Guest guest Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 Kay, You answered many of your own questions right in your letter. Read what you sent again. You DO need support, at home, and in a group. You DO need counseling. Your problems, most likely, are not stomach issues. They are head issues. Ask your WLS surgeon to recommend a psychologist or psychiatrist for you. You need to find out what is eating at you (no pun intended). Depression rears its head in many forms. You may not need medication. You may just need to talk it out. But if you DO need medication, you should know that the right medication doesn't make you feel anything other than " right. " It doesn't make you jittery. It doesn't make you sleepy. It makes you feel functional, and " normal " (whatever the heck that is!). Many people are afraid of taking anti-depressant medications, because they think it makes them look " crazy. " That's not true at all! A chemical imbalance in the brain, coupled with " issues, " can make anti-depressants as life saving as WLS. It's just a tool. We all know by now to use the tools we have available to us. That's why our doctors require a psychiatric evaluation before surgery. It's too bad that not enough of them require follow ups after surgery as well. Sometimes WLS support groups just don't do it. Everyone is in the same sinking boat without a trained captain. We all know that simple overeating did not get us to the point of being morbidly obese, and it only stands to reason that WLS is not the only tool required to get us to a point that we can live our lives, if not normally, in a fashion that is acceptable to US. I'm not in counseling now, but I spent years there. I take an antidepressant every single day. When I don't, I go " nuts. " And, I'm not a newbie to WLS. I'll be 21 years out in May. I still have to remind myself to use all my tools, every single day. I have to remember to take my medication and vitamins. I have to remember to not eat what I know is not good for me. I have to remember that I have a past that is IN THE PAST, and leave it there. Sometimes I have to make a list to remember all I need to not forget. And I KNOW, without a single doubt, that if I get to a point that I feel that I am not in control of my life (and this is coming from a complete control freak, retired cop), that I need to get help. Sometimes I cannot do it on my own. Plain and simple. Sometimes giving up control is gaining control. You have support here, but you have to seek what will work best for you. If you ever need to talk, or vent or ask a " stupid question " (the only stupid ones are the one unasked), and you think I can help, send me an email. Heck, I'll even send you my phone numbers, if you want. I'm not an expert. But, I've been there, done that. And, I, along with the rest of this group, am there for you. Jac mailto:jholdaway@... before and after pictures at: http://hometown.aol.com/jrandjrholdaway http://www.pictureitdigitaldesigns.com/ http://members.cox.net/xxxfarmpaints Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 Kay, You answered many of your own questions right in your letter. Read what you sent again. You DO need support, at home, and in a group. You DO need counseling. Your problems, most likely, are not stomach issues. They are head issues. Ask your WLS surgeon to recommend a psychologist or psychiatrist for you. You need to find out what is eating at you (no pun intended). Depression rears its head in many forms. You may not need medication. You may just need to talk it out. But if you DO need medication, you should know that the right medication doesn't make you feel anything other than " right. " It doesn't make you jittery. It doesn't make you sleepy. It makes you feel functional, and " normal " (whatever the heck that is!). Many people are afraid of taking anti-depressant medications, because they think it makes them look " crazy. " That's not true at all! A chemical imbalance in the brain, coupled with " issues, " can make anti-depressants as life saving as WLS. It's just a tool. We all know by now to use the tools we have available to us. That's why our doctors require a psychiatric evaluation before surgery. It's too bad that not enough of them require follow ups after surgery as well. Sometimes WLS support groups just don't do it. Everyone is in the same sinking boat without a trained captain. We all know that simple overeating did not get us to the point of being morbidly obese, and it only stands to reason that WLS is not the only tool required to get us to a point that we can live our lives, if not normally, in a fashion that is acceptable to US. I'm not in counseling now, but I spent years there. I take an antidepressant every single day. When I don't, I go " nuts. " And, I'm not a newbie to WLS. I'll be 21 years out in May. I still have to remind myself to use all my tools, every single day. I have to remember to take my medication and vitamins. I have to remember to not eat what I know is not good for me. I have to remember that I have a past that is IN THE PAST, and leave it there. Sometimes I have to make a list to remember all I need to not forget. And I KNOW, without a single doubt, that if I get to a point that I feel that I am not in control of my life (and this is coming from a complete control freak, retired cop), that I need to get help. Sometimes I cannot do it on my own. Plain and simple. Sometimes giving up control is gaining control. You have support here, but you have to seek what will work best for you. If you ever need to talk, or vent or ask a " stupid question " (the only stupid ones are the one unasked), and you think I can help, send me an email. Heck, I'll even send you my phone numbers, if you want. I'm not an expert. But, I've been there, done that. And, I, along with the rest of this group, am there for you. Jac mailto:jholdaway@... before and after pictures at: http://hometown.aol.com/jrandjrholdaway http://www.pictureitdigitaldesigns.com/ http://members.cox.net/xxxfarmpaints Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 In a message dated 2/21/2003 8:40:28 AM Central Standard Time, gkay3@... writes: > I think my PCP said I should see a social worker, not a psychologist. ---------------------------- I'd ask your pcp for the rationale on that. A psychologist or addictions counselor or therapist would, I think, be at least as good a choice. @@@@@@@@@@ I have > been reading everyone's post about how to jump start the weight loss > but can't seem to get motivated to do it. ------------------------------- I think this is a very personal issue. If you can't figure out what's stopping you from being motivated, you probably DO need the help of a therapist. One thing you could ask yourself though, is " what am I getting out of not doing the things I know I need to do to restart my loss? " Again, if you can't answer that on your own, see a therapist. @@@@@@@@@ At one point I found > myself drinking alchol a lot, almost felt like I was > becoming an > alcholic, but got pass that stage. --------------------------------- Hmmm. Definitely see an addictions counselor. Which a lot of therapists are. We former MO's tend to have addictive and/or compulsive personalities. @@@@@@@@@ I feel there's a number of things > going on with me, but haven't quite > figured it out yet. I have never suffered from depression, or had to take > medication for depression. Could I be suffering from some form of > depression and not realize it? ------------------------------------- Yes. You do sound kinda clueless and hazy, like you're not going to be able to get a handle on everything on your own. I'd not put off getting some professional help. Soon Carol A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 In a message dated 2/21/2003 8:40:28 AM Central Standard Time, gkay3@... writes: > I think my PCP said I should see a social worker, not a psychologist. ---------------------------- I'd ask your pcp for the rationale on that. A psychologist or addictions counselor or therapist would, I think, be at least as good a choice. @@@@@@@@@@ I have > been reading everyone's post about how to jump start the weight loss > but can't seem to get motivated to do it. ------------------------------- I think this is a very personal issue. If you can't figure out what's stopping you from being motivated, you probably DO need the help of a therapist. One thing you could ask yourself though, is " what am I getting out of not doing the things I know I need to do to restart my loss? " Again, if you can't answer that on your own, see a therapist. @@@@@@@@@ At one point I found > myself drinking alchol a lot, almost felt like I was > becoming an > alcholic, but got pass that stage. --------------------------------- Hmmm. Definitely see an addictions counselor. Which a lot of therapists are. We former MO's tend to have addictive and/or compulsive personalities. @@@@@@@@@ I feel there's a number of things > going on with me, but haven't quite > figured it out yet. I have never suffered from depression, or had to take > medication for depression. Could I be suffering from some form of > depression and not realize it? ------------------------------------- Yes. You do sound kinda clueless and hazy, like you're not going to be able to get a handle on everything on your own. I'd not put off getting some professional help. Soon Carol A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2003 Report Share Posted February 23, 2003 On Sat, 22 Feb 2003 01:58:03 EST tuesdynite@... writes: > In a message dated 2/21/2003 8:40:28 AM Central Standard Time, > gkay3@... writes: > > > I think my PCP said I should see a social worker, not a > psychologist. I, too, would ask your PCP about this. However, I can tell you what the basic difference is between a social worker and a psychologist. A social worker is trained to look at the whole person and not necessarily just the disease itself. And before anybody gets upset, I have a degree in social work so I know. However, any good therapist, counselor, psychologist, etc should be able to help. Most " good " therapist pretty much look at the whole person anyway whether they were trained that way or not. I personally would look for one who has experience with eating disorders. I actually think that is the more important issue here and not how a person was trained. Lori Owen - Denton, Texas CHF 4/14/01 479 lbs. SRVG 7/16/01 401 lbs. Current Weight 339.5 lbs. and loosing again Dr. Ritter/Dr. Bryce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2003 Report Share Posted February 23, 2003 On Sat, 22 Feb 2003 01:58:03 EST tuesdynite@... writes: > In a message dated 2/21/2003 8:40:28 AM Central Standard Time, > gkay3@... writes: > > > I think my PCP said I should see a social worker, not a > psychologist. I, too, would ask your PCP about this. However, I can tell you what the basic difference is between a social worker and a psychologist. A social worker is trained to look at the whole person and not necessarily just the disease itself. And before anybody gets upset, I have a degree in social work so I know. However, any good therapist, counselor, psychologist, etc should be able to help. Most " good " therapist pretty much look at the whole person anyway whether they were trained that way or not. I personally would look for one who has experience with eating disorders. I actually think that is the more important issue here and not how a person was trained. Lori Owen - Denton, Texas CHF 4/14/01 479 lbs. SRVG 7/16/01 401 lbs. Current Weight 339.5 lbs. and loosing again Dr. Ritter/Dr. Bryce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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