is this NORMAL?

harliquinn · December 9, 2008

i had a doctors appointment on base 1 week ago and my doctor said i am a very good candidate for the lap band. i had an EKG and everything was pretty normal (heart was a little fast due to being nervous) but all in all, everything was fine. she said she would put in a referral to the surgeons who would call me in a 'couple days'.

i never got a call back from the surgeons regarding my referral/being approved for surgery so i asked DH to stop by the hospital on base and see what he could find out. he just called me.

apparently the surgeons didnt approve my surgery and they sent the paperwork back to the doctor i saw. i have no idea whats going on.

apparently the surgeons left some notes for the doctor and we have now been told that the doctor will look it over and give me a call either today or tomorrow. i REALLY hope this is something stupid and easy to deal with/get past but as of right now, i have no idea.

is anyone else dealing with this sort of BS? its so hard to keep my chin up when my goal seems so very far away. :thumbup:

blessedabundant · December 12, 2008

Are you getting it done in a military hospital? I had mine done with the dr I requested, and he's about 3 hours away.

If you are not having the surgery done in a military hospital, it may very well be a wording issue. I know that the first request for a referral for my consult with my surgeon was denied, along with a request for a breathing/lung capacity test. It was a wording issue and when my PCM put it in the second time, it went through. Tricare is picky about the wording and how things are presented. I am sure it's just a minor glitch.

harliquinn · December 12, 2008

Are you getting it done in a military hospital? I had mine done with the dr I requested, and he's about 3 hours away.
If you are not having the surgery done in a military hospital, it may very well be a wording issue. I know that the first request for a referral for my consult with my surgeon was denied, along with a request for a breathing/lung capacity test. It was a wording issue and when my PCM put it in the second time, it went through. Tricare is picky about the wording and how things are presented. I am sure it's just a minor glitch.

i got a call from a doctor on base, calling to give me some info from the wonderful young doctor i saw a week or so ago. APPARENTLY, the surgeons on base didnt approve my surgery because i hadnt been to any bariatric classes. (im assuming this is to talk about the procedure, the band and the lifestyle change that it requires?)

so in short, my doctor put in a referral for bariatric classes at the David Grant medical center general surgery clinic (the hospital on base).

supposedly, after i attend the classes, i can get a referral to the surgeon i want off base.

if this is the confusion im facing now, i cant wait until i have to deal with Tricare! :wink:

blessedabundant · December 12, 2008

My approval from Tricare was super easy and super quick. I didn't have to attend any bariatric classes. However, our base hospital is technically a "clinic" and they refer off base for everything.

The longest wait was between my approval and the actual consult. That was about a month. I had my consult on Oct 28th. They submitted the surgery request to Tricare that day. I was approved on Oct 31st. The dr's office called that day to schedule my surgery, which was on Nov 19th.

I am sure that once you get the logistics sorted out, it will be fairly quick.

harliquinn · December 12, 2008

wow! i really hope they approve me and get me scheduled without too much fuss! we havent even started dealing with Tricare. i think its odd that the base surgeons wanted me to attend the classes even though i want to go to a surgeon off base.

thanks for your help and insight!

blessedabundant · December 12, 2008

I hope it goes quickly for you as well.

Where are you at? We're at Dyess in Abilene,Texas. Our base hospital, oops I guess it's technically a clinic, is pretty much useless. They don't even have an ultrasound machine, which I think is odd.

Oh, I did have to attend a lap band class at my surgeon's office, but that was the day before surgery.

Maggies · December 12, 2008

harliquinn, Are you being seen at Travis? That is where I started my long journey to bandland. They have a group class that you must attend. I wanted to have the lapband and they don't do it at Travis, (at least didn't when I started). I had most of my tests done at Travis, and then got a referral to a surgeon in Sacramento.. All in all it took over a year, from my first referral to Travis to actually being banded. I'm sure you can get it done faster than that, because when I first saw the surgeons at Travis one of them was pregnant and about to have her baby so every thing went slow. Good luck and let me know how it goes.

Maggies:shades_smile:

harliquinn · December 12, 2008

thank you blessedabundant. *hugs* wow, they dont even have an ultrasound machine? its not like its a huge piece of machinery. thats totally crazy!

Maggies, yes im being seen at Travis. seems they are doing the lap bands on base now but after a horrible experience with an ingrown toenail removal (they didnt properly numb me and i felt everything! D:), i would REALLY rather have it done off base at a place im considering in Sacramento.

im glad to hear you mention the group class! this means im on the right track so far!

i really hope the surgeons call me back soon with a date for the class so i can get the ball rolling on this.

btw, congrats on your recent banding! how are you liking it so far??