emotions

Good morning, all!

I am exactly 15 days post-op and my emotions are starting to rear their ugly heads.  My sabbatical is winding to a close and my son will start daycare in ...GULP...two short weeks.  I find myself getting very emotional about all this.  I feel like I am ready to cry, but haven't been able to have a good soul-clearing sob yet.  I think the combo of rapid weight loss, my baby is going to school and me having to go back to work are working together to put me over the edge.  Please tell me that crazy emotions are normal for 2 weeks post-op!  I also need to keep an eye on how I'm feeling because I have been on medication for bipolar/generalized anxiety disorder for a few years now.  I want to make sure that what I'm feeling isn't because the meds aren't getting absorbed properly.  I do keep in contact with my psychiatrist and he didn't feel that I would have an issue, so we'll see.  So basically, the way I feel today is UGH! I'm happy that I am working on getting healthy, but definitely not loving the whirlwind of emotions that are whizzing around...

Lotsa love,
Selena

Crazy emotions are completely normal!

I went through a rough period around my 3 month mark. Super depressed and angry at just about everyone for no apparent reason.

Someone smarter than me will most definitely reply with the fat/hormones/weight loss connection - I can't remember exactly how it goes. Something about hormones stored in fat maybe?

Keep your head up, it does get better. And definitely keep in touch with your doctor's.

Selena,

You are NOT crazy, your body is going through a transformation. Cherish is right, hormones are stored inside the fat cells, so when the fat cells start to go away the hormones are released....leading to emotional craziness! Don't be surprised if you have more of these episodes, but remember it is only temporary...

Hope things run smoothly for you!!

Beth

In addition to the rapid release of hormones from the fat stores, there is also the radical change in the way we eat.  I used food for comfort, and that was gone.  I was an emotional rollercoaster for a long time.  Fortunately, I was already in psychotherapy and was able to work through the issues that would come up in the first year.  To make things more complicated, my 40 year old brother died when I was six weeks post-op, throwing me into an even more intense emotional spin.

In addition to a good cry, see if you can get some social support somehow.

Hugs,
Trish

From what I remember, you are also not so far from post-partum!!!!  Give yourself time.  Sending your first child to day-care (Or any child for that matter) is a VERY emotional thing.  HAVING to go back to work sucks. It is different, I think, if you CHOOSE to go back to work.  (I don't really know that part, because I have always HAD to go back to work.)  You are going to feel all kinds of ****ty emotions, and then you will feel elation as you watch your weight go down and know that you have done this so that you have have a LONG and fun life with your child.  What I do want you to know, as a parent of three children, 16, 13 & 9, is that they NEVER will remember this time.  And by the time your son is old enough to have memories, this is what he will always know.  It will be his normal and it will all work out in the end.  

Be patient with yourself, allow yourself to feel these emotions.  Document if that helps, and move forward.  You are doing the BEST you can do.  Be proud of the things you HAVE accomplished and know that the next year of your life is going to be CRAZY - good and sometimes not so good!  My favorite saying is one by Maya Angelou, "When we know better, we do better."  Do what works and learn from what doesn't!  I am proud of you, but you need to find some pride in yourself!  Chin up girl! :)

Thanks everyone for the wonderful, caring responses!  I ended up having a good cry, talked it over with some of my girlfriends and feel a lot more like myself today.   I appreciate everyone taking the time to respond:)

Hugs. Speaking from someone about a year post op, with bipolar and anxiety issues at well, it does get better. I remember being super emotional about 2 weeks out, then a few months out, and on and off. I surprisingly didn't need any of my meds adjusted but I kept a very close eye on it. We are no longer using food to cope with our emotions and that in and of itself is hard. I've struggled a lot lately and I'd like to say it will always be easy, but that's not the case, but it is worth it.

((HUGS))  Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better Selena.  Barix in Langhorne is having a support group this Sat the 7th at 11:00-1:30 if your interested.  I'll be there with my Aunt, she's looking into surgery too.

Take care!!!