My understanding is that if you're BMI is under 40, then you have to have comorbidities, but if you are over 40 (like I am for real!) then you don't need comorbidities. My surgery was approved the day my doctor submitted it... it looks like it will be done at a military hospital, which is where I had my c-section... hey, I wonder if they can use the same incision since they did a vertical incision (belly button down) rather than the smiley face... I still have quite a scare, it would be nice to recycle that one. lol I don't know if lower back pain and joint pain are considered comorbidities though. I interpreted that to mean secondary conditions, caused by obesity that can lead to death by themselves.... like diabetes, heart disease/high blood pressure, sleep apnea, etc. I have lower back pain sometimes too, and joint pain always!

Thank you TaReesa. I like your name by the way. Diana

I am on the same page as you. I got my referral from Tricare to see the doctor and I am going to my educational class on August 16th. I am a little worried if Tricare will approve me. I have a BMI of 43. I have lower back pain and bad joint pain. I don't know if those are co-morbidities, but I know they are effected by my weight. Keep us posted on how things go. I am riding this roller coaster with you. Good luck.

I am concerned that some of your appointments were not covered by Tricare. Are you Tricare Prime? It is such a zoo getting all the appointments set up. Looks like I will be traveling all over the state and back for different things, so it is going to be an adventure. Also, The communication between MTFs is severely handicapped.

I talked to my Drs PA before my Psych. I told her I was on Lexapro already. She said they just wanted to make sure it was working. A lot of people have depression, especially if you have faced health problems. For me it is dealing with constant pain. My PCP tells me that It won't all be fixed with weight loss either. But a lot of it will. I had to take a 2 hour 500+ test and then 2 shorter ones. I was as honest as I could be. They are designed to trip you up if you are trying to hide something. Then we talked for about an hour and he told me that he was in favor of my surgery. If you have had depression they will want to monitor you so it can be treated if need be, but that is no reason to withhold surgery. There are only a few who have other mental issues that are denied surgery. He told me that if I have problems after surgery to come in to make sure that any problems are addressed. There are a lot of hormone changes post op due to the release of hormones from your fat stores as they are depleted. So, there are a lot of ups and downs and strange emotions until you stableize. I really liked my Psych. He was very down to earth, relaxed and made me feel very comfortable. He acted like he really cared about my success. I hope yours is as good. Remember, the object is to make you better, not eliminate you. How can we not be depressed after dealing with being overweight so long and having the health problems associated with that. Your surgeon, psych, nut, and PCP all want to help you get better, not make you suffer. I'm here anytime you need me. And Tricare is great to work with for most of us. Hugs Diana