Psych Eval Made Me Feel Worse! Help!

[duckgirl33 0]

So I went for my psyc eval...and now I feel worse! Eek!

I work with a lot of mental health agencies so I was well aware of things they might ask, screen for etc. Aka. why do you want this surgery, are you of sound mind, do little voices in your head tell you are fat etc :crying:

Anyway, before I even got started the psych told me that they didn't have documentation that I was being treated for high cholesterol so that set me up for a bad mood. Great. (The MD office has all of this!) But this is minor. I can fix it after the appt.

So first thing she says is that she has reviewed all of my screenings (that I did right before the meeting) and she sees that I'm a little depressed. What? I said no, I'm must 100 pounds overweight and not as happy as I could be. (This is not going to be good)

Then it was like everything I said she picked up on something and took it into a negative spin. I was afraid! And I'm a social worker! So I knew her techniques but when you're in the hot seat! It was bad.

So I've been "dieting" my whole life, know so much about nutrtion I should have been a dietician and have doing WW on and off for 10 years! I know what I should do but it just doesn't stick for me in the long term.

So she asked if I crave any foods and I said if I'm not on a super strict diet like Atkins then no, not really I can resist but if I've been on atkins for a week and a donut walks by then I want one. So then she got stuck on a donut. She finally said she is concerned that I'll be rebellious to my band knowing I can't have certain foods. Now she's got me stuck on that...

Then we talked about how I "wind down" by eating after a stressful day and about how I'm an emotional eater and she is concerned about that with the band. I don't emotionally eat other times, ie. sad, stressed etc. But now she's got me worried to death about that.

It just went on and on. I wasn't depressed when I walked in but now am kind of freaking out because the whole interview basically kept shifting around my words to get the point where by the time I left, I felt like I was going to fail at this too. It was a terrible psych appt. I heard another girl in the other room, much heavier than me, laughing with her psych. I'd hate to see how my psych drills a person heavier than me or who really has depression issues!

Did anyone else have bad experiences like mine? I've really put some thought into what she said but should I let it make me feel like I will fail at this too?

I need some encouragement please.

[purple3797 5]

Hi I am a social worker also! It sounds as if your psych appointment was ridiculous. Lets be real if we did not use food as comfort and stress relief, inappropraitely to reward ourselves, if we did not crave certain foods, if we did not tend to eat the wrong foods.....if we did not have difficulty losing the weight conventionally and fully sticking to the diet....then we would all be skinny and not need a band anyway!!!!!! My psych was a lot nicer and I think she actually respected me for being a social worker ...did the psych know your profession..it sounds as if maybe if she did she was on a power trip of who is the better clinician with you! I doubt the consult will stop you from having surgery they want our money. I am schedules for nov 15th and i am very nervous and keep thinking will i be successful but then I tell myself there is only one way to know!

[DizzyGirl 0]

My psyche appointment was like 10 minutes long. And it was not a big deal...mostly just history. However, my husband and I went to a few marriage counseling sessions just to prepare ourselves for my WLS surgery. She was way worse. She questioned my reasons for donig it and if I would be successful. She kept trying to find holes in my marriage even though we kept telling her everything was fine...It was aggravating. We eventually stopped going.

[mamaj 2]

Hi Duckgirl,

Sorry to hear about your negative experience. It sounded very painful! I am not in the healthcare field, but totally agree with Purple3797.... if we ate only the right stuff, in the right way, only when hungry and stopped when full, we wouldn't be needing to lose weight in the first place. My psych eval went really well as the psychiatrist was banded herself and had dealt with all sorts of emotional issues her entire life. It was actually really encouraging to speak with someone banded and successfully at goal weight for ten years already. I suppose if your evaluation has made you think hard about it, it can't be all bad. But if you do go ahead, do it with confidence and the attitude that you will succeed. Don't let her put any doubts into your mind that you might not! All the best to you :-)

[Ange2992 5]

ah the same thing happened to me! im pretty resistant going to psychologists to begin with, but i went in with an open mind. as soon as we sat down she started going on and on about how i cant do this, how ill never be able to eat my favorite things again, how i wont be able to enjoy things ive never even tried before (because im young) and basically trying to talk me out of it. I was appalled, needlessto say and I never went back. She cleared me and i ranted for a few days but all in all it was just another hurtle thrown at me. Dont get discouraged. you know that inside you really want this, so dont let anyone freak you out, not even yourself!

good luck! :] My surgery is tomorrow

[Nickel 0]

I had a very similar experience and was shocked that it went the way it did. A lot of comments about not having dealt with my emotional eating and that it will be even more challenging because of that. He was hung up on semantics of what I was saying instead of listening to the whole story. I felt like I was being interrogated.

It ended with him saying that he guessed he would clear me but would prefer that I not proceed. I was in awe of the whole situation.

[DizzyGirl 0]

Good Luck Rocangela!

[Pamalambadingdong 0]

I'm nervous about my appt. They said it would be several HOURS long. I'm thinking wth? I've never been to shrink before, this could be interesting.

[duffy777 0]

Don't feel bad...My psyc eval all she wanted to talk about was bounderies and wanted me to get to the root of why I eat so much and am so big. I still don't fully understand the purpose of a psyc eval if this is all they are going to talk about!

[happygirl65 5]

Here is what my Dr.'s web site has to say about the psych eval:

"When people come to us for weight loss surgery they ask about the pre operative psychological evaluation: why is that required? It is not a screening examination -- no psychologist or psychiatrist can tell the future, and see if you have what it takes to undergo the band. Nor is it like a cardiac clearance -- where we ask a cardiologist, on some patients with heart issues, to help us improve their heart's performance for the operation.

We use the pre-operative psychological examination to make you aware of the tools out there to succeed. One of them is the psychological support. Our greatest support is in our groups that meet twice a month. Did you know that in the last year with the 20 support groups we had that Dr. Simpson was in 16 of them, and our nutritionist was in 18 of them?

Some people find that things in their lives change, and their relationship with food changes, and they want to talk with a professional about it. The pre operative examination allows you to be introduced to someone, and know that these resources are available.

One of our psychologists is a patient herself! "

I found that to be most comforting. Mind you...all doctor's offices might not be the same...and a lot of insurance companies require very specific tests but I don't think they are allowed to disqualify you. It sounds to me like their purpose is to bring out your issues with food. Obviously some of them take the approach of making you feel like crap about it and doubt yourself...I am not a psycologist but maybe it's to test your resolve. It seems horrible to exploit our weakness in this way...maybe they are wanting to "sell" their therapy services. It sucks...but I don't think you should let it make you change your mind...only take careful consideration to finding a GOOD therapist you can trust if you find you still have issues with food....that's my two cents worth.

[tntbelt 1]

I had my eval on the october 15th and it was terrible. It was an intake appt with the bariatric center and we did everything that day.I saw the nutritionist, nurse practitioner,had blood work done, met with the insurance coordinator, took a 350+ questionnaire for the psych eval and the met with the psychologist. Everything went well until the psychologist :rolleyes2: I had been heaving and vomiting since july without a diagnosis and had a bad night and that morning on the way there. I had to pull over on my way there vomiting and it just comes without warning but I couldn't miss my appt but trying so hard not to vomit while talking to him.

Anyways...I have been overweight for 6 years and basically doubling in size within a year (twin pregnancy) has been hard on my body. I have so many medical issues and haven't taken very good care of myself but I am trying to now. My twin boys started school and I now have some time for myself and I am trying. Also one of my twins was diagnosed with Leukemia 2.5 years ago and is still in treatment.

So he says I'm depressed and may be an emotional eater and I put my kids first. He said I would throw myself in front of a bus to save my kids. Of course I would!!!! He referred me for further counseling. I think its crap and was hoping to have my surgery by end of year which probably won't happen now but doing the further counseling with a different counselor. I am still moving ahead and hopefully can get my surgery next year after my deductibles are met again but seriously disappointed. Unless the psychologist can wave a magic wand and make my weight disappear and my son's cancer poof gone never happened.. I don't see the point. My kids will always come first and that way of thinking will never change. I don't deny being depressed to a point, I mean carrying around an extra me for the past 6 years has made me tired, my feet hurt, knees hurt, trouble sleeping, etc. Nor am I happy that my baby has to have chemo and all that he has been through.

And its so frustrating that every problem I have the doc says lose weight... I have since been diagnosed with hiatal hernia, acid reflux, had a nodule biopsied, had low potassium, and hypoglycemic. All of which they say lose some weight or the surgery (if i get it) should make it all better. They told me to lose weight too when I had an ovarian cyst rupture and over my high blood pressure, and the pain in my heels.

So yeah I almost gave up after my eval. I cried the whole way home and most all that weekend and felt like I was doomed to just live this way. I decided not to give up and I probably wont have my surgery as soon as I had hoped but I will get it!! So hang in there and no matter what we are doing this because we want change in our lives and don't let anyone make you feel bad for wanting to better yourself and make that change.

[Thora 0]

I had my psych evaluation yesterday and I am being recommended to attend a 1 day workshop. Dr. stated that gastric bypass would benifit me more because of my emotional eating due to the fact my father abused me as a child. WHAT!!! She got that from a 2 hour appointment?? I mean, ok, she may be right, I can't change the past I can only move on. I don't want gastric bypass!! Now I'm considering something I don't want?? I hate the way I feel after meeting with a psychologist. I have seen one quite a few years back because my PCP thought I would benifit from going and would help me get to the root of why I over eat. I walked out of all 4 sessions crying!! Dr. said some "boxes" were opened and will take time to close. Well, I say, duct tape those boxes and put them in the land fill. I want to move on with my life. Like I said, I can't change the past.

I woke up this morning wondering if psych doctors get a kick back if they get band patients to change their mind and get the gastric bypass.

Any thoughts??

[Thora 0]

.... He referred me for further counseling.....

@ tntbelt...I too was referred for futher counseling. She recommended me to a 1 day work shop. I ment to reply to your post with my post I just made. So, $350.00 for initial psych eval and now another $250.00 for a work shop. Did your doctor recommend a change in your choice of procedures???

[Swan56 6]

Aww I'm sad that so many of you had negative experiences. People in general all seem to have some sort of opinion about WLS and the ones that are opposed are REALLY opposed. Unfortunately that had to be someone you met on a professional level. Luckily the surgery center I'm working with has a psychologist that they work with. He screens most of their patients and is very much used to the idea of WLS. I knew the purpose of the screening and knew I'd come out okay. But to my surprise, I left feeling better than I thought I would. He actually told me that he thought i'd do great with the band, that i'd be one of those people he sees in a year that he doesn't even recognize (he attends some of the support group meetings). I wish more surgery centers did this. WLS is a HUGE decision for most people and it's a discouraging enough journey with all the hoops for insurance, peoples opinions, etc. We shouldn't be exposed to negativity by those that are supposed to be helping us. I'm sorry you guys had to experience that but GOOD FOR YOU FOR MOVING FORWARD!

[tntbelt 1]

I am fortunate that nobody has been against the lapband and nobody has tried to get me to change it. The bariatric center fully supports the lapband and the first psychologist is with the center and does all the exams. I just feel he wasn't taking into account all of medical issues and that morning was pretty severe with the vomiting and lack of sleep. I really didn't say too much in our 45 minute session he just really went off of my questionnaire. I felt he was a little unfair and wrong about me and I did leave the office in tears because I need this surgery so bad in order to start feeling better. I never thought I would have had any issues passing the exam. I almost gave up that day so glad I was persistent and decided

The new psychologist has cleared me thankfully and I have been approved for surgery and just waiting on my surgery date. The new psychologist also wants to take a dive into the past which is fine but my past is in the past. I have dealt with my my past is what has made me into the strong person I am today. I have no emotional hangups over it.