Depression after surgery?

[Lizzyy 1]

Hey everyone my name is lizzy I am new to this forum and I am glad I was able to find it. I had the gastric sleeve May 29 of this year. It has been one of the best decisions of my life, being 21 years of age and having acquired type 2 diabetes 3 years prior really opened my eyes that something needed to be done. I am now 54 pounds down and incredibly proud of myself. However, since surgery I do not feel like the same person I was before. I am incredibly emotional and have noticed my anxiety has been getting worse. I feel depressed half the time. I have dealt with depression before but this time it feels a lot different. It has been almost 3 months out and I thought I would be feeling,'normal' by now. I feel sort of guilty because of the way I feel, I should be happy about my progress but still manage to feel down. Has anyone else gone or is currently going through this? Any advice would be helpful.

Thanks again, Lizzy

[Katcloudshepherd 630]

Lizzyy,

I went through a VERY dark period several months after my surgery. Get some counseling and medical help NOW. Do not wait. I was finally able to get mine under control with prescription drugs, counseling and exercise. It was a tough slog but I was able to do it.

I wish you luck and PLEASE get help. Depression is a medical condition that requires treatment.

Blessings,

Kathleen

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Did you perchance take any new medicines or pain medications after surgery?

[jessiquoi 623]

Lizzy, I agree that seeing a therapist and determining if you need a prescription or some talk therapy is a great idea. Just to let you know, I have read some posts on here that said there is a lot of hormonal stuff that goes on while you are losing weight. So know that this will pass, and deal with it appropriately right now... it's just another way of taking care of yourself, like having this surgery was.

[Lizzyy 1]

Did you perchance take any new medicines or pain medications after surgery?

I was on pain medication for a couple of weeks and on nausea medication for a while after.

[Lizzyy 1]

Lizzyy,

I went through a VERY dark period several months after my surgery. Get some counseling and medical help NOW. Do not wait. I was finally able to get mine under control with prescription drugs, counseling and exercise. It was a tough slog but I was able to do it.

I wish you luck and PLEASE get help. Depression is a medical condition that requires treatment.

Blessings,

Kathleen

I guess I thought I would just go through the emotions without professional help but its getting to the point where its becoming a lot. Thank you for your insight Kathleen, blessings to you as well.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

The pain med (hydrocodone) made me hallucinate (a little) and feel very depressed and vulnerable. Honestly, I only took it one night. And then quit.

I hated that ****.

Like Jessi says, please don't try to figure this out on your own -- get some competent help to deal with depression. Best wishes.

Edited August 21, 2014 by VSGAnn2014

[KayleeC14 159]

Hi Lizzy,

I am young like you are and had the sleeve (just a tad older). Anyways our bodies are going through a lot and at this time when we start to loose weight our fat cells release a lot of estrogen and hormones that it has been holding onto for years. I thought I was going bat shit crazy when I was three months out. I would cry for no reason, and get really angry real fast. I am now getting those depressed feelings, and it is completely normal to have them. I would seek some help from your medical team or better yet see a therapist about it. One way I channel my issues and what is going through my head is talking with my friends, family, and peers. With that I also started a blog to document my journey. I can tell you that has helps lot, because it gets those thoughts out of my head and holds me accountable for my actions. This shall pass soon, just remember don't give up!

Best of luck!

[Lizzyy 1]

Hi Lizzy,

I am young like you are and had the sleeve (just a tad older). Anyways our bodies are going through a lot and at this time when we start to loose weight our fat cells release a lot of estrogen and hormones that it has been holding onto for years. I thought I was going bat **** crazy when I was three months out. I would cry for no reason, and get really angry real fast. I am now getting those depressed feelings, and it is completely normal to have them. I would seek some help from your medical team or better yet see a therapist about it. One way I channel my issues and what is going through my head is talking with my friends, family, and peers. With that I also started a blog to document my journey. I can tell you that has helps lot, because it gets those thoughts out of my head and holds me accountable for my actions. This shall pass soon, just remember don't give up!

Best of luck!

Glad im not the only one who has gotten the crazy emotional feelings. Thanks for the advice

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I think there are several components

Losing weight fast releases a bunch of stored estrogen which creates strong emotional feelings

No longer being able to use food to "numb" feelings

The rapid change in appearance, while wonderful, is also scary

We are complex, the chemical changes that must be happening inside our bodies must be enormous during these times.

I have noticed that feeling good makes me feel good; whereas feeling bad makes me feel bad. Viscious cycle you might say. Once you are on a downward spin, momentum can take you further if you don't do something to change the path.

Dont be ashamed to seek help - in the end life will be so much better even if it feels rough right now.

[yescobar 42]

Hello,

I felt and still feel exactly the same that you do. I am 20 years old. In fact the first weeks and the first month i would cry every day regreting the cirgury because i felt more depress and anxious than before. (I have 5 years of taking medications for my anxiety) but after cirgury it just seem to gotten forst. I went to my psiquiatrist and he said its normal and he increase my dosis and gave me clonazepan for 2 weeks to calm down a little. It help a lot. I still struggle to be as happy as before but just think that we are looking prettier every day and EVERY FEELING IS TEMPORARY!