Mental Health After Surgery

Hi All.....I am meeting with a surgeon on 11/5 to discuss weight loss surgery options. I've already been pre-approved by my insurance (more just a benefit check).

My biggest question for those who have had surgery is did your mental health improve post surgery? I'm not talking about waking up and all your problems disappeared. I'm mostly wondering about how you felt in regards to your appearance, etc. My mental health is truly suffering with my weight and I'm just curious to hear others opinions.

Thank You.

I lost a lot of anxiety and depression along with the weight. Being obese is what had me anxious and depressed.

Thank you for your response. I feel like I feel the same way.

my excess weight was a hug emotional problem for me and I hated how I looked.

after wls, I feel so much better emotionally and am not ashamed any longer of the way I look.

when I look at old fat pictures, I am truly horrified.

Thank you for your response. That is exactly how I feel. Prior to being so heavy I dealt with anxiety and depression, and since gaining weight it has only made it worse. I am glad to hear you feel relief.

My mental health improved after my surgery but I have found that anxiety and depression has slowly crept back in. Some of it could be due to isolation and some could be because I am taking care of my father who is very sick and I worry each day if he will still be with us when I wake up. I hope things start getting better for you.

I had depression and anxiety for decades before my RNY in 2012 when I was 51. So much about losing the weight improved my mental state. I continued to go to a counselor, and I've been going to AA for years (sober since 1986) and continued to go to meetings. I also started going to Overeaters Anonymous about a month after my surgery. Oh my gosh, what a lifesaver! They still have virtual meetings and some in-person meetings. I can't recommend OA enough.

But the depression and anxiety came back because my marriage is very difficult. I've been married for 32 years and it has always been rocky. I MUST directly address this and I have some big decisions to make. I'm having revision surgery on 10/22/2020 and I see that as my first step towards making these big life changes. I lost 127 pounds but have gained back a lot of it. I don't like myself (understatement).

Please be vigilant about counseling and meeting your issues head-on. You are so worth it.

I'm sorry to hear this. Unfortunately, mental health problems are more common than we would like, and it is important to seek help on time. So it's great that you attended OA. To deal with issues important to me, I visit forums like obesityhelp and get inspired by other people's stories. I also like to read sources such as https://studydriver.com/mental-health/ where I find answers to many questions related to mental health in student papers. It so happened that it's easier for me to find motivation using the example of another person, so I'll tell you that not everything is going smoothly in my marriage either. But my husband and I could find a balance and overcome all difficulties thanks to our aspiration and therapy. I hope you can too, and that you are doing well.

After weight loss surgery, I got rid of my depressive state. My mental and emotional health finally normalized. In addition to my physical health problems, being overweight harmed my self-esteem, social standing, and thoughts in general. Owning a new body, I found mental peace. In addition, I decided to get a dog to normalize my psychological state. It is scientifically proven that animals help cope with a heavy mental state. At esaregistration.org, I found answers to many questions concerning such animals. They are salvation for many people who think there is no way out.

It didn't help me at all made things worse. They've had to change/increase meds several times. It was in 2011. The surgeon commented that for most people it gets better.

Depression/anxiety is a disease it doesn't just go away because you lose weight. My anxiety started to get worse during Covid and right now that and my depression are out of control. She did give me some anxiety meds.

Has to move up my appointment with her from November to this Thursday.

I've pretty much maintained my weight. I'm about 6 lbs over what I'd like to be.

my blood pressure improved and got off meds for that. My cholesterol improved a little bit but still on meds. For me it's a hereditary mainly on moms side so no matter how much I lose still an issue.

everyone is different but don't automatically assume everything goes away when you get to goal weight.