Hormonal Effects Question

Happy Saturday!

I am pre-op. I have heard that after surgery there is a massive hormone dump (from estrogen stored in fat) leading to mood swings. I know from prior to my hysterectomy that I am susceptible to hormone related emotional outbursts.

I have been battling depression on and off for years. I have been doing so much better since deciding to have surgery that my psychiatrist has been weaning my off my antidepressant ****tail. As he explained it to me, depression is comprised of a mixture of psychological (what you think), social (what happens in your life), and biological (brain chemistry). Each patient has a different make-up and some people need medication for life, some need long term talk therapy, some need a combination, and some can recover fully ... or anything in between.

Obviously he believes that I have benefited from medications and from the therapy I have had, but he feels that addressing my weight and health is the final step in my recovery. I really like the sounds of that. However, I don't think going off of all my antidepressants before surgery is the best idea. I'm afraid the hormone dump may be really hard on me.

Before I talk to my psychiatrist in two weeks, I want to have a plan in mind. So, my question is this ... How long does the hormone dump last? Will it continue as long as I am losing weight or does it level off after six months or so?

Thanks!

Jelsey, I can not answer your question. Each Body responds differently to WLS, depending on what procedure is done and how aggressive the surgeon is in preforming the chosen one. I would definitely continue to keep regular appointments with that psych. Sounds like this Dr is on top of your responses to the many changes you are having. This is important for after WLS. I would discuss these concerns with him. You need to be aware that some meds are not absorbed properly after surgery- a different med may be required. You may not require anything...and if your body can get a break from them it could be a good thing.

It is highly possible after you get thru the initial surgery and the first adjustments...ie adjusting diet to prescribed liquids and getting proteins in, following your rules. I lost 20 lbs in 2 weeks, and 40 more in the following 4weeks... with 60 lbs gone 6 weeks, my diet adjusted, my exercise program initiated and going....I felt great.I could see my knees, touch my toes and tie my shoes again. I began gardening and push mowing our acre and half yard.

However, after several years..3-5 ,and life hit me beside the head. I had a big load on my plate, working full time, and caregiving a grandarent, Hubby gone out of town and all responsibility for house and home on me.. I had a serious depression. I made an appointment got meds ... took them for a while and did not require those but for about 6 months.

Your response will not be like any one elses. It will be yours alone. Your hormones, enzymes,nutrients are unique and your response will be individual. You have got this. You have caring people who are supporting you , and you are seeking advise early and thinking thru the process. Relax, follow your drs orders, re your surgery and make a couple of copies of those instructions. take care. Looking forward to following your journey. Mine began 23 yrs ago.

Beautifully written sweetpotato! You can't compare to anyone else because we're all different and you won't know what kind of hormonal changes you'll go through until you go through them :)

I'm sorry we can't give you a concrete answer, but if you keep up with your drs like sweet potato advised, I'm sure you'll do great.

I never had a hormone dump after surgery. But then, I was post-menopausal - maybe that made a difference. Maybe your having had a hysterectomy may make a difference as well. And as the previous poster said, everyone is different, so it's hard to tell..

I believe there are some vets who have dealt with this issue who will hopefully respond when they see this. Best of luck - it sounds like you are asking the right questions.

I think these are really great questions to be asking.

Are you seeing a therapist now? (I can't tell from your post.)

Have you talked with your surgeon about your psychiatric meds?

So, for me, I did notice mood swings, but only during early recovery when I was still healing and getting the anesthesia out of my system and just annoyed that I couldn't do what I wanted to. Plus there was coping with the changed relationship with food, something I'd used as a comfort mechanism before.

I found that weekly appointments with my therapist were most useful for me during that time and also keeping a diary/journal/blog where I could dump all of my feelings into text instead of onto anyone I cared about.

I do have a history of depression, but I had weaned off psychiatric meds over a decade prior to surgery, so I have no experience there.

Maybe talking with an ob/gyn who knows more about hormones could be useful too? Especially since you've had a hysterectomy.

For me, the first 6 weeks were very emotional and I was basically back to my normal self after that.

Everyone is different and certainly these are good questions to be asking! Having your doctors in the loop can only benefit you as you go forward. For me, your post already bodes well for your future success. The more you research and prepare, the better off you'll be in the long run.

As for the hormonal dumping which I am sure you have read about here on the boards, it is often what the vets refer to as the emotional ups and down (think crazy PMS style off the chain emotions) lots of us go through in the first few weeks or months after surgery, regardless of any personal history with depression.

WLS entails more than just the actual procedure. You may be excited, maybe a bit scared, worried about your future success or failure, figuring out how and what to eat, you will be recovering from major surgery, learning how to cope without food as a crutch, exhausted from the low calories and healing process, etc. All of this can make a body moody, irrational, crabby, happy, more sensitive, you name it. It's also fairly normal, IMO. It eventually evens out in month three or so once when you are healed and beginning to have a hang of how your new post op life works.

I am not a doctor so I am not saying your depression will be worse or better, but just trying to explain what some of us are referring to when we make the comment that someone is "hormone dumping" as an excuse for their over top behaviour that sometimes seems extreme - meaning folks get their feels hurt and deactivate when under normal cir****tances they might have just shrugged it off.

Obviously I can not know how you will respond to your surgery, nor how it will effect your depression. I hope for your sake that your doctors work with you so that you feel safe and can move forward positively. I wish you well :)

It's really good to ask questions. Our surgeons really don't work at all with the mental changes after surgery. Well at least mine didn't.

i had a full hysterectomy four years prior to surgery. I was on an emotional roller coaster at times. Not sure if it was hormonal or just the mental part of all the changes we go through good and bad.

I get my blood drawn two times a year to make sure my hormones are okay. I also have biodenticol hormone treatments two times a year. I am almost five years post op.

I also see my therapist once a week. Of course life is never perfect and bad and good happens. Learning how to cope by not medicating with food.

May life is better after surgery I have learned to grow up and figure out who I am.