Why I dislike Psychologists

Monday I had to met with the Psychologist to see if I am ready to make the lifestyle changes necessary to be successful after the surgery. I was scheduled for 3 hours of testing and then a 45 minute interview. I arrived as scheduled and began testing at 8:00 a.m.

There were a lot of questions like "Do you think someone is out to get you?", "Do you have conversations with people no one else sees?", etc. So it concerns me that crazy folks are obviously trying to be identified.

I decided I would be completely and brutally honest. The IQ tests were simple and I flew through them. The tests about emotions, what I eat and when, and what makes me angry were more difficult to answer simply because I had to admit those things.

Needless to say I finished the written exams in only 2 hours so by 10:00 a.m. I had moved on to the interview portion of the program. Just like Miss South Carolina, I blew it here. Again, I was totally and brutally honest. When asked why I was angry much of the time, I said because I am fat and disgusted that I let myself get this way. When asked what I thought triggered my eating I said boredom, depression, anxiety, and stress. So, with all his degrees behind him he said I was a binge eater with anger issues.

Well you could have knocked me over with a feather. Seriously? I mean really, did he think I got to be 400+ pounds because I was watching what I ate or managing it well. I felt like I was at a psychic reading and they were only telling me what I had already told them. And why am I angry? Cause I just paid you $45 for you to tell me what I already know!

So his recommendation is to delay surgery 3-6 months and enroll in additional counseling. He wanted to know how I could be so smart (scored well on the IQ tests) and realize I was unhappy and not already have sought counseling. I replied I was a single mother raising two boys, one who was in college, and had never received a penny of child support, so money was often tight and counseling didn't demand the same necessity as rent, car payments, utilities, etc.

He then wanted to go down the path of suggesting I ask for back child support and I declined saying this was not anything I wanted to pursue. And still he pressed to know why I didn't want to do that. Seriously? What does me getting back child support have to do with being able to emotionally and physically handle bariatric surgery?

I decided I didn't like him. And that was even before the dead fish handshake he gave at the conclusion of our interview.

Guess I'll have to wait and see if Dr. Richard goes with his recommendation and really reschedules my date.