Going to have psych. eval. for WLS. Need some feedback.

Help! I did not pass my first psych. eval. for WLS. The psych. who did the eval. did not give any recommendations or any opinions to the doc who will do my surgery. His nurse stated that she had never seen an eval. like the one he did for me, so I am hoping that it was just the psych. and not anything I said or didn't say. I was honest in my eval. and stated that I am an emotional eater and that food has been my best friend. When asked how I was going to deal with negative emotions after having WLS and no longer able to use food (my drug of choice) to deal with these emotions I stated that I really didn't know and wouldn't know until I was there. That anything I say can look good on paper, but in reality it is going to be a live and learn experience. I stated that I will be in a support group and will talk to others that have been there to help move me through the process and that I will journal about my feelings, place my focus on other activities-work out, go for walks, scrapbook, etc...in essence, I will adjust. That is like asking someone how they are going to deal with the loss of a loved one. Know what I mean? I believe that anyone who is 100 pounds or more overweight has used food for every reason, other than sustenance. Food is their best friend. Am I right or wrong? So please can someone clue me in to what I may or may not have done right?

This is just my humble opinion, so take it or leave it, as you wish - but I believe that, by and large, these psych evaluations are a big bunch of hoooooey. Any psychologist worth his or her salt is gonna clear morbidly obese people for the surgery because it is the only hope of leading a normal and healthy life that person will ever have. It's truly a no-brainer. But there are many psychologists out there that buy into the diet myth (you can lose the weight if you just try hard enough), and all the other negative stereotypes that abound about fat people being lazy and having no self control, etc. Being fat automatically qualifies you as a mentally defective person in many circles (as we all know), and psychologists aren't immune to that prejudice. If you run into one of these bozos, and I personally know someone that did - it doesn't matter one wit what you say. You're gonna get turned down by the ignorant idiot. Just keep the faith that it's his or her problem, not yours. Get defiant and go immediately to find another psych evaluator who will give you the same battery of tests and come up with a completely different set of conclusions. It pays to check with the WLS groups in your area and find out who is WLS friendly. Good luck with your next evaluation. Remember, find someone others recommend and then just don't sweat it. You'll pass with flying colors.- Stephanie J

Stephanie, thanks for your response. The next psych I see is one that my doc works very closely with, so I am hoping that she is WLS friendly and that all goes well. I will let you know how it went in a few weeks. Thanks for your encouraging me to hang in there. Shelley

Shelley, I'm afraid that you have to say what they want to hear in these things. They don't really expect you to be HONEST?!?! Try saying stuff like how motivated you are and all the support you've got and how you've worked through your issues and now just need the tools to get you to the next level, junk like that. They really eat it up. Believe me, I'm a nurse, and I've never met a psych doc that wasn't nuts! You just have to play their game, and get through it, kind of like college! Bonnie B

Bonnie, thanks for the tip. I guess I can play the game as well as anyone else can. I will let you know in a few weeks how it went. Shelley

You crack me up, Bonnie!! You are so right though. It's just a hoop we have to jump through for insurance purposes. The psych just wants to find out if you have a good support network (family, friends, etc.) that will support you in this surgery and your ups and downs post-op. Just say yes. Act as if you are all together and this is just a "TOOL" to help you lose weight not a CURE! Big difference!

I think the psych doc who did your eval should not have flat out denied you. If the diagnosis was that you were not prepared to handle the adjustment, they should have recommended behavior modification classes or some other kind of therapy to help you become prepared. I have read of other people having to do this, and I think it's a good idea. My ex-mother-in-law had WLS about 8 years ago, and she had a horrible time afterwards - psychologically she was *not* a good candidate. She had a lot of unresolved emotional issues from her childhood that she carried into her adult life; despite many problems this caused, she refused to go to individual therapy. When my ex-husband was a teenager she dragged everyone to family therapy, convinced her sons were the cause of the family strife. The doctor identified her as the source of many of the problems, so would try another one, who inevitably said the same thing. After her surgery, she did not take very good care of herself and made a lot of really poor choices. I think if she'd been required to have treatment first, she'd have been far better off.

I did really poorly on my psych exam and had to go for counseling prior to my surgery. I believe I was set up for failure with this psychiatrist that I went to. She brought me to tears( which takes alot for me to cry ) when I went back for the results I brought my husband and she did everything in her power to give him a hard time also. She asked me if I liked chocolate and I told her yes and do you like hamburgers and I told her yes and basically she inferred that I planned to eat chocolate and hamburgers post op because I could not deal with compliance. All of this was not true I am post op 14 months and have not cheated on my meal plan at all. The psychiatrist gets paid whether they agree or disagree. Maybe you can suggest some preop counseling or a second opinion. Good luck with your endeavor and feel free to email if you want because I feel your pain. Good luck

OMG! That psych is nuts!! Asking if you like chocolate and putting on paper you plan to eat it post-op. OMG! How evil. What is with some people out there? My gosh!! That's like an evil character on a soap opera doing that kind of tricks. Argggh!!!

I like your answers. They were honest and make sense. You are right. How are we going to know how to deal with stress/emotions until it happens. But stating that you would put your focus on exercise, scrapbooking, support groups, etc. is right. So it was not you - it's the psych. Maybe you should go to a psych that is PRO-WLS. My surgeon's office recommended Dr. Barbara Maxwell for me to go to, and she works with the weight loss surgery program at the hospital so is pro-WLS. I don't know where Thatcher, AZ is, but it might be in your best interest to see Dr. Maxwell. She's so down to earth and great and she faxed approval to my surgeon the next day!! She's very efficient. Her phone number is 602-262-2222. She's located at 18th St/Van Buren in Phoenix. Lots of people come in from out of town to get a psych eval from her. She's worth the drive. But have NO regrets. You said NOTHING wrong. Don't blame yourself.