Psych Eval.... done!

I don't know why I was so nervous about getting this psych eval done. But I was. I think it had to do with the 15-page questionaire I had to complete before the appointment - and there were some really personal questions on that thing! I was afraid I'd have to discuss all those things in depth with the doctor. Whew! So glad that he just brushed on a few things and skipped the rest.

Overall it was a very good appointment. Here's what happened:

• Got lost on the way and was 20 minutes late! Duh! Where's mapquest when you need it? 
• Got into the maze of the medical building and got lost again! I ended up in the wrong office on the opposite side of the building from where I was suppose to be. I asked the receptionist if I was in the right spot, she asked my name and lo and behold... my doctor just happened to be in that office running an errand and wondering where his 9:30 appointment was. So he walked me back to HIS office and I checked in with the correct receptionist. 
• By this time I FEEL pretty incompetent and think the doctor must think I'm already crazy, so this made me even more nervous. 
• I completed some minor paperwork and waited while the doctor reviewed that 15-page questionaire.
• He called me back and asked a few general questions. Making sure I understood the surgery, if I had any mental problems in my history or addictive behaviors (drugs, drinking, etc.). I'm a Little Miss Goodie Two Shoes, so I passed this part just fine. 
• He explained what I'd be doing during the appointment. Video first. Then a short personality test. Then if the personality test came back inconclusive there'd be another computerized test that would take about 90 minutes. 
• He then took me to another room to watch the video. Turned out it was a video of himself talking for about 35 minutes about various aspects of the surgery, what to expect afterward and what I'd be required to know. I assume he made this video because he was tired of giving the same speech over and over again. LOL! But it was fine. 
• Then I was taken to a different room and sat in front of a laptop. I answered about 350 questions on a computerized test. It was a personality test. It seemed to me there were a lot of trick questions. Like "when did you stop beating your wife" type questions. But it went pretty fast and was virtually painless. 
• Then I headed out to the waiting room while that test was scored. 30 minutes later he called me back in. 
• He gave me the results of the personality test and I was amazed!!!! He started reading a few things off the results sheet and it was a bit freakish at how accurate it was. Apparently I have a dominate personality and am a natural leader. I am loyal and well liked by my friends and family. I have a very low tolerance for weak or submissive personality types. For those that know me.... dead on accurate, huh? Wish I would have asked for a copy of that report, would have been interesting to read the rest. 

So after all that... he told me I was approved for the psychological portion of the surgery. He thought I was a good candidate and that I would do well with the changes I was facing post-op. WooHoo!

He also gave me some "homework." I have a short list of books he recommends and some web resources to check out. About half of what he recommended, I had already found on my own. I'm looking forward to checking out the rest. I don't have the list handy right now, but I'll pass it along soon.

More soon...

~Pam