[MiniGastricBypass]psych evaluation

[Guest guest]

Hi,

My psych eval (required by my insurance) was Monday, and it wasn't as

smooth as I had hoped. The psychologist obviously thought that I must have

some serious psychological problem that makes me fat (she was about a size

2), and she kept asking me why I thought this surgery was going to change

my eating habits?! I kept explaining over and over that the stomach is

made much, much smaller, so you cannot eat as much, but she just kept

saying, " well what if you still can eat as much? " !! Apparently she knew

people who had the old stomach stapling surgery and gained their weight

back. I tried to explain that this surgery is not the same as the old

stomach stapling surgery, but she acted like she knew all about the MGB

(which she doesn't because she had no idea, apparently, that there are

different kinds of weight loss surgeries.) I knew I was in trouble when

she asked me at one point if I had tried Metabolife!!!

I think she thinks I am looking for some easy, quick fix, and that I have

chosen an option which she believes will just fail, because for some reason

she thinks I'll still be able to eat just as much (she also seems to

totally overlook the malabsorbtion caused by bypassing the intestines), and

so I have to somehow be able to eat a tiny amount on my own anyway, without

any help, and if I could do that, or if any of us could do that continually

for the rest of our lives, then none of us would need the surgery anyway.

It was just a frustrating experience.

I had said at one point that I wouldn't try any other weight loss drugs

because of them being very ineffective and often dangerous, and she

translated that into meaning that I might not be willing to take the

medicines I need to take after the surgery!!! I said that of course I

would take the medicines after the surgery, that I am committed to

following Dr. R's instructions exactly. Finally she said she was worried

that if (and according to her limited understanding, it almost surely will

be) this surgery is a failure for me, that I won't be able to handle it

well because, according to her, I seem to have " so much hope " that this

will solve my health problems. I said of course I have hope that this will

solve or improve my weight related health problems!! Why would anyone have

surgery unless they had hope that it would solve some problem??!!!

I finally told her that if it did fail for some reason, if I had to have it

revised for some reason, or if I just didn't manage to lose weight, or if I

gained it all back, that certainly I would be sad, but I would get through

it. I told her that I had had a child die (which was another thing that

she wanted me to deal with in this session - something which has been dealt

with years ago with other therapists and really had nothing to do with

making sure I am competent to choose to have this surgery and to care for

myself afterward) and that I had lived through that, and that any failure

of this surgery would not even come close to being as hard to deal with as

the loss of my child, and that since I had dealt with that, that I could

deal with this surgery and whatever comes of it. She seemed more satisfied

after I said that, but I really don't know what she is going to say in her

report to the insurance company. Does anyone know if she would have been

ethically required to let me know if she intended to tell the insurance

company that I am not a good candidate for this surgery, because she didn't

say anything like that before I left, she just said good luck, and that she

hoped I would do well? I'm hoping that means she plans to say I'm OK.

I could use some prayers, please! My packet to Dr. R should be ready by

Friday, if I can get just what I need from my family doctor. His letter to

Dr. R was supposed to be ready yesterday, and he thought it was, but he

hadn't included anything about being willing to follow me after the

surgery, so he has to add that, and, of course he is not in his office

today, so it will be tomorrow before it can get done.

This has been so long (sorry) maybe no one is reading anymore, but I have a

question. I have my medical records from my doctor and he did a physical

and bunches of tests a few weeks ago when I told him about wanting to have

the MGB. Well, I have those records, but they are just a bunch of test

results. My docs letter lists my health problems, and says he thinks the

MGB will be a good thing for me, but I am wondering if all those test

results and the letter from my doc (which is short) will be enough to count

as my history and physical from my doctor for the packet? Does anyone know

if it has to be in a certain form? I'm not sure I'm asking this clearly

enough, but any advice along this line would be appreciated.

Sorry again for the length of this. I love you all out there!

Sara