Question:
Has anyone else been denied psych clearance? What did you do?
I was very honest about my past and family history. He never asked me a single ?? about my readiness for this surgery. I feel he heard my family history and broad brushed me right out, saying that I need a psychiatrist to monitor the meds I take and I need to "establish a relationship with a therapist" before he can recommend the surgery. I know in my heart that I want this surgery for the right reasons - to improve my health and quality of life. I don't think that this surgery will make everything in my life rosy and wonderful. has anyone had this happen and what did you do? I have another appointment with a different psychiatrist. But I am definitely shaken over my first rejection and scared about the next appointment. — Irene S. (posted on April 12, 2003)
April 12, 2003
Hi! I know that the reason my surgeon requires a psych clearance is because
she wants the surgery to be as effective as possible.A lot of people use
food for emotional reasons and the psych eval can help show who might be at
risk for unintentionally sabotaging the surgery.I'm an emotional eater and
I was very honest at my psych eval.They did ask me alot of questions about
my past family history and that is usually standard for a complete psych
eval....The psychiatrist's suggestion was for me to obtain therapy prior to
surgery and for one year after surgery.I was fine with that because I know
that I'm going to have issues with all of the changes regarding surgery.A
psych denial doesn't automatically mean you can't have surgery....usually
they just want you to have some sort of therapy in place first.Good Luck!
:)
— jennifer A.
April 12, 2003
I think that you should find another pysch that can give you another
evalution, good luck & god bless.
— Nicky-28
April 13, 2003
I had the same thing happen to me my psych. sent in my evaluation and he
didnt clear me for the surgery I called my surgeons office and they told me
I was on a psych. hold until he cleared me then I had to see my psych. for
5 months 1 time a week he finally cleared me.I wanted to see another psych.
but my surgeon said he wanted to make sure I was really ready to have
surgery and he told me he was going to only accept the first psych.
evaluation until I was cleared . I dont know if your evaluation went to
your surgeon or not but just make sure your surgeon will accept another
psych. evaluation.I did feel better after I seen my psych. longer he helped
me with other issues I was having and I realized family problems I was
having did make me overeat ,so now I feel after I have my surgery I can use
the tools he gave me and not fall into the same patterns..GOOD LUCK
— marie M.
April 13, 2003
i also failed my first psych evaluation. i went to go see the dr. my
sergeons office recomended. needless to say i had another evaluation with
my own psychatrist that i currenly saw/see and they took his recomendation
over the one who failed me. why didn't i use my own in the first place you
might ask? he was/is against wls and had me write an essay with my reasons
for wanting surgery. once he saw how serious i was he wrote up the report
and gave it to me in the same visit. best of luck to you, kimberly
open distal bypass 11/12/02 -80lbs
— kimberly T.
April 14, 2003
I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but SOMETIMES psychiatrists do
know what they're doing. SOME people really shouldn't have this surgery
because they won't be able to adjust to the new lifestyle.
I'm not saying this is the situation for you, but psych's do tend to get a
bad rap here.
I had to get therapy before surgery. It turned out to be one of the best
things I ever did FOR MYSELF. If you have a lot of issues with family or
other areas, then therapy is a good thing provided you have a good
relationship with a professional.
By all means, please don't let being turned down for surgery stop you from
being honest with another psych.
Good luck.
— Diane S.
April 14, 2003
I agree with Diane.. it's always sad when I encounter people who are post
op and having a huge amount of trouble dealing with the emotional issues
that go with WLS..and honestly quite often I find out that either their
surgeon DIDN'T require a psych evaluation, or that the person in question
did a bunch of stuff to get around it, or to 'force' approval. As much as
we all want to get this weight off and be happy, sometimes there are other
issues that no amount of weight loss will fix.. and it's for these reasons
that counseling can be a huge benefit. You did the right thing by being
upfront in the first place. Please try and see the big picture and do the
same in your subsequent appointments. Take care and good luck. ~Peace
— Joscelin
April 14, 2003
Thanks for all the opinions. I agree that SOMETIMES psychiatrists know
what they're talking about. I will even go as far as to say that perhaps
this guy saw something that "scared" him and made him wonder if I
was a good candidate for this surgery. I spoke at length with my brother
in law who has his masters degree in psychology and works in the mental
health field. I'm pretty sure that there was a bit of a "culture
gap" with this first psychiatrist. I won't lie about my past history
for my next interview, but I will be sure to "put the best spin on it
as possible". If I get the same response again, I will definitely
delay surgery for a while, but under no circumstances will I go
"shopping" for a different surgeon. Thanks for the support.
I'll try to get back for an update.
— Irene S.
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