Dr. Schoen / Tricare

Has anyone who has Tricare used Dr. Schoen?   If so what was your experience and how long from the date you were approved until your surgery was scheduled?     What surgery did you have?  

Lisa in CO

I used Tricare and my surgery got approved quick. I only had sleep apnea. I started the process on 9 - 9 and had the surgery on 12-2  3 months no stress. I was told that tricare is an easy one. I had the Realize Band.

I have Tricare and Dr. Schoen was my surgeon, I had the RNY.  He was wonderful, very caring.  It only took me about 2 months from start to finish, partly because I have had the same PCP for 10 years and she had my records to prove that I'd tried to lose weight numerous times.  Also, I was able to get the appointment with the psychiarist very quickly and attend Kelly's class.  Both are required before he will perform the surgery.  I had my surgery on September 6, 2007.  The surgery went very well and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.  Dr. Schoen is very good and took excellent care of me. 

I recommend that you go to the support group meetings as often as you can.  This is something that I didn't do and when I needed the support after losing my mother last year, it wasn't there for me.  I've also moved to Firestone, so the meetings at Garfield are not easy for me to go to.  Anyway, to make a long story short, I've gained back 28 pounds since September, 25, 2008 and I can feel it..  I've either stretched my stomach or my stoma (the opening from the stomach to the intestine) and have a real problem feeling full.   I don't know how long you can attend support group, but I stopped receiving the notices for the meetings after a year.

My best advice is to follow the information that Kelly give you to the letter.  In the move I lost my book from her class, so I'm going on memory.  Also, make sure you fully understand what to do after the point where you can eat any type of food.  Stick to protein, stay away from carbs.  Lisa, the nutritionist that you will see in the office, says it this way "Protein first, Produce second, complex carbs last."

I wish you the best of luck with your surgery.

 

Where is the Garfield location?   I know that there is a support group for Dr. Schoen this Wednesday at the hospital.  I'm planning to go.  I did go to Swedish last week and came away from it with a very odd feeling.  I'm not sure that was the group for me but I agree the support groups are important.    

   

The Garfield location is down in the Cherry Creek area off of Colorado Blvd.  I don't know the exact address.   It was in the same building that I saw Dr. Schoen, only on the sixth floor.  I'm sure if you call his office they can give you the address.   I don't know if he is still in the same building or has moved to University Hospital.

One of the reasons that I didn't go back to the support group was that I felt odd, too.  My husband went with me to the meeting and there was one woman who wouldn't let anyone else get in a word edge wise.  I understand that she was thrilled with her weight lost and plastic surgery but there were a lot of us there who would have liked to speak and ask Kelly questions as well..  Needless to say I did not go back, though now I wish I had, perhaps I would have gotten the skills I need to keep from gaining the weight back. 

I'm looking at a group in Thornton, but that is still a long way for me to go, but at least its all highway, so should take more than about 45 minutes each way.

Continued good luck in your weight loss journey.  I don't regret a thing about my surgery.  I feel so much better than I did, but I can tell you that 28 pounds back on makes a big difference in how I feel.  I can't walk as far, am out of breath more easily and my feet and hips hurt when i do walk a lot.  I'm working to take the weight off again, but it is much harder than when I first got the surgery.

Cindy Woolf