Question:
My surgeon requires a pre-surgical consultation with a psychologist.
I am nervous about the pre-surgical consultation. Has anyone had to do this or know what they are looking for? I'm afraid I will say the wrong thing and not be approved for surgery! Thanks! Any insight will be much appreciated. — Jill H. (posted on December 10, 2002)
December 10, 2002
Hi...here in Arizona, all the surgeons require a psych evaluation whether
the insurance requires it or not. I have only seen a few people
"denied" or postponed for surgery because of it. I know of a few
people that were sent to classes about "binge eating" before they
were cleared for surgery. I think they are really looking for your
strengths not your weakness. They want to be sure you can
"commit" to the surgery. I considered this as...just another
hoop to jump thru, or another step I had to take to get the surgery. Dont
stress it....it's all just part of the process. (but I would ask your
surgeon if he can recommend a psych Dr for you.)
— skymaxjr
December 10, 2002
They are looking for a couple of things. 1. they want to make sure that
your not some nutbar that is wanting surgery for surgery's sake.2 They want
to make sure that you are mentally ready for the changes that will come
with the surgery and able to handle them. Alot of people have problems
dealing with things without their old freind food there to comfort them and
keep them company. They just want to make sure you know where your head is
at.
Most people that have this surgery are ok because they have been obsessed
with getting the surgery and know exactly where they stand. I wouldn't
sweat it too much... Unless your really are CRAZY!!!
— dkinson
December 10, 2002
I was seriously nervous about my consult with the psych myself. Turns out,
it was nothing at all, just a little chat for a half hour. They want to
make sure you don't have any other underlying issues not pertaining to your
weight that you will need to deal with on top of the weight loss. They also
want to know you are competent in understanding the life long commitment
you'll need to have for this to work. No big deal at all. Mine told me
after we were done that she was recommending me for the surgery and wished
me luck. Don't worry, they are there to help you not scare you!
— Dee ,.
December 10, 2002
Happy Holidays! Every time I see a ? about the dreaded psych consultation
I am compelled to add my two cents, so here goes...My initial consultation
did not go well because (a) the Dr. didn't have a clue and (b) I made the
mistake of saying I had gained a lot of weight because I was depressed.
She felt that was enough reason to deny me the surgery. It was a nightmare
and even though it's been over 8 months I still get red knuckled thinking
about it. The good news is I got my surgery because I high tailed it to a
psych recommended by my WLS - AND I didn't offer anything up (that wasn't
asked) during that consultation. My advice: don't offer anything. If
they ask, don't lie, but really, just try to project the image of a happy
person who wants to get healthy to better reflect that happiness you feel
on the inside. Don't know if that makes sense, but that's what I learned
from the whole Psych evaluation nightmare/scam. Good luck!
— rebeccamayhew
December 10, 2002
Hi. I have to respectfully disagree with the previous poster about the
psych eval being a scam. Maybe some doctors use it as a scam but I know my
physician is really concerned about the overall health of his patients.
There is a really sad story about a woman who had wls. We were asked to see
the video as part of our eval weekend. Some of you may have heard of it
"Christy's story". It is so sad. Evidently, a PLASTIC SURGEON
did her gastric bypass and didn't have her do any kind of eval. She had a
personality disorder and other complications as to when the weight came
off, she developed other disorders - drinking and drugs. Evidently her
weight had been keeping that disorder under control and without the food
and without any counseling, she went to other addictions. I don't want to
be that person. But I am not naive enough to believe it couldn't happen to
me. None of us are bullet-proof without some kind of support system. As
far as the eval goes, don't sweat it. I will also have to agree with the
same poster I disagreed with =D Don't offer up more information than what
they ask unless you are really wanting to explore everything and to get
everything cleaned out BEFORE surgery. Good luck to you!! I am hoping to
hear something soon!
— Kirsten P.
December 10, 2002
Our psych only looks for a few things to deny surgery. Active drug or
alcohol abuser, multipersonality specifically the hanibal lecter type. As
long as you realize what your choosing to do to yourself. Other than that
its a stern talk about post op life includuing the fact thats theres as
many or more persoal life changes than physical ones. Depression is NORMAL,
but they want it controlled. Anyone on antidepressants is KEPT on them both
in the hospital and post op. Our psych doc is a great guy and not a
problem. Incidently my depression WENT AWAY as the weight fell off! Your
best off to use ALL docs your surgeon recommends. Picking a differen one
may appear more convenient, but you may find one who is anti WLS and try to
save you by becoming a roadblock. My foirst pulmonologist tried this with
me, see my profile.
— bob-haller
December 10, 2002
Mine told me that not only were they looking to rule out the previous
mentioned reasons like eating disorders and deviant behavior, but also was
looking to make sure you were doing it for yourself and not for your
spouse, boyfriend...whomever, in case you were trying have the surgery
because you thought it might save a failing relationship.
— Laura K.
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