[mjcarley]

Hi everyone,
My name is Maryjane. I am 38 yrs old, mother of 3 daughters ages 19, 15 and 11. My husband is active duty Army. I am just beginning the process of my weight loss surgery journey. I have Tricare Prime and am so worried that I will be denied following completion of all of the requirements given to me by the surgeon. I am going to an off post Surgeon and was wondering if anyone else is in Clarksville, TN and has gone through the process with off post surgeons.

My story is pretty long when it comes to the battle of weight loss, followed by weight gain and the yo-yo process that continued throughout my life. I have done everything from Phen-Phen to Liquid diets. Only to drop a little weight, put it back on and often times....plus more than I originally weighed. I come from a family of obese people. All of which have multiple health issues such as heart problems, diabetes, etc.

I have pondered the thought of weight loss surgery for several years now. Only after the last year of feeling at my absolute worst I have decided that it is time to get this extra weight off of my body so that I can actually join the land of the living again. I am 5'8.5" and weigh 265 lbs. My BMI is 39 and I have the following health issues.....history of high blood pressure, joint problems in my knees (so bad at this pt that I have to wear a knee brace for extra support while walking), fatty liver, high cholesterol, elevated liver enzymes, I have become withdrawn and no longer am physically able to get out as much as I would like to. I have more less become a home body due to my weight issues and extreme fatigue.

I have completed the following from the list of required visits in order for the surgeon to submit my paperwork for approval through Tricare Prime:

1) Initial Visit with Surgeon- Completed
2) Attend Information Seminar on WLS- Completed
3) Attend a support group meeting
4) Psych Evaluation And Clearance- Completed
5) Nutrition Class - 4 Hrs
6) Liver Ultrasound- Completed
7) Gallbladder Ultrasound- Completed
8) EGD

All requirements will be completed on August 13th. So, I was wondering if anyone has recently gained approval from Tricare prime with less than 40 BMI and similar health conditions?

I CAN'T WAIT TO FINALLLLLLLY BE HEALTHY!!!!!!!

[Madison's grandma]

i dont know about the bmi part for tricare prime . but i do know that i have tricare prime and once submitted by my surgeon it only took a week to get my approval!!!!! i did have alot of other health problems ie; diabetes,high cholesterol, gerd,enlarged liver etc etc . dont know if all that helped make it quicker or not. good luck and dont give up it looks like you have already jumped through all the hoops you need to.

mary

[DocSanae]

Welcomem to the board, thank you fo joining us.
Good luck with your process.
(((((HUGS))))) May your journey go well.

You have a lot of medical issues and your BMI is aobve 35 (which is one of the basic criteria set up by the NIH-BMI over 40 if no comorbidities, BMI over 35 with comorbidities) so you should be fine.

[DianeM]

Hi i as well live in clarksville n go for my surgeon off post wit Dr Steely, my approval was very forth coming and i did not have to submit again, i wish you luck and that all goes well, my surgery is next week on the 19 of aug 2010 i hope this time i can get it done since i haf to cancel it 2 times due to husband being ill. Keep me posted.


You can email me at yahoo if you prefer . diane_martinusa@yahoo.com