Down in the dumps at one month out.

Dr Aranow (my surgeon) told me that I'd run a gammut of emotions after this surgery, and boy was he right! I've just been feeling kind of "stuck" and down in the dumps for no reason at all. I'm still on puree stage and will be one month out tomorrow. I do see him tomorrow for my check up. I had open surgery. I've not been able to get to a support group meeting because I don't like driving the hour by myself when I'm still feeling tired and weak. I suffer from bad panic attacks and I'm afraid I'll have some while driving up there when I'm this out of sorts. My body is rebelling too. My right side of my body, that is. Yesterday, my right shoulder and upper back went out and I couldn't move or turn...today, my right hip/sacral nerve is out. I'm not hungry and I'm eating well...getting in my vitamins, all my protein and lots of liquids. I'm not really having "head hunger" except when I see an ad for pizza on tv! So, I guess I'll just ride this out and see what happens. I have noticed that I'm very quiet around the house too. Not that much into conversation w/ hubby or kids...just kind of withdrawn. I'm low on patience too. Snapping at the kids and not tolerating their antics as I did prior to surgery. Why, when we have our guts dissected and put back together, do our emotions and feelings take a toll too? It's so weird. Am I in a grief process for the "old" way/ways? I'm not feeling sorry for myself for the old stomach/way of eating. I'm glad I did this...I just can't pin point what's going on. Any input and response will be greatly appreciated... Thanks for reading. paula

I got the same way... I would go and take a nap and just lay in bed with my eyes closed not even sleeping... I just wanted to get away from everyone..... I would lay yhere for 3 hours... I had to get put on depression medicine. They put me on Lexapro. and I noticed a difference in 2 weeks. I am no longer having head hunger or am I cranky with my family... I am so glad I did this. I am feeling whole again.. Take Care Of your self Barb

Hey Paula, Hang in there. I'm not much ahead of you (surgery Sep 1) but I'm finding each day getting better. Once I started adding new foods and texture to my diet I started feeling human again. Are you on medication for your anxiety? I think you're just going through the transition to life after WLS. PS: Who says you can't have pizza? (well once you're off puree) I tried a small slice of thin crust pizza the other day, ate very slowly and enjoyed it very much. Couldn't finish one slice as I was so full. Best wishes, Barb B.

Paula - I think there are several things involved here. Some are physiological and some are psychological. By rearranging your guts, and thereby creating rapid weight loss, we are flooding our bodies with all of the 'stuff' that used to be in our fat cells....and it wasn't just fat. Some of it is toxins, some are hormones, excess fluid, etc. Toxins may create pain or aches whereever they land (which is why you want to be SURE you're getting in plenty of fluid - to flush the toxins out), and the hormones can cause depression, and other period or menopausal type symptoms. The pain in your joints can also be anesthesia working its way out of the body. Also - you are still healing for about three months after surgery, so even though your incision may look fine, your body is still focused on this new thing you've done to it, and it's keeping all its energy on a tight rein in case something like that happens again! Psychologically, we are changing - we've changed our bodies, we've change our eating habits, and we've changed our relationships to some very old friends......food. This is stressful, even when it's a change you want. It takes energy to deal with that stuff, and quite frankly - your body is being stingy with energy right now, so it doesn't have a lot of reservoirs to loan you. As you slowly build a new structure, and new habits, this will change, and your body will begin to trust that there's not another crisis on the horizon. But it takes time. --BT