I have my pre-op visit with a psychologist next week - my surgery is on 27th. What do they talk to you about during this session? Thanks

Hi,

they will mainly talk about how you feel about the surgery, do you have good family and friend support. Do you feel or ever felt suicidal. do hear voices in your head. do you feel like killing someone or ever though of killing someone. if you take anti depression meds, what trigger you to take those??? things of that nature

I haven't had my surgery yet, but met with a psychologist in the San Jose, CA area. It was great because she had the surgery about a year ago, and told me to feel free to ask her questions, which I did. I feel like she will be a great resource to see after surgery (scheduled for July 21) also. Mostly the discussion will be around your support systems, your own expectations and your willingness to follow the plan.

the other things they talked to me about were focused on finding out about my behaviors. there are a lot of things about how i lived that i needed to change in order to be successful with the band. things like what kind of discipline i have--if i've failed at other diets, trying to understand why--so i'd know whether the kind of behavioral changes i needed to make for the band to work would be within my reach.

also, my interviewer told me that, if it looked like there were other, psychological issues (overeating because of clinical depreseion, because of past abuse or emotional disorders, etc.) they could make the necessary recommendations for counseling that you can do in conjunction with having the band, for your overall health.

this interview is because one's well-being isn't just about one's waistline. they knew i wouldn't be successful with the band if i was sabotaging myself because of some mental or emotional problem.

It actually seems to vary widely from practice to practice. Some seem to use it to weed out candidates that might have trouble being successful. Others use it to discuss issues up front with emotional eating, fear of the surgery, fear of having a foreign object in your body, etc.

I filled out a ton of paperwork asking all sorts of questions, and then the actual discussion was maybe only 45 min to an hour? I really enjoyed the session; the counselor they referred me to is banded herself and understands what brings people to the point of wanting a band as well as knowing what it's like once you have one. I walked out feeling good about my choice to get banded.

how did you all find your psychologist? Is this something that the surgeon's office helps you find or do you need to find one on your own? thanks!

mine just asked me general questions about my moods and if i get sad easily. they also ask you about your family life and if you've had any bad experiences with abuse and what not

I worried so much about my meeting and it was so easy. She seemed to only ask about my job, my friends, my family, what I enjoyed doing, what I thought about myself. Totally nonjudgmental. She is the same woman who taught an all day behavior modification seminar my surgeon requires.

In my case the surgeon's office handed me a list of professionals (dietitians, psychologists, etc.) to choose from and I just got lucky with the one I picked.

My pysch visit wasn't anything to get excited about. He was very nice and discussed my eating habbits since childhood. We talked about why I overeat and why I make certain choices.

But, at the end, he told me that he was looking stability within my life to prepare me for the changes the band would bring. He does not recommend pt's for the band if there is instability within their family lives or work situation.

I had to take three written test to make sure I could understand simple things like number patterns and the meaning of words. I was nervous about going because I had never been to anything like that but it was all good.......I passed LOL I think the Doctor needed to go see someone himself, he was a little weird

Yes my doctor recommended her