So I have gotten my referral from tricare approving me to see a doctor for the lap band. I had to attend their seminar first, fill out information papers and now I am waiting on them to contact me to set up an appointment to see the doctor.

If the doctor says I need it do I have to get another referral or will this suffice? I have a BMI of about 35.5 but I have high blood pressure, diabetes, acid reflux, chronic back pain, etc.....

What was your process through tricare??

I am in Savannah, GA.

Since you were referred you are more than likely going to get it. First you will meet with the surgeon and he will talk to you. Then you see a Psychiatrist, then the nutrionist and then see the surgeon again. My whole process took two months. I got the lap band done 11/13/2008 and have lost 53lbs. Good luck. Tricare is a very easy process.

Thanks,

That clears up a lot. I have the referral already but I was not sure if I needed to get another. It says it is good until 12/2009 and I have been approved for 6 visits.

i have tricare and was approved in less than 2 weeks, on another note, how do you personally tell if your liver is shrinking, is it by urinating a lot? some one said this on another post, just wandering, this is where i am right now. thank you

You shrink your liver by eating low carbs. My surgeon had us on a 30 grams of carbs a day diet. I lost about 20 pounds before surgery and I lost that in little over a month. Eat only 3 times a day. Don't snack. Also when eating in between each bite put the fork down, chew your food thoroughly and don't drink while eating. Either drink 10 minutes before or 30 minutes after. THat is what my surgeon had me do and he is the teaching surgeon for this procedure all over Jacksonville. Good luck. I am also a nursing student and I have never heard of going to bathroom to help shrink your stomach.

Thanks to all for the response. So just to clairfy,(I am not Slow mentally, just in this instance).

I already received approval/authorization. My doctor called me and told me I needed to attend the seminar; I did that and now I am waiting on the surgeon's office to call me to set up my first consultation/meeting with him. Will I need to get another authorization or does the authorization I have is all I need for the surgery.

This question may have been answered but I am just so excited about getting this done.

The way Tricare worked for me is that I was approved to see the surgeon, all my consultations and then I still had to wait to get approved by tricare for the approval of the surgery. Write a letter to tricare. Your doctor will have a check list on everything you need. Blood work, psychiatrist session, nutritionist, etc. Follow everything your doctor says. One mess up and you can forget about getting the procedure done. Good luck!!!!!!!

Hello, my experience with Tricare was very easy so far. I talked with my personal doctor and told her I was interested in the Lap Band. They got me in touch with the Southwest Bariatric Clinic in Austin. I went to a seminar where I filled out the paperwork and then I was called about an appointment with my surgeon. I talked to her and she submitted her letter to Tricare. I waited for about three weeks and then got a call saying that Tricare approved the surgery. I am scheduled to have all the testing done in one day, January 8th, which is my birthday. I haven't started dieting yet but will be cutting down on what I eat before I go to the testing. My surgeon said I won't have to do a pre-diet because I don't have a lot of fat around my liver. I hope it is not long after all the tests before I can have my surgery. I am very excited, expecially reading all of these posts about your weight loss experiences.

Thanks,