Things moving swiftly towards surgery...therapy

Since I last posted, I have been cleared for surgery by my cardiologist, went for my psych evaluation (passed), had a barium swallow test and now am scheduled for an upper GI on Wednesday (to see if my gerd is bad enough to warrant RNY). I think if everything goes well, we will be scheduling surgery on my next appointment with WLS on December 11th.

It seems surreal that after all of this time and after all of these tests, we could be facing the actual surgery. I'm nervous, as I'm sure everyone is.

My psych eval psychologist is recommending therapy to deal with my emotional dependence on food. He thinks I would benefit from the additional support. Does anyone else do this?

Many, MANY people on the boards receive therapy. In fact, according to a survey I did recently (still working on the final report), over half of the 118 respondents currently attend therapy, or have done so in the past, for WLS-related issues.

Having been around for 13 years I see the #1 reason people don't reach goal and or put the weight back on due to them not dealing with the head issues as part of the weight loss surgery journey. I tell people you need to get it right between the ears before rearranging your plumbing.

Congrats for the process you are making and keep us posted as we are here to help

The surgery fixes your stomach not your head and without your head being in the right place the surgery won't be successful long term. So take this time to make adjustments to your thinking.

Absolutely. When I had my DS almost 15 years ago there were no requirements for psych evaluations. I was already in therapy for other issues so we just added the surgery into the weekly discussions. I don't think I would have been as successful without it.

The saying goes that they operate on your stomach not your head. You may be surprised how the surgery will affect you - it will change your life and getting a helping hand by a professional is well worth it. This is just my opinion.

In the beginning I thought it was 'weak' or 'bad' to need therapy but now that I'm in maintenance and at goal, it is pretty vital for me. all that %$%$ that is shoved down deep comes back with a vengeance once you are further out from surgery. At least that has been my experience not trying to speak for anyone else.

for me certain behaviors have reared their head and because of that I need someone to talk those things through.

Many of us use therapy as an additional tool.

The surgery changes our stomachs, but, let's face it, the size of our stomachs was not what led us to obesity. For most of us, it was our brains. If we don't figure out how to fix our brains, no surgery in the world will be a longterm solution. Therapy is a great way to help with the brain fixing part.

Yes, definitely try therapy. I came to the decision to have WLS after 2 years in therapy- I have some other issues. But honestly, even without other factors, you will be working on learning how to live with food differently. It's amazing to me all the ways I used food--in celebration, sadness, loneliness, happiness, camaraderie, etc, etc, etc. Therapy can help you redefine all of these. Plus, after significant weight loss, there are emotional things that come up that a therapist can definitely help with.

Congratulations on the hard work you've done so far, and all my best to you!

A big THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to respond...I love the support you get on this board.

I have been seeing a therapist for seven years now. I had RNY 4 years ago. I do feel having her help me through a lot of things in life has helped me.

I like my therapist. I have been going weekly the past month since life has been kinda crazy.

It wouldn't hurt to find one.