My daughter is 4 years old and my tummy still hasn't gone away. I don't know what to say to a doctor to get one but I know that it can be done. Its so embarrassing to me and it has severely lowered my self esteem. If you know of anything that could help me I would sincerely appreciate any and all advice! thank you so much :) 

I have had 3 kids starting when I was young. I thought at first everyone went through it while being pregnant but boy way I wrong. I gained over 100 lbs with my first pregnancy (GD) and with my second and third. I have excersized, I have dieted, I have taken pills, I have done just about everything to get rid of the extra skin. I have had self esteem issues, and at one point I almost let it ruin my marriage. I had to beat this depression or whatever it was. Now I could care less. This is me take it or leave it, my husband has his service stripes and by god so do I. My husband loves me for me, and he supports whatever decision I make. Do I still want a tummy tuck...very much so. They are expensive, so I will wait until the kids are out of the house and we are retired. I can't see spending that much money on myself for something cosmetic. Just remember you sacrificed your body for your child, to me that is the most selfless act a woman can make. 

I don't have advice but I would say if you want it, go for it! Maybe you could work out a payment plan with the doctor or it could be the equivalent of your birthday and Christmas gifts for the next three years if need be, lol. If it's what you really want and it's destroying your self-esteem, then it's probably worth that! 

My husband loves me for me, and he supports whatever decision I make. Do I still want a tummy tuck...very much so. They are expensive, so I will wait until the kids are out of the house and we are retired. I can't see spending that much money on myself for something cosmetic. Just remember you sacrificed your body for your child, to me that is the most selfless act a woman can make

I absolutly love your attitude.... Rock on 

I call it self esteem for a reason, it has little to do with how I appear to my husband, he loves me no matter what and he knows why the extra skin is there. He wants for me what I want for myself. Its how I[b][/b] feel when I have to look at myself everyday. It has almost been 4 years and it hasn't gone away. I lost all of the weight from having my daughter and I just want to feel comfortable. I'm 23 years old and I can't wear a bikini when I only weigh 130 lbs. It's driving me crazy. I just want to feel comfortable in my skin again.. I admire everyone for the positive attitudes and the confidence that I wish I had. This is what I want, and I need to have it. I really need to know what I could possibly do to have it paid for through my insurance! I really need some help :( 

I understand, I didn't mean for it to come off as rude or in any way upsetting to you. I have the "mommy scars" too, so I do know how you feel. I think you have to talk to a therapist and they have to refere it for you. Don't quote me on that because I am not entirely sure, but good luck on your journey! I wish you the best! 

i think BLM is right i think you have to talk to a therapist or someone and get refered. If you are done having kids i would go for it but if you still plan on having more i would wait or it may be a waste..... 

I just tried to get insurance to cover it and this is what I got....if you have a Gastric bypass or lapband yes insurance will cover it weight loss on you own no. I did have rashes from the apron and did get a referrel to the general surgeon at Irwin and he told me medically they could take the skin off them as meaning Irwin, but since it isn't considered comestic that it would be good enough to prevent rashes, not good enough to be sporting a bikini. Needless to say I walked out that door and didn't look back. Anyway after talking to my physician on post she said they are really cracking down on surgeries and she is having a hard time getting breast reductions covered let alone tummy tucks. I sucked it up and paid to have one done last month. Oh and to give you an idea on how bad my tummy was pre tummy tuck I was a size 14 and post with swelling size 5. 

Maybe you will have better luck. Good luck! 

Wow that is a great outcome! Hopefully one day I will have one but not any time soon. 

Thanks you guys! 

Hey, it's your body and regardless of how wonderful and beautiful your husband and everyone else sees you it's your peace of mind. Being a "good" mom, wife, "military" wife, and everything else in between is hard enough as it is, and if all you are trying to do is get a little nip and tuck after you did all you can do I see nothing wrong with that. I believe a lot of mothers not just military would like their pre-bodies back. It can be an emotional toll and a bit stressful for some..I mean we are all different and respond differently. However, if its causing you that much stress then perhaps mental health can help. As a dependent all you have to do is give the specialist (counselor, therapist, psychologist, phychiatrist) a call without a referral; or go through militray one source to set it up. Again, I totally understand your situation and to help out is a thread of some tricare dependents who have gotten approved....hope it helps!

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/rny/3879836/Tummy-Tuck-approved-Tricare-Prime/ 

Thanks for that website MJ. Its comforting to know there are so many women out there that are getting what they need. 

I am 27 and want a tummy tuck also. For now though...I dont care I have given up on being able to afford one, and I have given up on worrying about what people think about my body. This year I adopted the attitude of 'screw you I had two kids my body isnt going to look perfect'. I put my butt back into a 2 piece and I go to the pool and have fun. I am not little...I have the extra skin and a little extra weight, but have found that I have to be happy with my body no matter what it looks like. I hope that one day you can adopt the same attitude...I have found that I wasted way too much time worrying about what other people thought. 

Even for us that have had gastric bypass the rules for federal blue cross blue shield are pretty rigid. Your stomach has to hang so far down in the front before they will take it off. My tummy alone weighs 15-20 lbs. The doctor at Geary sends you to a plastic surgeon in Lawrence. They will do the standard stomach reduction paid by insurance but then they have different packages that include the good tummy tucks with financing available. Payment plan to go tummy flat. Worth it to me. I lost weight the first six months after gastric but stayed the same for the next year and half. Now over two years out I have been losing weight again. Over 20 pounds in the last eight months and I am planning on more. I have the rashes right now and it hangs so low even on my legs. It is very self defeating when you consider how much I have lost over 100 pounds but then the tummy just hanging there. Don't have any boobs left either. But I am a lot healthier and happier in the long run. 

I had a tummy tuck done at the Portsmouth Naval Hosptial in Virginia. I too gained extreme weight after my 3rd child and needed a massive one. Tricare did not cover any of it but the military did offer a "discounted rate". The 1st time I went down for a quote for my specific needs the charge was around $3400. You have to pay in full before you can even be put on the waiting list since non-cosmetic surgeries are priority but it didn't matter at the time because I didn't have the full amount. I waited another year and got a quote again and it lowered to $2700. The rates change constantly so it can go up or down until you actually pay. It took 4 months after my payment to get done and I am happy with the work they did. Yes I had this done at the military hospital. I'm a 20 year Navy brat and I've been married to the military to this day and I've never had a bad surgery experience with the military. Yes, people have horror stories but just remember that times are different and there is just as much horror stories in the civilian sector. Always do research on the doctor performing the surgery whether they are military or not.

Oh and it must be a bit universal cuz I didn't get my tummy tuck done until my sister in law did in Washington state the same way. It cost her around $2500. But Tricare has nothing to do with it unless there is a medical necessity for one and they will only remove the portion of skin and fat they need to and it is not required to be pretty afterwards on those grounds.