Question:
Worried! Does emotional childhood trauma disquality you for WLS?
I have my Pschological Eval at the end of the month and freaking out. I once had a Pschologist about 7 years ago tell my surgeon that he didnt think I was a good candidate because he thought I was doing it for my husband instead of for myself. Well I am now separated over a year now and wonder how this may affect me. How do they draw their conclusions if you have been an emotional eater all your life compared to genetics & etc? Does emotional childhood trauma disqualify you for WLS? I wonder because it would be my luck I would be denied because of my past history when I have a girlfried who is 2 years out that was bulemia most of her life. Please someone try and give me a better understanding how I should go deal with this..Thanks — Deborah B. (posted on August 18, 2003)
August 17, 2003
This is my personal opinion. I seriously doubt that there are many people
here who are or were MO without some issues. I did overeat and I did not
exercise and I come from a weighty family but I also have issues that
contributed to my weight in a big way! I am a total food addict in the same
way that someone else might be an alcoholic. I honestly can't believe when
people think it is just about the eating or just about genetics or their
thyroid or some other totally physical thing. Why would someone eat
themselves to within in an inch of death unless there were underlying
issues. I am not saying that we were all abused or any thing that horrible
but I am saying that it could just be a stress mechanism or something else
that simple. Either way the only way to keep the weight off, WLS or not, is
to deal with the way we eat and the motivation behind it. I am 20 pounds
from goal and I still have to be very aware of how I am eating. I hear
people say that they have these surgeries to be "normal". Well I
am just not. I can't imagine a normal person (whatever that is) abusing
their poor bodies the way that we all have. I hope to some day be
comfortable with food and trust myself to make the right decisions and it
IS happening slowly. Good Luck and email me if you want to talk about it.
— Carol S.
August 17, 2003
I know that there are some people out there with picture-perfect
childhoods/pasts, but I haven't met any. So don't stress about that. My
suggestion is that you tell whomever is doing the evaluation is that you
know that you will have to take very good care of your body after surgery.
But you will also have to work on your mental and emotional health. I would
tell them that you plan on getting counseling after surgery to help you
deal with these "weighty issues" so that you will be able to
handle all of the dramatic changes that rapid body-image change brings.
Unfortunately, you have no control over the person who is sitting on the
other side of the desk, and to predict how (s)he is going to view you in
only going to stress you out more. But you can work on a plan to be
confident when you go in there, and a plan on how to deal with this stuff
post-op. If you like the person you see, you might even consider seeing
them post-op for counseling. I really attribute so much of my post-op
success to the fantastic counselling I have received both in the month
before my WLS and since with the therapist who did my psych eval.
You are going to great! -Shelli (16 months post-op, -120#)
— kultgirl
August 18, 2003
I am one of the poster children of a traumatic childhood, so I doubt that
your childhood would be the basis for a denial. It's how you deal day to
day in life that will affect the eval. I've suffered post traumatic stress
syndrom in later years and a whole host of issues, but I dealt with it via
counseling and I continue to see a therapist.
What you must be concerned with is your state of mind as it is now, have
you dealt with past issues? What are you doing to prepare mentally for
this surgery? It's not about just getting the approval, it's also about
being ready for it. This surgery isn't an easy journey, so the ethical
phsychologist, will want to be sure you have a clear understanding of why
you are doing this now, the past will only affect this eval if you have
false hopes of what this journey is about.
I wish you the best on your upcoming eval as long as you are clear and
realistic in expressing the whys to the phsychologis, you should be
alright.
Good luck and please let us know how it goes.
If you need to talk to someone that's been there, feel free to email me,
Rosa, at: [email protected]
— Rosa F.
August 18, 2003
Usually, the psych evaluation is to be sure that you have a realistic
picture of what the surgery is about, a realistic expectation of the
outcome, a good idea of the changes that you'll have to make, and
understanding that this is a life-long comittment on your part. A
psychologist's belief that you are doing this for someone else might lead
him/her to believe that you are not committed to the process. A person who
desires the surgery as a way, perhaps the only way, to lead a healthy life
(both medically and psychologically), is more likely to follow through and
take care of themselves than someone who is having surgery to please
another person. The first psychologist had legitimate concerns if your
primary reasons were to please another person. If you truly are doing this
for your own sake, then you shouldn't have a problem with this step.
— Vespa R.
August 18, 2003
I was almost turned down because of my childhood trauma. I was sexually
molested most of my childhood. The psychologist told me that the only
reason he would agree to me having the surgery was because I was under
treament with a liscnsed psyhcologist. I never have had issues with the
abuse but the therapist felt like that I did not have a strong enough
family support system to help me through the surgery ( he was right about
that) but my advice is to prepare yourself for any question he may ask. The
psychologist asked me a lot of "rapid fire" questions where I did
not have time to think about my answer. I ended up telling him more about
my past than I had planned to. I think most of the time you can kind of
tell what they want you to say. So just prepare yourself the best you can
and show that you have overcome your past and that you are ready to start a
life where you put yourself and your health first.
— blank first name B.
August 18, 2003
Just a note, when I was turned down before it wasnt for my husband but for
myself. But the psychologist apparently didnt think so. Anyways I would
like to thank all of you for answering back but I am still worried. How he
will fire these questions off at me. I dont want to lie but to tell the
truth and explain that I have overcame these issues through years of
counseling other than eating and gaining weight through it all. Maybe I
should go out and get a therapist before the appt. Just scared what this
Psychologist will think? I am ready for a new life changing event and
willing to do what is necessary to live out the rest of my years living a
healthier life. Thanks to all of you!!
— Deborah B.
August 18, 2003
I think a huge percentage of MO have issues with food and their emotions,
and most psychologists and psychiatrists are aware of that. No one in my
immediate family is even obese, let alone MO, and only 1 grandparent was
obese. While I do believe I was the "lucky" one who got the
"fat" gene, there is no doubt that I used food emotionally, and I
didn't try to hide it. But I also had addressed that issue with a
therapist, and told the psychiatrist about it. One thing that did come up
during my session was a suicide attempt when I was 16 (almost 30 years
prior). At first, he jumped all over me, wanting to know why I hadn't told
him about that up front. I honestly answered that it had been so long ago,
it never even crossed my mind until a question he asked reminded me. I have
never been suicidal since that time, yet he told me he was only approving
the surgery because I was still in therapy and trusted that I would seek
help if the stress became to great. Personally, I think the shrink was a
putz, and was only saying that to cover his butt....just in case. As
someone who's been in a lot of therapy, it's my humble opinion that 1
one-hour session is useless in evaluating if someone can handle the stress
of the surgery, or is doing it for the right reasons (unless the person is
a complete moron and says they're only doing this so they can be on the
cover of the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated). Make sure you
emphasis how you're doing this primarily for your health and don't be
afraid to point out how well you've been handling the stress of your
separation. On a personal note - you may want to look into therapy to learn
how to handle your emotional food issues. This surgery operates on our
bodies - not our minds - and those emotional issues aren't going to go away
on their own. Good luck.
— Cyndie K.
August 18, 2003
I had a problem with an LCSW not wanting to take the responsibility too, I
was refered to a Psychiatrist, a grandfatherly man who did them frequently.
After hearing the problems so many have had with Psychologists I think that
a psychiatrist is the way to go. I think a Psychiatrist is comfortable with
who they are and not so eager to find a problem. Ask your surgeon who they
recommend, then it will be someone who is familiar with the procedure and
not on a witch hunt. My Psychiatrist seemed to be interested mostly if I
was capable of following the instructions post-op and capable of
cooperating with the diet restrictions.
— sissie S.
August 18, 2003
So I am hearing that its ok to admit an emotional affair with food because
of childhood issues and they understand that with most who have had a
weight problem most of their lives, that its just not genetics that play a
key role.
— Deborah B.
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