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Psych. Evaluation Before Surgery (Do's & Don'ts)



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Just wondering..... are there any do's or don'ts to what you say to your Psychologist during evaluation before surgery? Has anyone 'failed'?

What types of questions do they ask?

All feedbacks are welcomed :)

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I was completely honest during my evaluation and I ended up having to do additional pschyology in which i finished a couple weeks ago and now I have my surgery scheduled. It wasn't so bad to have the additional, I had to do 2-4 sessions for 4-6 months the reason I had to do it is because I have O.C.D (yes I love to clean!) I don't have trouble eating out or anything sever like that it is totally because I love to clean...lol although I didn't agree with the diagnosis I did it anyway and it went by pretty quick.

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I just told them about my expectations. No big deal. They just want you to be prepared and have normal expectations.

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The are just trying to weed people out that think the band is an easy fix or that weight loss will make your life perfect.

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I think mine lasted 10 minutes which consisted of the dr introducing himself and asking me if I had any questions. I told him I thought I was here for you to ask me questions. he said no, Im here incase you have any questions you may have that would keep you from having this procedure. I said no, he said good luck and that was it!. It took me longer to fill out forms than the visit itself.

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This is such a sore subject with me...I had to do a psych eval and it made me so mad! I mean, I hold down a good job, I have been married for 27 years, I am succesful and of sound mind yet I had to leave my life up to a doctor to tell me whether I could do something to better myself? Anyway...I had to tak all kinds of tests and then I talked to the doctor for about 30 minutes and she basically told me tips and strategies for making the band work, which it was things I already knew. I mean, if you are serious about the band and know what you are doing then there shouldn't be a problem. But be careful, because something you write down may seem harmless but they look at it completely different...you can say that you feel depressed "rarely" and they turn it around and ask you all kinds of questions about "why" you feel depressed, bla bla bla and you are like, "I said rarely, doc...maybe a couple of times every two or three months...I'm not going to harm myself because I ran out of money before my next payday and I was upset with myself because I didn't budget my money..." ugh!

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I also had to take the battery of tests and talk to the Dr.

I had taken these tests before (I'm bipolar) so I knew what they were looking for and how to answer.

If you have no mental illness, answer honestly and it will be easy/breezy.

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It wasn't anything difficult or tricky, however, I was seriously annoyed by the lady I saw.

I answered all her questions honestly, including the fact I have MS and do have some cognitive issues because of it. I regret admitting that because next thing I knew she was asking absolutely stupid questions like "Is there someone around to remind you to eat? Or go to doctor's appointments after surgery?"

I just glared at her a moment, drug my arms down the length of my body and snarked "Does it look like I ever forget to eat? And did I not make it here just fine? I have MS I'm not stupid"

I don't condone or advise lying at all, however if you have any underlying conditions (like me with MS) be careful how much you share.

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I just glared at her a moment, drug my arms down the length of my body and snarked "Does it look like I ever forget to eat? And did I not make it here just fine? I have MS I'm not stupid"

Mis73, you just made me laugh out loud after the grueling day I've had. Sometimes you wonder if these people have their heads so far up there that they don't see what's in front of them.

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Mis73, you just made me laugh out loud after the grueling day I've had. Sometimes you wonder if these people have their heads so far up there that they don't see what's in front of them.

Hahaha glad I could make you smile ;) Granted people here don't know me (yet) but I tend to be very sarcastic by nature. You'll see that side come out often when something irritates me. It's my coping mechanism I guess.

(but I swear I'm actually very nice despite the sarcastic wit! lol!)

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Mine took about an hour and a half and it seemed like the Dr was definitely NOT going through the motions...he was genuinely interested in finding out if I was a good candidate for the band. Wanted to make sure, like everyone said, you don't think this is going to solve all your problems, and make all the fat disappear. He also wanted to make sure I understood exactly HOW the band worked, and that I had a good support system once I got banded.

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I just had my evaluation on the 16th and now one pre surgery visit away from scheduling the procedure. I was lucky that since unable to go to the office that could do the visit by phone as well as fill out the forms. I have passed so count down begins. Target date is the last Thursday in March !!

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The WRONG Answer: This band is going to make me skinny! I dont have to do anything, it's like magic!!

The RIGHT Answer: This band is a tool... It helps me with moderation. It doesn't help me pick the broccoli over the donut. I have to do that. The band is just the tool and I am the operator!

LOL They are trying to weed out people with unrealistic goals of the band and what it does. But if you have gone through all the classes and have done some research on the LapBand..You should be able to pass no problem biggrin.png

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