, you WILL be approved.

Hope this helps. Keep me posted and stay in touch. Blessings as you begin your journey.

Thank you for the reply. I called and got put into their computer system earlier this week and talked to the surgery coordinator. He told me he submitted my name and records to the bariatric clinic and they will look everything over to see if I qualify and he said he will call me back Friday and let me know everything I need to do ahead of time. I have already had blood work, an ultrasound of my galbladder, and I was going through another bariatric surgeon so I have already had a psych consult. I have also already meet with a dietician. I guess all I need to do is have a sleep study and then attend their required appointments. I also have already lost weight since my initial consult with the other surgeon, so i am hoping that all of this goes smoothly and maybe quickly.

I will definitely keep in touch....you do the same. Maybe we will run into each other down there.

I was wondering how things are going for you. I have my period appointment this Thursday Jan 3 and my surgery is scheduled for Jan 16. Hope all is well for you and that you are moving toward you goal rapidly.

Being an older post I'm going to take a shot in the dark with this question. I am in the baby stages of trying to get the sleeve through balboa, I live about 3 hours away so this will be an journey for sure. I'm wondering what the name of your surgeon is and how long it took you from your first consult to the actual surgery date. And of course any other info would be so appreciated! Thanks