Hi everyone! I've been registered on here since December, but this is my first post. Everything has really just been a whirlwind from the beginning. I've actually looked into weight loss surgery for about 15 years so the whirlwind is good.

So here is how it all went about. I got my referral from the doc here on base on the 9th of Jan, I called Tricare to get my referral number on the 12th. I then called the surgeon that same day. They gave me an appointment the morning of Friday the 16th. My surgeon said Tricare required a referral letter written from my doctor, so I went to the base, to get that to my doc. He told me to write a letter and he would sign it. I did that, brought the letter back to him that day. He signed it, I took it home, scanned it and emailed the letter to my surgeons office. This Monday the 26th I go to my pre-surgery class and my surgery is on the 28th. It literally took Tricare a day to approve my surgery. I was really excited and now, I'm stinkin' scared! lol Not scared... more REALLY anxious and nervous. I'm ready to start my life again... So, anything I need to do or prepare for, or anything that helped people with the pain...any and all of the above that you can offer would be wonderful. :tt2:)

Have a great day!

Dena:thumbup:

Congrats and good luck!

I also have tricare. Would you mind telling me what your beginning stats (weight/comorablitlies) are? I don't have any comorbilities, but I do meet the 200lbs. over ideal weight requirement as long as they go by the low end of the metlife chart. I'm about 10lbs. shy of the higher end.

Just trying to figure out what my chances are of getting approved. :tt2:

Thanks.

KP

Hi Dena,

Welcome and best wishes.

Congratulations on having an easy time on getting your surgery approved and scheduled.

To get ready....

• Have your post op Clear liquids and full liquids at home. You don't want to go to the store the first week.For full liquids, I really enjoyed the creamy chicken Soup. I added a little sage, garlic powder and pepper to it and it made it really yummy. Also, sugar free Jello and pudding is wonderful to have on hand.
  
• Make sure that whomever is picking up your pain meds has your driver's license. I think it is required now, unless the pharmacy already has it on file.You will want this when you get home. The 2 days, I would probably take the meds as prescribed to keep a handle on the pain. After that, Tylenol or ibuprofen may be enough.
  
• You may want to have gas X strips. Many people found these helpful.
  
• I was very thankful for the 4oz plastic containers. They hold a 1/2 c of food/liquid. It is perfect for your post op diet.
  
• Make sure you have someone stay with you to help you out of bed the first couple of days. Getting up from a lying position is not easy. When no one is there, try resting in a recliner.
  

If I think of anything else, I will let you know. Good Luck!:scared2:

pappyny,

I weigh 290 and severe psoriatic arthritis. If you go online to the tricareonline.com website, there is a section called services and benefits, it gives the requirements for eligibility. Did you already get the referral from the doc on base? If so, you will also need to get a referral letter from him, in addition to his referral to a surgeon. I looked several up here online and found samples that I copied and took to my base doc. Luckily he is really laid back and let me write my own letter. I'm sorry I don't have much more information for you. Keep me informed of how things go. I would love to hear back from you.

God Bless!

Dena

I also have tricare. Would you mind telling me what your beginning stats (weight/comorablitlies) are? I don't have any comorbilities, but I do meet the 200lbs. over ideal weight requirement as long as they go by the low end of the metlife chart. I'm about 10lbs. shy of the higher end.

Just trying to figure out what my chances are of getting approved. :scared2:

Thanks.

KP

Hi. Congratulations on getting your surgery date. I was self pay so my process went very quickly too. I liked that. My one bit of advice would be to keep coming here and reading and asking questions. I spent quite a bit of time here before my surgery and MANY of my questions were answered. I learned a lot. I also made some very good friends. It is a great place to talk with people who know exactly what you are going through. If I can do anything for you, let me know. Good luck to you. Becky

I have gotten my orginal referral from tricare. My doctor has been really great about everything. She highly recommends the surgery. She has put in the tests for me without having to make an appt. She seems very willing to do whatever I need to make this happen. I received a call from the surgeon's office today. We are just waiting for my tests results before I can schedule any appts. with them. Hopefully by the end of next week I will have everything in order and will just be waiting for tricare's approval. The person I talked with at the office seems quite confident that I will get approved with problems and I will have the surgery some time in Feb. I really hope it all happens that fast.

Dena...

Good luck with your surgery!

Please know that this Lap Band forum is great... but your surgeon must be the one to dictate your diet and should give you guidelines to live by after surgery. Some people have 3 days of "clear" liquid after surgery, other have 3 weeks of clear liquid... it may depend a bit on your health situation.

Once you move to "all liquids" and "mushy" foods, your doctor should detail your food choices and also how many calories, grams of Protein, fat, etc. you should be consuming each day. It can get a bit complex, but planning ahead helps a lot.

This site is great for emotional support and sometimes you can find good recipes... but there is so much information, and everyone has their own eating guidelines, that it can make your head spin!

Again, good luck, don't stress... and after the surgery, try not to sneeze for about a week... you'll see stars!!

Thanks for your comment. I know there is entirely too much info on websites like this one. I was trying to get some advice from people who have been through the actual surgery, other than a doctor or office manager who is trying to sell me on a surgery. I've got the diet info from my surgeon and have done research on it all for years, I also have friends who have had gastric bypass surgery who have succeeded and who have failed on them. I've also had laprascopic surgery before and had amazing pain in my shoulders, so I was also trying to see what anyone else had success on for post-surgery. Again, thanks for the reply...

Dena:thumbup:

Dena...

Good luck with your surgery!

Please know that this Lap Band forum is great... but your surgeon must be the one to dictate your diet and should give you guidelines to live by after surgery. Some people have 3 days of "clear" liquid after surgery, other have 3 weeks of clear liquid... it may depend a bit on your health situation.

Once you move to "all liquids" and "mushy" foods, your doctor should detail your food choices and also how many calories, grams of Protein, fat, etc. you should be consuming each day. It can get a bit complex, but planning ahead helps a lot.

This site is great for emotional support and sometimes you can find good recipes... but there is so much information, and everyone has their own eating guidelines, that it can make your head spin!

Again, good luck, don't stress... and after the surgery, try not to sneeze for about a week... you'll see stars!!

Just wanted to clairfy. I don't ever take the "advice" of others on here over my surgeon's instructions. But I have gotten a lot of information about the actual surgery, healing, fills, and how to add some variety to what I eat. Many times it is nice to know that you are not alone in this journey. And to me, support is a HUGE component in getting where we want to be. If I had to call my doctor every time I had a question, they would have to have one line just for me. I guess I just assume that people know to follow THEIR doctor's instructions. You have to use some common sense with the receipes too. Some people think that ANYTHING they can sip through a straw is ok - even blended Snickers. I love this site and the people who post here. No head spinning here. Again.... good luck to you!!!! Becky

Hey everyone. I got banded on January 28th, 2009 and I'm still trying recover. I've had a rough few days. Tonight, I'm actually getting to the point that I'm feeling better. My husband and son are great caretakers! Thank goodness! Anyhow....Thanks for all of your help and advice. Have a wonderful day!

Hi Dena,

You were banded the same day as my mother (she was banded in Michigan) Glad to see you are doing well and glad your insurance didn't give you too much trouble!

Which surgeon did you use? (I'm in AZ also, and I've been thinking about going with Dr Debarros... curious who you went through and your experience)

Good luck!

Amanda