Did anyone else notice their temper was really short after surgery? It seems like EVERYTHING irritates me lately! My normal pet peeves that I grin and bear are now making me almost flip out, like my emotional coping resources are just drained. Is this normal? Is it possibly the "hormone dumping" I hear about, or am I just stressed out and grumpy about not being able to eat solid food? The notable exception is after I take my pain meds, but I'm weaning those down and am almost off them completely, so I can't fall back on them for much longer.

To make things even worse, my husband is miffed because his surgery got delayed a week, he's getting worried because it's coming up on Monday, AND he has to work a ton of overtime this week because they got a huge audit with a short deadline -- and if his surgery hadn't been delayed, he wouldn't have been at work this week at all. As you can imagine, our house isn't exactly full of love and compassion right now, lol.

Likely answer to your question:  All of the above. Pain, change, adjustment, and hormone-dumping can make even the calmest person's temper short.  Keep venting here; consider us a support system that might help. If you can squeeze out periods of rest and relaxation, the burden should lessen.  If not, time helps things pass.

Thanks, I will plan to! Right on cue after posting this, I got a call from my therapist checking in. When I started telling her about my husband's frustration lately, having my mom here for a few weeks (which has been helpful but has also added stress), how my dog has been sick 3 different times in the past 2 weeks, and how we just found out we'll need to spend about $11,000 to complete the refinance of our house instead of it being cash-neutral as originally planned, she said "it sounds like you haven't had any time to even just focus on healing!" I'm going to try to find time to just go hide upstairs and read.

My emotions were all over the place as soon as I started the pre-op liquid diet. For me, some of it was realizing how much my life revolved around food; not just eating, but the planning to eat. I think the rest of the emotional roller coaster was caused by me giving up my major stress reliever, emotional eating. It all leveled out, and I learned so much about the self I'd been squelching during my pre- and post liquid diet.

I've had a lot of surgeries and my emotions are always all over the place for awhile afterwards. I found that it was more intense after this surgery and I've had a 10 hour surgery before and this one was worse in terms of mood swings after. I assume it's because there are a lot of emotions going with the changes that are coming too. Weight loss is an emotional thing and I think it doesn't matter how you do it it's going to be emotional. 

Hope things get better for you!

I was mad, I mean MAD for a month.

At least I'm not alone!

I am still mad.

Yup.  But my therapist helped a LOT.  

Welcome to my world-all of the time!  :)

It IS fairly common regardless of one's natural temperment (sp). Mood swings is one of the many reasons why my surgeon recommended meditation courses BEFORE surgery.

Overall, I am pretty moody.  As one person put it, "Skinny is a piano and ALL her keys work."

Interestingly, my boss contributes my marriage to my improved focus and positive mental attitude. I KNOW he doesnt know what he is talking about. I am still "me" just how I choose to deal with things has changed.  Rather than yell and swear, I choose to meditate or go for a run (if time permits) and get back into the fray AFTER I get back into my happy place.  

Marriage didnt teach me this. The surgery and meditation courses did.

The surgery can help one "grow" in other ways beyond weightloss and new activities.

Good luck!

And you are completely normal.