depression

Hey everybody- I had my surgery on March 15th. I've lost 30 pounds so far. Of course I am thrilled about dropping the pounds but, I'm horribly depressed! I cry over EVERYTHING! Actually, I cry all day, most days. Easter was so hard! My diet after surgery was 10 days of fluids then, 28 days of pureed food. My surgeon told me I was ok to move on to solid foods on Easter. Well, I threw up all day. I chewed and chewed and chewed and ate *really* slow. Oh, and mom left off the sweet glaze goo stuff so I wouldn't dump. But, it still made me very sick. Then, at work today - same thing. So, now I have to go back to pureed foods for another week. I swear if I eat anymore soup or pureed tuna I'm going to scream!! I think I put too much pressure on myself. i'm terrified of losing my hair so, I freak out if I don't get my protein in. I think another reason why I'm so depressed is because there is not enough hours in the day!! I never get in all my liquids but, I drink ALL day long. I can only get in 5 cups of liquid not 8. Anyone else struggling with really bad depression? This really sucks! I should be happy now! I worked my butt off for a year and a half for this surgery and I feel so let down. Everyday is a struggle. Any advise? I'm really am trying my hardest to be positive but, this is so HARD. Thanks in advance. Carla

Hello Carla , I am struggling with depression also. I cry most of the day and just about everyday too. Sometimes im not even sure why i am crying, most of the time i guess it is petty things to other people, but to me it seems to be very important issues. My 9 yr old daughter is taking care of me, im supposed to be the mom, im supposed to be taking care of her but i can't even lift the laundry basket to the washing machine to do the laundry. Everything is so hard, it is hard not to eat to fast, not to eat to much, sometimes it is just hard to find hunger to be able to eat, it is hard to drink, hard to get a shower, hard to put my shoes on, hard to get in and out of bed, hard to sit down, sometimes it is hard to breathe. My family doesn't understand, when they call to check on me and see how i am doing and i start crying, they say well you just had surgery, you must of known that it was going to be like this. Well no, i didn't know, i waited soooooo long for the actual surgery date that all i could think of was thank god the date is actually here, i never even though of how hard it was going to be to just get into bed and get a hours worth of sleep. Everything seems to be such a struggle, i know this is just the beginning and from here it has to get better, and some days are better than others. Half the time i'm so depressed im not even sure why it is i am so depressed. I hope that maybe this is part of the healing process and with time this too will pass but for now im in the same boat as you Carla so if sometime you would like to chat, maybe if we were depressed together we wouldn't be so depressed, let me know. I hope you can find some smiles through the tears . It has to get better.

Hi Carla! Actually, the depression you're experiencing is quite common after wls. For that reason, my surgeon has all of her patients take Zoloft for at least a month post-op. I was already on Celexa for depression prior to surgery, but she wanted me to switch to Zoloft for now because it's a much smaller pill, and the I get the same effectiveness as I did with 60mg of Celexa. As far as your diet is concerned, there are other meats you can try. I think it was Dina who said the soy-based meat substitutes are good and easy to digest. You can also used canned chicken or crab meat. If I was you, though, I would steer clear of pasta and breads because they can expand in your pouch and make you sick. Good luck with all of this, and let us know how it's going! Hugs, -Marcie 275/260/135

There is no shame in anti-depressant medication. Half the world is on them and the other half should be!! I started on Prozak a week ago and it is making a big difference. Joy -31 lbs and smiling (at least sometimes!)

I was put back on an anti-depressant after surgery too. Therefore I am not crying but I can relate to all the other things mentioned. It is just so hard to get up and more and do anything. It takes me till 11 to get dressed during the day and that is on a good day. I seem to have had more bad days than good. I also have the fear of sounding like my hypocrhondiat (sp) mother . I admire the ones that are having no problems. I try to make my problems go away but them seem not too. But thank goodness I have a doctor's office that will listen. And most of the time, I am not the first person to have the complaint. So, first I would like to suggest you advise your doctor of your depression. Get on something to help. And maybe that will get you moving forward. So far the rest of my problems have been medical and we are working on them.

Martha, You might need to go back to your doctor to have your anti depressant meds adjusted. You might need more as you might not be absorbing enough of it. You should not be feeling so depressed since you are taking them. Hope you feel better soon. Louise

It is awful to have all those feelings. Surgery is a major stressor on your body and it makes you feel like crap. Physically and emotionally. Plus, you have lost a tremendous amount of weight in a short period of time. Fat cells hold large amounts of estrogen. My surgeon warned us preoperatively that when you are losing weight rapidly that this release of estrogen can throw your body and emotions into chaos. Talk to your Dr. about your depression. It is going to get better. Remember we are in our "window of misery." Take it one day at a time.