anxiety...panic...question???

  Just wondering if anyone has anxiety/panic disorder and how that is after surgery...any better?  Still on meds?  I am hoping after the weight comes off that it will be better and maybe no more meds...

I don't have the disorder, but I would imagine that you will still need meds - they operate on your stomach, not your head.  (You'll hear that again and again as 'head hunger' makes it's way back into your post-op life...)  But the meds may need to be tweaked after surgery ESPECIALLY if you're having RNY. 

The malabsorption component of RNY makes some meds less effective, or perhaps if there is a time-release factor in the med you'll need to dose it differently.  Just be sure to discuss this with both your bariatric doctor and the one who prescribes your meds, as well as your pharmacist.  They may not be familiar with how the malabsorption works, so you need to be the one to bring it up.

I know but with the weight loss maybe that will help with the bad feelings and therefore no more meds....that is what I am hoping anyway!!!  I am hoping to have the VSG so there will be no malabsorption (I hope)

Thanks Darla!

 I'm curious. If you only need restriction, how did you decide on the VSG vs. the LapBand?

 As for the WL and improvement of anxiety & panic...hmmm...not sure the WL will help with that unless ALL your panic and anxiety episodes/attacks are due 100% to your weight. Do you see a therapist for it, or just your PCP for the meds? What do they think?

I do not want a foreign object inside me and I have heard a few horror stories about the LapBand, which I know can happen with any surgery but I also have an aunt that had the VSG and from what I have read about it sounds like the one to go with for me.  I am thinking with the weight loss I will be more active and that will help with the panic/anxiety.  I have not seen my doc yet to tell him about WLS.

Thanks!

 I totally understand. I have a DS 'cuz I knew I couldn't live with the RNY or band and a VSG was only half-way there in my eyes, so trust me, I get it.
Good luck.

Really?  From what I have been reading it seems like the VSG patients are getting the same results as the DS and RNY patients.  That is why I decided to go with the VSG...??  Good luck to you as well!

 What is your BMI?

51.1

 Sorry to be so blunt. But, Dr. Rupp is known for hooking you up with a VSG since he cannot officially perform the DS. He gets you half way to a DS, but that's it. So all you end up with is the restrictive portion. Even the top notch Dr. Buchwald (who is a world-renowned bariatric surgeon pioneer) will tell you that the VSG should never be a stand-alone procedure for weight loss!!!

 At a BMI of 51, my own instinct would tell me I need to also have malabsorption especially if weight has been an issue through most of my life.

 Personally, my BMI was lower than your's but I had been overweight/SMO longer than I remember being thin and healthy, so I knew I need restriction and malabsorption.

 I just tell you all of this so that you personally can make a very informed decision. When you said you didn't need malabsorption, I figured it was because you had a low BMI (like under 40). Just want to make sure you understand it all and I'm sure you do since you've had family go down this road. I just live by the more information is always better rule.

 Really do talk to others who are long-term and get their feedback also.