Anxiety / Depression
Rick, Good-Ay Mate! You are Down-Under, Right? What, it’s Tomorrow there already? Well hope it’s Better than Today! (which is your Yesterday!) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Post-Op Depression is incredibly Common! Not just from Bariatric Surgery, but for All post-surgical patients due to the brain’s difficulty in re-leveling the neurotransmitters- serotonin versus dopamine ratios. "anxious feelings and a general sense of depression…" Is absolute Textbook Description. Faced with all of the changes? Left without the old coping mechanism of "comfort food?" Still re-cooping from the Brain-Chemistry Bath that is Surgery? Yep, a Great Recipe for Full Out Case of Depression. As common as sagging skin….. A couple of quick screening tests- http://www.med.nyu.edu/psych/screens/depres.html or- http://depression.about.com/library/quizzes/depquiz/blwakefi eldquiz.htm Just general ongoing Depression? Depression and Obesity are very "Chicken & Egg." Depressed because you are Obese? Or- Obese due to the Depression? Doesn’t actually matter. Even after losing the weight If there was some depression there before? It’ll likely still be there. (just wearing smaller clothes.) The short of it is, No matter how we view ourselves, Mood is the result of brain chemistry. When we are sad, chemical neurotransmitters are released When we are happy, the same. And fearful, and stressed, etc, etc... Big Ole Bio-Chem Stew going on. It is the result of how we are stimulated And it is the cause of how we respond to stimulation. A year of talking through, working through emotional issues Will result in slow incremental brain chemistry changes, And we will begin responding to stimulation differently And our outlook and general mood can be raised. Or, Cut to the chase, Take a pill that does the same thing in a couple of weeks. I believe in "Better Living Through Chemistry." Same with gardening. 2 approaches- I could slowly work the soil and remove insects manually And allow plant matter to de-compose into the soil To make it richer, Or, I can throw in a little MiracleGrow and spray with pesticide. Which of the two makes sense? Call a Psychiatrist, share with them the numbers from the test score Explain "how you feel," And he’ll hook you up with something To re-set your brain chemistry levels. Don’t resist because of Psyche-Doctor Stigma. If you had pain in your knee, you wouldn’t think twice about Taking something for it. So, pain in your Psyche? Same thing. Call the Doc. Get ‘er Done! No extra Points for just suffering in silence. Many people deal with Seasonal Onset Depression Be pro-active and get it fixed. You will be amazed at how much better the world is. Other "non-Med" things that will help? More Sunlight (release of hormones that help better, more restful/productive sleep) More Exercise, (elevates the mood through naturally adjusting neurotransmitters) More Laughter, (see funny movies and comedians, Laughter IS great for the psyche ) More Sex! (just a good thing always, like laughter and exercise in the Sun times 10) Life is Meant to be LIVED! Not Endured! My doc regularly puts all of his patients on Effexor for the first 6 months after surgery for just this reason. Hope all this babble Helps! Best Wishes- Dx
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Glad to hear you're feeling more 'Up' These days!!
Best Wishes-
Dx this surgery plays with your dopamine receptors. you're not shoving food in your face for satisfaction now. so less receptors flashing giving you the high you got from food. which of course makes you depressed when you cut back on something that used to give you pleasure. your brain has not caught on yet that everything is at different levels yet. your head says more food will make you happy and you ain't giving it more food. neither can you cold turkey and stop eating. we may jones for food but we still have to eat. throw in the whole head case concerning guilt if we eat more, or wrong or just don't follow plan 100%. then anxious if this will even work for us because we're having problems with the program. blah blah.
you are really just recovering and need to give yourself, mind and body a chance to adjust. this is a biggy, trust me. you've got many months ahead to make adjustments to the program. eventually you'll find your place and make peace with the surgery and the program. i would suggest once you're up to it, start an exercise program because that will release endorphins and receptors in your brain that say, hey, life is good, this is working. it also preoccupies your mind so you're not thinking food 24/7.
you're going through a loss right now. the loss of food. so keep coming here, ask questions, get support and realize you're not alone. we all went down this road. we all took different paths but we still end up on the losers bench to sit and talk about it. take all this in stride and no that everyday will get easier to get through and easier to figure out. tune out the noise and start to listen to your body. it will tell you when and what to eat and what it needs to feel good. this is the good part to me. being in tune with myself after all these years of plugging myself up with burgers to the point i went deaf. now i listen.......Carbonblob
