Question:
Anyone seeing a psychologist now that you're post-op, and are
not ashamed and don't mind sharing why you felt you sought the help of this type of *therapist"/counselor? — yourdivaness (posted on March 4, 2003)
March 4, 2003
I'm currently looking for one on my insurance plan with experience in
eating disorders. I want help with controlling emotional eating and
breaking bad habits. I hope to start this month!
— jen41766
March 4, 2003
— chickiewickie
March 4, 2003
I agree that this is a great question. My biggest worries pre-op were how
will i feel after emotionally and how will I change my lifetime of bad
habits. Well I am very lucky to have available to me a post-op group
therapy with 5 other post-op women. It has been a great comfort. I have
found that there is so much emphasis on "how much have you lost?"
that it has taken the focus off of changing my life and my habits. I get to
hear what the other women are going through and have found that we are all
dealing with a very real battle! I am very happy that I have been willing
to accept the help because pre-surgery I was so private about my food
issues. I have found that I need A LOT of support and am so lucky that
there really is plenty of it. I would deffinitely suggest finding someone
well trained in eating disorders and if you can someone who has dealt with
WLS patients. I wanted to try and avoid medication again as I have suffered
from depression many times in my life. I have found that the regular
support keeps me on track and honest. Honesty is so important in tackling
the food demons! Good Luck!!!
— Carol S.
March 4, 2003
You are one smart lady. I personally feel EVERYONE should be required to
go through at least 6 months of counseling after surgery and no I have
nothing to do with the counseling field. But boy do I have the experience
to support this theory.
<p>I lost 200 lbs on my own in 1994/95. One would think it would be
the best time of my life - NOT. I started for all the right reasons - get
healthy and because I thought I would never life past 40 otherwise (was 34
at the time). I did wonderful with the WL - 200 lbs in 13 months. It
literally fell off of me. However, along the way all kinds of expectations
surfaced (relationsip, marriage, baby etc.). Once I started counseling it
took about 9 months before I was ready to deal with things from the past.
That sent me into severe depression of which it took a good 4+ years to
totally bring it under good control. There would be successes here and
there but then flare-ups again. I had tons of medical problems surface,
including 9 surgeries, and I wasn't a hypochonriac. Too bad, there is
medication for that. I used to say the worst thing I ever did was lose
weight because it turned my life into hell. But in reality, even though I
gained it all back and ended up having WLS, it helped me to deal with so
much and develop acceptance of myself and my body etc. I have been in
counseling since 1995 and would never think of quitting now, not at this
major changing point of my life. I have a high stress professional job and
need the counseling to deal with things at work also. I am also under the
care of a psychiatrist for mediation. My depression has been under
excellent control for the past 2-1/2 to 3 years. I have had parts of 2
days since WLS where the emotions caught up with me and I just needed to
get it out of my system but I feel strong in the emotional area. I know
things won't be easy and I don't have all the answers but I also have the
support network in place to help me through. Losing weight forces us to
deal with lots of different things that we could hide before. Please do
yourself a favor and avail yourself of that wonderful support mechanism and
help yourself have the best possible recovery you can. Mental health is
just as important as our physical health. Good Luck! Chris - 1 mo post-op
— zoedogcbr
March 5, 2003
I agree with other posters about post-op counseling. I think that they
should make it mandatory after you've lost about 60 pounds and should
continue until and even after you reach your goal. You go through so many
emotional changes.
— Patty H.
March 5, 2003
I am pre-op and I have started counseling the past two weeks and plan to
continue through surgery and many months after surgery. I realize that not
being able to emotionally eat will be a huge change in my life. Afterall,
it was my comfort and my friend. My body will be going through changes
rapidly and that will also be wonderful but could bring up old fears. My
counselor also happens to be an R.N. I encourge you to get guidance and
support, I would rather do that than possibly replace one false comforter
with a new more destructive one. That's just me. Best of luck.
— Lori A.
August 9, 2003
This question was posted a while ago..but it is speaking right to me. I am
a medical profesional...had my WLS 03/03 and have lost 90lbs in almost 6
months. I am down to 152lbs and I found out that I really do have ribs. I
am however suffering from an identity crisis. I have no idea who I am
anymore and I don't identify with my body. I am now a skinny fat person.
Sure I am elated when I slide into my size 8 jeans, but then I also note
that I keep saying in my mind "If I could just get under 200lbs"!
I switched one addiction for another too...now I drink (or did drink until
I figured this one out!) Ahhh and is there anyone else who uses beer for
the carbs that they can't eat? Now instead of rewarding myself with a
choclate bar..or punishing myself with one, I have a couple of beers for
the same reasons. Except that now all of a sudden I don't stop. *sigh* I
know all you self righteous bunch are horrified and all of you say GET HELP
but you know, I don't want pills or weekly in depth investigation of my
character. I truly believe this is a phase until we learn to cope with
things differently. I just wish someone would have told me so I didn't sit
around for the last month wondering what the heck was going on.
— Laurie L.
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