Bariatric Surgery Evaluation
The decision to improve your health and focus your efforts on losing weight is commendable. Choosing to utilize bariatric surgery (gastric bypass or lap band surgery) as a tool to achieve weight loss and better health is a serious decision.
Undoubtedly, you have Googled it and read a lot about it. You may have already met with a doctor or surgery team to start the process. You will likely have to meet with a variety of experts to evaluate whether weight loss surgery is right for you. This will include things like testing your cardiac health, respiratory health, and psychological health.
Why do I need a Psychological Evaluation for Bariatric Surgery?
Surgery of any kind is a serious matter. Your surgeon will want to know that you understand the risks and benefits of surgery. Are you ready to make the significant lifestyle changes required of you after the surgery?
Your psychological evaluation will cover this and other aspects like your motivation for surgery, you level of social support, and mood or eating disorder symptoms. Topics will also include attitudes you have about yourself and your body, and any stressors in your life that might keep you from adhering to post-surgery lifestyle changes.
You may also be able to identify small steps of change you could make now, long before surgery, that will increase your success rate in the long term.
All of this information will help inform your surgeon about whether you would benefit from ongoing supportive counseling after surgery. This may help you stick to dietary changes and develop action plans around known triggers. Having a game plan helps you make consistent lifestyle changes to support your weight loss and health goals for life.
What to Expect
Before we meet, I will speak with you on the phone and send you a packet of background information to complete. This is more extensive than most new patient packets you may have completed for other specialist.. However, it will save you time and provide invaluable information to me. You have the option of completing it online if you wish.
When we meet, I will speak with you for about an hour to go over your background and relevant information. Then you will complete a questionnaire specific to weight loss surgery. This will be done on the computer, and takes 20-30 minutes.
That’s it!
With a signed release of information, I will send a report to your doctor within 48 hours. You may also have it sent to any other medical providers you wish to receive it.
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