My name is Stephanie, I am 20 years old married to a Navy Corpsman and I have two amazing little boys, one of which was born only 4 months ago. I am 5'3'' with a small frame and pushing 250 lbs! I am just sick of this weight, I know there is a skinnier, happier person inside of me just dying to get out! I would like to know what my chances are for getting approved for the surgery, how hard it is to get Tricare to comply, where I would go... just EVERYTHING! So if you guys could help me out I would be SO THANKFUL! I have scheduled my appointment with my doctor on Oct 26th to talk with him and try to get his OK for the surgery! Also, if you are a military spouse/retired whatever, I would love to hear your story!:thumbup:

Most insurance (that covers the band) will cover you with a BMI of 40 or higher even without comorbidities. Your BMI is 42.6 by my calculation. So I would call the insurer (or the base hospital coordinator or whomever) and ask what the criteria are and what you need to do to get the surgery approved.

I am married to an Air Force man. Tricare was simple to deal with. I talked to my doctor, got the referral within a couple weeks, and the ball got rolling. Everything went quickly for me.

I am 5'3" and i was 220 when i started the process. It was quite easy.

Good luck!

What do I do once the doctor makes the referral? Also.. what about comorbitities?

You will get a letter in the mail with the phone number to the doctor you've been referred to. You will call that number to schedule your initial appointment.

What about co-morbidities? I had a couple. Insulin resist, PCOS, trouble breathing. They went towards my surgery because my BMI was 38.

Do I have to have any comorbitities? Or is my BMI high enough so that I won't? The only thing that I can think of is knee pain that I never had until I was considerably overweight.. and lower back pain. But I haven't been diagnosed with arthritis or anything. Also.. how long does it take to get approved? I have heart palps which I think may be weight related.

How long have you been banded if I may ask? Is it really hard to eat like I've heard from a lot of people?

If your bmi is over 40, you dont need co-morbidities. If it's under, you need 3.

My approval was quick. I had it within a couple weeks.

I got banded june 10th of this year. It's really not that hard to eat as long as you take it slow and chew well. I haven't ever made myself sick from getting stuck, although i have known when i've eaten too fast or not chewed well enough.

I have had 3 fills so far and I have lost 50 pounds. I went into this knowing I could have issues with certain foods, but I haven't had too many issues. I force myself to stay away from fried foods, sugary foods and drinks, etc. I want this to work, so I've followed everything my doctor has laid out.

That's not to say I don't go out to eat, but I don't eat fast food, and i make smart decisions about what I eat when I do go out. I substitute fries with a salad, etc. I don't eat fried or greasy foods.

It was definitely worth it for me to do this. I'm a happier, healthier me because of it.