Professional Emotional Support

[BethW93 6]

Hello all,

Forgive me, I am new to this site I terms of posting but have really appreciated your support through my recovery.

I am 7 weeks post sleeve and at the same time as my recovery, I am writing my dissertation.

When thinking of a topic (I am a counsellor) I thought what could be more prevalent for me if I was to write something on my recent surgery.

What I wanted to know from you guys with as much detail as you can give: HOW MUCH EMOTIONAL SUPPORT DID YOU RECEIVE FROM THE HOSPITAL/VENUE YOU REVEIVED TREATMENT FROM PRIOR AND POST OPERATION?

From where I was standing - I was offered nothing until I mentioned it myself. I could have gone to see the hospital psychologist if I wanted to but being a counsellor I knew how helpful counselling would be. Now 7 weeks after surgery - I am genuinely mourning the loss of food, the loss of hunger, the loss of binge eating. I have lost a lot of my confidence for socialising and going out. Therefore I feel it would have been great to have been offered emotional support from the establishments themselves.

I would be so grateful if you could get back to me about any professional emotional support you were offered before or after the surgery.

Thank you

Beth

[ForLfKlovr 45]

Hey Beth,

I agree with you 100%! Other than the meeting with a therapist to fill out required questionnaires and reviewing it with the therapist (she then gave the OK to my bariatric surgery office), there was no emotional support. Oh, and they do offer a monthly bariatric support group. I think the emotional support piece is a majorly important part of the surgery process. I mean honestly, there is an underlying reason why we are obese and if we don't deal with the core issues, (in my opinion) we will regain the weight.

[BeeCat 99]

Hi Beth, I got surgical approval from a psychologist after a 15 min discussion and a few jokes. Realizing that over eating is psychological as much as physical and NOT wanting to regain whatever weight I lose I arranged to meet a psychologist who has worked with bariatric patients for years. I felt the investment and insight I hope to gain in dealing with any issues related to my eating will be worth the financial cost. I'll have only met with her twice before my scheduled surgery but plan to continue as needed to gain mastery of this hard thing.

I agree after readying so many posts that it seems like most people are not mentally prepared for the long term changes needed and a huge number of people regain the weight. I haven't heard one mention of psych support from my surgeon or hospital at all.

[Creekimp13 5,838]

In truth, less than half of bariatric surgery patients regain weight...and those who do...typically only regain a small portion of what they lose.

From the American Society of Bariatric and Metobolic Surgeons:

As many as 50 percent of patients may regain a small amount of weight (approximately 5 percent) two years or more following their surgery. However, longitudinal studies find that most bariatric surgery patients maintain successful weight-loss long-term. ‘Successful’ weight-loss is arbitrarily defined as weight-loss equal to or greater than 50 percent of excess body weight. Often, successful results are determined by the patient, by their perceived improvement in quality of life. In such cases, the total retained weight-loss may be more, or less, than this arbitrary definition. Such massive and sustained weight reduction with surgery is in sharp contrast to the experience most patients have previously had with non-surgical therapies.

https://asmbs.org/patients/bariatric-surgery-misconceptions

[macadamia 591]

I completed my psychological test and interview on Friday, July 13, 2018. The test consisted of many small bundles of stapled-together questions, arranged by different categories. After completing them, I was given the MMPI (which I have taken almost every year since 1985 because of my job and security clearance). That took from 10:30 am until about noon. My nutritionist appointment (1:30 pm to 2 pm) ran over a bit, so my interview started about 2:15 pm. It ended at almost 5 pm. She was extremely thorough. Near the end of the interview, she said she was going to suggest that I get some counseling for the upcoming bariatric surgery and for after. She also said that this will not delay the procedure at all, but will align me with help, since my support structure is very small and all out of state (apparently, my dog does not count... I beg to differ).

Because of this, I assumed that everyone was offered this additional assistance. After reading your post, I guess that is not the case.

[Frustr8 7,886]

Everybody needs help sometime, if they don't supply it you may have to seek a bariatric consult somewhere else. Each of us is too precious a life to squander- if you NEED it Go Get IT!🌈😛

[Sosewsue61 3,185]

I never received a recommendation to pursue therapy for dealing with 'food issues'.

I had the required psych eval (and our psych leads the monthly support group - I rarely attend as it usually is on a night I square dance.) I did tell the psych about my self-esteem issues from childhood abuse, he said i could come for counseling if i needed to talk about it.

I have however benefitted from reading Geneen Roth's books and a few others, and I think if counseling is not part of the surgeon's toolkit, the least they could do is provide education and a reading list in the support meetings - worksheets, something. We most certainly 'use' food as a coping mechanism.

[BethW93 6]

Thanks so much for all of your replies! I am getting the impression that most of you are not UK patients. ‘Psych Evaluations’ don’t seem to happen here in the UK particularly around bariatric surgery. I remember crying in my first consultation and my nurse had no words! I am definitely going to seek counselling - it’s a grief I am struggling to cope with. Xx

[BethW93 6]

I’ll add to that actually - I have jut researched that the UKs health service does offer these psychological evaluations - however I went private and was not offered anything!

[TakingABreak 2,733]

I had Zero follow up regarding emotional support from the hospital or surgeons office. The only time my psychological well being was discussed was in my pre op psych evaluation. I have an established therapist, who I’ve used off and on for years. But nothing was ever recommended after surgery.
The surgeon worries about your body health, never has anyone asked how i am feeling emotionally. It’s kind of a disappointment I have for my program.