Dr. Massong, Psychologist, MS Gulf Coast

MsGulfCoast · March 27, 2009

I will be scheduling my psych evaluation with Dr. Massong very soon. Can anyone who has been to him for preop weight loss evaluation tell me what I can expect? This scares me more than the surgery!

ParrotheadCathy · March 27, 2009

Don't worry about it. He's looking for people who have unreasonably expectations about weight loss and stuff like that. He might ask you direct questions about why you want this surgery, or what your expectations are regarding the life changes it will cause. We're all a little nuts, LOL, but there aren't any trick questions to worry about. Just talk openly about where you've been and why you are where you are now.

MsGulfCoast · March 27, 2009

Thank you for your quick reply! How long did the appointment last? Did you have to fill out the 300 questionnaire I read so much about? This is really freaking me out. I have waited a very long time to get this close to having surgery and don't want a psych eval stop me in my tracks. :crying:

ParrotheadCathy · March 27, 2009

Appointment was under an hour. Fill out the questionnaire pre-evaluation. It's just a basic evaluation. Not the eval. questionnaire I used when I was doing psych ward work as part of getting my psychology degree. They just want to make sure surgical candidates have reasonable expectations. Surgery will NOT fix huge life problems, but there are people who are constantly looking for a "microwave-fast fix". My girlfriend who has been a widow for just over a year was asked "you're an attractive woman. what are you going to do when men start to notice you?" She's one of those people who says exactly what she thinks and she said "I'm not doing this to snag a man. I had the best and I'm not interested in the rest. I just want to be healthier so I can watch my grandchildren grow up" She said it completely floored the doc, LOL. And it ended the interview.

MsGulfCoast · March 27, 2009

I just called and have an appointment on 4/13. Receptionist said I would have to answer 160 true/false questions and the appointment could take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1-1/2 hours, it really depended on how long it took me to answer the questions.

So, have you had surgery with Dr. Avara? If so, when and how are you doing?

ParrotheadCathy · March 27, 2009

Actually, I'm in Atlanta, Georgia. My surgeon is Dr. Chris Hart (love him!). Surgery was on 2/10. I've lost a total of 36 pounds (includes what I lost on pre-op diet). If I said I was doing great, that wouldn't be adequate. I'm off ALL my meds (diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, depression), I've lost a full dress size and some of what I'm wearing now is getting loose, and I feel fantastic. Just came back from an 8 day cruise (about 2 pounds of Water retention that went away within 36 hours of coming home and preparing my own food which I know has less salt in it). I even went on a 16-drop zip line in Roatan (something I would never have considered before)! This surgery is the best thing I've ever done for myself and hope you fly through as well as I have!