Psych Evaluation Help!!!! - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

Cindie · 03-20-2008, 02:02 PM

Hello everyone my name is Cindie and I just had my psych evaluation... and I left feeling depressed, because my surgery date is June 9th and now I don’t know. She said she had mood concerns in regards to me. And she said since I have been able to loose 30 pound and have kept them off for a year now she feels that diet and exercise is better.... So now I feel like i’m being punished for being successful towards my over all pre-op weight loss so now I feel that her opinion is going to jeopardize my surgery.

Anyways i’m so overwhelmed right now that I cant really go into detail.

So my question is has anyone had their psych evaluation done and had the psych not so much be against it but said that they didn’t think you should do it and wait? and if so how did this effect your "Journey to Surgery"?

a response would help me alot im so sad right now, i feel like everything i have done thus far has been a waste of my time and energy and i feel like the world is against me. Please Help

kellyMASS · 03-20-2008, 02:06 PM

Do you know why she thinks that?I am sorry that you are feeling so bad.Maybe you should get a second opinion.Good luck

WAITING80 · 03-20-2008, 02:48 PM

Sorry you feel so down but dont let that make you feel discouraged, keep up the good work it will all be worth it in the end.

Godsblessedme · 03-20-2008, 04:46 PM

well just know that she doesnt make the ultimate decision. I dont think alot of phych docs even neccesarily agree with nor understand obesity nor this WLS so just know that your surgeon will review the phych's notes and make thier decision

i'm sure you'll be fine. hang in there

splendifor · 03-20-2008, 09:16 PM

hey there..

as a member of the psychological field.. :P opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has one...

if I was in your shoes I'd talk to the person who is coordinating your surgery application.... two things come to mind - one, ask the questions others have talked about - (personally I'd wonder if she wasn't against wls to begin with?) it's not just a matter of losing weight to prepare for surgery, it's about keeping it off, it's about the other 100 or whatever pounds you still have to go....

my therapist had reservations about the surgery until I explained more to him and also he did his own research and now he's very supportive.. and he's not the one I ended up doing the evaluation with (I went to the person the clinic has in-house). What I've said to my family and anyone who asks is that this is the only scientifically proven durable weight loss technique for people who are over 100 pounds overweight...

as far as the depression goes... you could make an argument for your emotional stability... things I'd want to include in that would be - what kinds of support are you getting (family, friends, support groups, therapist, OA, whatever); are you on medication and taking it regularly (something your doctor can verify, if need be); what is your current level of depression and how are you "treating" it.

Two things help a lot with being able to present a good argument on your ongoing awareness of depression and management - use the Beck Depression Inventory (in private) and keep a log of what your scores are on a weekly/semi-regular basis... you can google it and find it pretty easily

and there's a book called "Feeling Good" By Dr. David Burns... there's a log you can keep on a daily (or whatever) basis to address the thinking patterns that lead to depression.. I say these things because if you are dealing with insurance or medical professionals who might need some persuasion - both the depression inventory and thoughts log have been scientifically studied...

Personally (and I haven't had the surgery yet so shoot me if I'm wrong :P ) diabetics have problems with depression as a part of their condition, people who are overweight, same thing... people who don't exercise, people who have health problems, people who are undergoing major life stressors (ie: surgery??) SAME THING... so duh a little depression is really reasonable...

HOW you respond to this is much more important and will carry more weight with the people who matter rather than HER evaluation.. if that makes sense?

good luck!

J

VTMoondog · 03-23-2008, 06:38 AM

For whatever it's worth.....my psychologist is the best. I've been with her for about a year or so now. She also happens to be the bariatric program's psych as well. I didnt know that at the time I had picked her, until well into our work together.
So far,and probably even after surgery, I will consider my work with her THE most important part of correcting my head, and straightening my path along this tough journey away from food need/addiction whatever it is....
She gets it in spades...and constantly keep me on my toes, and rethinking my ways. I think when this is all said and done, I will have her to thank for helping the most to save my life.

-s-

blkmercedes · 03-24-2008, 07:48 AM

First, in regards to it jepordizing your "Journey to Surgery", that in itself won't. When I asked my surgeon and the Psych doctor the reason for the exam I was told it is to make sure I am mentally stable to make the decision. It was not about his "opinion" as to whether I should have the surgery! The one thing my doctor's office told me was to see a psychologist who completes pre-op WLS eval, and believe me when I asked, some said they have not. As Godsblessedme said some do not understand obesity nor this WLS!

Second, do not allow this to get you depressed! I agree with splendifor, it's about keeping it off. I had lost 90 pounds the year before I decided to have the WLS and kept it off a few months. However, I was still overweight (5'3" 187 lbs), and it returned like it always does.

In fact, when I had my eval the doctor didn't even talk about my weight. He asked why I wanted the surgery, but spent the majority of time talking to me about my relationships and family support.

RevRuss · 03-24-2008, 08:46 PM

I'm not certain the psyche exam counts a whole lot unless you're heavily medicated and still depressed. My exam might have inferred I was a little unstable but it did not affect my timeline. Seems to me that being successful so far would prove your success with program.

Good luck