Anxiety - Post Op and Seems to not go away

I've posted about PostOp depression/anxiety about 4 weeks ago. I figured it would have improved much more by now, and though I'm not as depressed as I was at the end of September, my anxiety is still a little crazy at times. I am still hoping this is a result of hormone dumping, but at 8 weeks out, I'm am scared this is a permanent thing. What do you guys think?

I have begun to see a therapist (once a week), I do 15 min cardio first thing in the morning and a 7 minute yoga stretch, as well as another 15-20 minute walk right before work. I try to get another walk in during the day if i can. I've also started to journal my thoughts, and I have purchased an adult coloring book, which i havent tried yet, but hear is relaxing. I'm also looking into some breathing/meditaiton/relaxation techniques.

Therapy is helping a lot, though my anxiety can still get pretty bad sometimes.  I didn't realize how much I relied on sugar for the high, which I'm missing now, and the anxiety is hard to shake some days.  I'm going to see my PCP on thursday, so i'm bringing up the possibility of taking something for it on a temporary, as-needed basis. However, I'm having some very mixed feelings about medication, and its possible side effects (suicidal thoughts, addiction, etc).

Meanwhile, my therapist and I are working on other coping mechanisms to deal with it head on, as well as my issues that lead me to obesity, etc etc. 

The anxiety thing is really bothering me, and though I am not as depressed as I was 3 or 4 weeks ago, I'm getting tired of being a nervous wreck for no true reason. I worry about stupid things these days, mind racing with thoughts. Once I get over on worry it is replaced by another. I had small but manageable anxiety before surgery. If i had major anxiety it would be rare, like once every 1-2 years. This ongoing daily dose of anxiety is all new to me.

Can anyone offer any thoughts? Hope? Thanks!

I remember a Doctor explaining to me one time with anxiety,(and for me connected to Asthma)... you almost need to talk to yourself when it is happening... As in talk sense to yourself to stay calm... it is sort of a vicious cycle- it starts with thoughts, but then you andreneline (I think it is) kicks in... and as that kicks it you feel more anxious... and as you feel more anxious the thoughts get worse and around and around....

This journey is hard mentally...especially in the beginning. Wrapping your head around your new life, changing body and you no longer have your crutch food to rely on. You are doing the right thing getting therapy. Don't focus on worrying about the future- if this is permanent- focus on taking care of the now- one foot in front of the other....

You can do this...

thanks Cynthia! I do try to talk myself through it, but sometimes I think I wont accept it, which my therapist has been talking to me about: accepting the anxiety when it comes and then dealing with it head on... reasoning out my thoughts and taking them to "Thought court." Sometimes it works out great, other times it can be really trying.

Thank you so much for the encouragement!

I have a history of anxiety and depression. I have gone for therapy and taken medications. Although I am still on meds, the doses are decreased and I continue to wean off of them. I was hesitant to use meds at first but I'm glad I started. It is a very personal decision, get as many opinions as you can, ie: PCP, therapist, etc.

Thank you, Pat! I will definitely gather all my doctors' and professionals opinions.

I have been on medication for anxiety and depression for well over ten years. If you'd like to chat about that approach, I'm more than happy to talk-- feel free to drop me a PM! Deciding to take meds can feel like a big scary step and sometimes it really helps to talk to someone who's "been there done that."

Addiction is primarily an issue with short-acting benzo meds, like Xanax and Ativan. Those are generally used as-needed for times when you can't sleep because your brain won't shut up, or when you're in the middle of a panic attack that you need to shut down. Doctors are often very good about prescribing small doses for limited use exactly because of the addiction risk.

Some meds have greater suicide risk than others, and that risk is especially high for teenagers and elderly dementia patients. For everybody else, you can often tell sooner rather than later if you'll end up with some funky thoughts that may lead to you hurting yourself. I had that on Prozac as a teenager, it happened when I'd been on the meds for two weeks, and it was a very definite "well that came out of nowhere and that's not OK" thought pattern, and my doctor yanked me off that med ASAP.

The good news is that if you do decide to try meds, they'll often kick in a little bit fairly soon (within weeks) and you'll be back to feeling like yourself in a month or two. It doesn't change who you are, it doesn't make you a bad person-- it's like needing to go on insulin for a while when your pancreas is overloaded and can't keep up with insulin. Some people need to try a couple of different meds before they find something they can stick with, and that's OK. But once you do? It's amazing how much better you can feel.

I'll definitely PM you. Thank you for your insight on medication. My therapist actually suggests I go on the seratonin stuff and to avoid the Benzos because of my addictive tendencies that I'd experienced with sugar and carbs. My PCP's only response was she's concerned about possilbe weight gain as a side effect but that we'd discuss it further tomorrow (thursday) at our appointment.

I have had general anxiety for at least 15 years.  I just recently started taking Prozac, and while my anxiety isn't completely gone, it is greatly reduced.  

I'm not telling you that you drugs are the only answer, therapy and meditation will surely help, but I have never felt so good as I do now that I'm taking Prozac.  You may want to try something to help you get through it.  

Thank you! I'll definitely talk to my PCP tomorrow about it. Even if on a temporary basis. I just didnt want to rely on meds if this is infact a temporary issue that my body's going through due to hormone dumping, but I do recoginze that I long to find relief.

Okay, I want to preface my post by saying this isn't one of those "natural cures will fix depression or anxiety" responses. I am currently on an antidepressant and anti-anxiety med. However, sometimes when certain vitamin levels are out of whack, I get anxiety spikes. For example, if I skip my multivitamin for a few days I start feeling panicky. No doctor has been able to explain which vitamin it could be, but said if it works, keep doing it. My point -- have you had all your levels tested recently? Are you taking a multi? If this anxiety is new perhaps it isn't due to a permanent/hormonal imbalance per se, but rather a temporary one. Just my two cents though.

Meg~