I finally got in to have my Psyc. eval. I told him about the weight loss surgery...why I wanted to have it....told him a couple of my fat girl stories(I've been heavy all my life so I have ALOT of them). All said and done he tells me to come back next week. :tea: I thought it just took one visit. Am I going to have to see him for a month or so just to get the ok? Or does he see something else??? Please let me know what the normal timeframe is to get the ok. Thanks!!!

I went for my evaluation and we talked for about 10 minutes. doc said he thinks I will be a good candidate for surgery, said he would write up a letter for the insurance, and then scheduled me to see him in a month!!! I didnt think I needed to see a shrink, but guess I was wrong!

They didn't ask me to come back, and they probably should have. LOL

I only had the one visit also. Told me I was a good candidate, said he would write the report, period. My ins. approved me for a total of 10 visits, but he didn't schedule anymore for me.

My doctor scheduled me for the Psyc. eval. it took one hour and he said I was a canidate for gastric or lap band. That was it he recommended me to Doctor who did surgery, and in January I had lapband. I will note that he did not bill insurance as I thought he did so am now just getting them to send bill in to see if it is covered.

My psych eval took 3 hours..it took 2 hours to complete questionaires and do some kind of personality test. After speaking with the doc she advised that there should be no problem for me to go on with the surgery and then she scheduled me an appt. to come back in 2 weeks. During that appt we discussed the results of my personality test and the fact that I have to quit smoking. She once again scheduled me for another appt 1 month out. I'm not sure why as she has signed off on my paper work and it has been submitted to the insurance for approval. It seems it just depends on the doc you see. I wouldn't read much into it.

I have heard other people say not to tell them any more than necessary.

Mine just asked me how I plan to deal with stress when I can no longer

use food for comfort. I told her that I already exercise and exercise has helped immemsely with any stress I might have in my life.

why did you do your evaluation with a psychologist anyway? that is very unusual. usually they will want you to see an MD.

My insurance plan requires a psych evaluation. A lot of them do so I assume if that is a requirement you have to see a psych doctor.

Seems most ins. companies require a psyc eval as well as your medical evaluation and medical history.

My Psych visit was about an hour, She made an appointment for me to come back the next week. It was only to go over the report to make sure eveything was right in it and to get a copy of it. I was self pay at the time, my original surgeon requested it be done. I am glad I had it done because now I heard that Tricare covers the band and I can use it for them.

I think it spoke to what a good surgeon he was to want to make sure that I was mentally ready to get the band.

Yeah, my ins. did not require it either, but my surgery center did. I think it is a good idea.

I already have insurance approval, but still have to have a psych eval next week. I can't set my surgery date until I have it. A friend of mine who has the same surgeon, paid out of pocket to see the psychiatrist on site. She had to see her twice and was sort of given the run-around about whether or not she really needed the surgery. Because of insurance, I'm seeing someone off site. I hope it's not an huge deal. I'll post again after the eval. I'm just ready to set my date and get on with it!!

My psych eval took 2 visits. The first visit was when he did all the tests, the second visit was for the results. During the second visit, we did talk a lot about what to expect - turns out the person who did the eval also had lap band a few years ago so he really knew what he was talking about. Ultimately, he said I'd be an excellent candidate for the surgery.

I went for my evaluation and we talked for about 10 minutes. doc said he thinks I will be a good candidate for surgery, said he would write up a letter for the insurance, and then scheduled me to see him in a month!!! I didnt think I needed to see a shrink, but guess I was wrong!

I am self-pay - my insurance doesn't cover it and they still require the psychologist visit - don't mind paying for it but why is it necessary if it isn't for insurance purposes.

They basically want to see if you are prepared to make the changes you are about to make. Also, they want to see if there is a history of eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, bulemia, etc as these things can problems for anyone considering weight loss surgery. Even though it is one more hoop to jump through, I think it is an important one as so many peoples weight issues are tied to their emotional/mental health. These are big changes we are making and can be hard to handle. I just had my evaluation on Friday. It lasted about an hour and a half, 30 mins of that was filling out paperwork and the other hour was talking to the psychologist. Many people have to take the MMPI which is a personality test, but I didnt have to. The visit pretty well consisted of the dr asking me what kind of an eater I tend to be (emotional, binge, etc), talking about what kind of struggles I have had with my weight in the past (on the job, socially, etc), and answering questions I had. The psych. i saw has seen many bandsters before and after, so I know that if I have problems afterward, I can at least have someone who is understanding. It was pretty painless overall!