Guest guest Posted April 15, 2001 Report Share Posted April 15, 2001 Ok...I am familiar w/the ds operation, but now what " hoops " do we have to jump thru to get our insurance to pay for it (hopefully). So what r the usual hoops? And what is all this about a psych evaluation that i keep seeing. i'm not ashamed to say i'm on effexor-thank God, it keeps me from being a royal b*tch! But i wonder if this will have any effect on...well anything. What i mean is, is this going to be considered a " bad thing " ? amber hoping to be switched someday soon __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 15, 2001 Report Share Posted April 15, 2001 Amber, As far as I know, most if not all, bariatric surgeons require a psych consultation or exam before surgery. This not only protects the surgeon against malpractice suits by unstable people who might sabotage themselves by non-compliance, but also protects the patient who doesn't, or is unable to, understand all the ramifications of the operation and its after-effects.Also,most,if not all,insurance companies require an evaluation for approval. In some cases the evaluation takes the form of a complicated questionaire. In my case, the evaluation was a very pleasant interview with a psychiatrist who asked about my family history, medical & weight, my weight history (was I ever thin? What are my first recollections of being fat? WHAT WERE MY EXPECTATIONS FOR WHAT THE SURGERY WOULD DO FOR ME?-I said I just wanted to feel healthy and to be able to walk again!) He asked what my medications were. Believe me, the fact that I'm on Wellbutrin & Paxil had no negative impact. I would think that quite a few MO people either are depressed BECAUSE they're MO or became MO because they were depressed. The point in our favor is that we're DEALING WITH IT, which means that we will be able to deal with the demands the surgery might have on us. Don't worry about this aspect of pre-op. We all go through it and survive. Marcia > psych evalutions?????? > > > Ok...I am familiar w/the ds operation, but now what > " hoops " do we have to jump thru to get our insurance to > pay for it (hopefully). So what r the usual hoops? > And what is all this about a psych evaluation that i > keep seeing. i'm not ashamed to say i'm on > effexor-thank God, it keeps me from being a royal > b*tch! But i wonder if this will have any effect > on...well anything. What i mean is, is this going to > be considered a " bad thing " ? > > > amber > hoping to be switched someday soon > > > __________________________________________________ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 15, 2001 Report Share Posted April 15, 2001 Amber, As far as I know, most if not all, bariatric surgeons require a psych consultation or exam before surgery. This not only protects the surgeon against malpractice suits by unstable people who might sabotage themselves by non-compliance, but also protects the patient who doesn't, or is unable to, understand all the ramifications of the operation and its after-effects.Also,most,if not all,insurance companies require an evaluation for approval. In some cases the evaluation takes the form of a complicated questionaire. In my case, the evaluation was a very pleasant interview with a psychiatrist who asked about my family history, medical & weight, my weight history (was I ever thin? What are my first recollections of being fat? WHAT WERE MY EXPECTATIONS FOR WHAT THE SURGERY WOULD DO FOR ME?-I said I just wanted to feel healthy and to be able to walk again!) He asked what my medications were. Believe me, the fact that I'm on Wellbutrin & Paxil had no negative impact. I would think that quite a few MO people either are depressed BECAUSE they're MO or became MO because they were depressed. The point in our favor is that we're DEALING WITH IT, which means that we will be able to deal with the demands the surgery might have on us. Don't worry about this aspect of pre-op. We all go through it and survive. Marcia > psych evalutions?????? > > > Ok...I am familiar w/the ds operation, but now what > " hoops " do we have to jump thru to get our insurance to > pay for it (hopefully). So what r the usual hoops? > And what is all this about a psych evaluation that i > keep seeing. i'm not ashamed to say i'm on > effexor-thank God, it keeps me from being a royal > b*tch! But i wonder if this will have any effect > on...well anything. What i mean is, is this going to > be considered a " bad thing " ? > > > amber > hoping to be switched someday soon > > > __________________________________________________ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 15, 2001 Report Share Posted April 15, 2001 Amber, As far as I know, most if not all, bariatric surgeons require a psych consultation or exam before surgery. This not only protects the surgeon against malpractice suits by unstable people who might sabotage themselves by non-compliance, but also protects the patient who doesn't, or is unable to, understand all the ramifications of the operation and its after-effects.Also,most,if not all,insurance companies require an evaluation for approval. In some cases the evaluation takes the form of a complicated questionaire. In my case, the evaluation was a very pleasant interview with a psychiatrist who asked about my family history, medical & weight, my weight history (was I ever thin? What are my first recollections of being fat? WHAT WERE MY EXPECTATIONS FOR WHAT THE SURGERY WOULD DO FOR ME?-I said I just wanted to feel healthy and to be able to walk again!) He asked what my medications were. Believe me, the fact that I'm on Wellbutrin & Paxil had no negative impact. I would think that quite a few MO people either are depressed BECAUSE they're MO or became MO because they were depressed. The point in our favor is that we're DEALING WITH IT, which means that we will be able to deal with the demands the surgery might have on us. Don't worry about this aspect of pre-op. We all go through it and survive. Marcia > psych evalutions?????? > > > Ok...I am familiar w/the ds operation, but now what > " hoops " do we have to jump thru to get our insurance to > pay for it (hopefully). So what r the usual hoops? > And what is all this about a psych evaluation that i > keep seeing. i'm not ashamed to say i'm on > effexor-thank God, it keeps me from being a royal > b*tch! But i wonder if this will have any effect > on...well anything. What i mean is, is this going to > be considered a " bad thing " ? > > > amber > hoping to be switched someday soon > > > __________________________________________________ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 15, 2001 Report Share Posted April 15, 2001 i'm not ashamed to say i'm on > effexor-thank God, it keeps me from being a royal > b*tch! But i wonder if this will have any effect > on...well anything. What i mean is, is this going to > be considered a " bad thing " ? > > > __________________________________________________ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 15, 2001 Report Share Posted April 15, 2001 i'm not ashamed to say i'm on > effexor-thank God, it keeps me from being a royal > b*tch! But i wonder if this will have any effect > on...well anything. What i mean is, is this going to > be considered a " bad thing " ? > > Amber, Probably not as long as you remember to TAKE IT on the day of your Psych. I take Zoloft, myself. My hubby would tell you I'm still a b*tch, but now I don't cry about it!!! LOL ===== Age 41 BMI 61 Consult 6/7/01 Dr. Herron __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 16, 2001 Report Share Posted April 16, 2001 Amber: The hoops required for the DS varies depending on the surgeon. Some require very little other than waiting for your turn while others require lots of stuff, including a psych evaluation. Not all require this but some do. And no, taking medication generally has no impact on whether you "pass" your psych evaluation or not. Taking care of yourself is NOT considered a bad thing. A psych evaluation is generally done to determine if you are aware of the seriousness of surgery and if you have sufficient maturity to be willing to commit to a lifetime of blood testing. Unlike what you might have read here the surgeon isn't screening crazy patients. Though in at least one case she might ought to be. Some surgeons require an endiscopy, our surgeon didn't. Ours did ask us to get colonoscopys. My wife and I are getting older and he felt it was warranted. And there was lots of blood work required. Most of this was done at OHSU in Portland, Oregon though some basic blood work and the colonoscopy was done first in Texas with the results faxed to Oregon. Every doctor is different. When you have your initial consult is the time to ask those questions. Most of us feel that since this surgery will save our lives there is very little that a doctor is likely to throw in our way we won't be willing to put up with. After all, whether the surgeon is right or not, any tests are being done because they feel they are important to our long term welfare. Regards. Joe Frost, old gentleman, not old fartSan , TX, 60 years oldDr. Welker Lateral Gastrectomy with Duodenal Switch340 starting weight, currently 260http://www.duodenalswitch.com/Patients/Joe/joe.html psych evalutions?????? > Ok...I am familiar w/the ds operation, but now what> "hoops"do we have to jump thru to get our insurance to> pay for it (hopefully). So what r the usual hoops?> And what is all this about a psych evaluation that i> keep seeing. i'm not ashamed to say i'm on> effexor-thank God, it keeps me from being a royal> b*tch! But i wonder if this will have any effect> on...well anything. What i mean is, is this going to> be considered a "bad thing"?> > > amber> hoping to be switched someday soon> > > __________________________________________________> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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