Anyone with Anxiety Disorder?

Howdy All, I have heard that some people have developed this disorder after having WLS. I know I have problems with anxiety and it has been since surgery. Whether there is a connection, I am not sure. I was hoping that someone could shed some light on this. Maybe there is no connection at all, but I am quite curious to hear from others and get opinions. Thank you in advance!! Dawn

I've always had a bit of anxiety in my world. I have noticed now though that when I'm in big crowds I still get anxious, but not as much as when I was bigger - somehow when I was bigger it felt like more people were using up my personal space (when in reality I was probably doing it to them! ) but now it's not as bad. Oh don't get me wrong, my heart will still pitter pat and make me sweat a bit, but not as much.

Just out of curiousity, have you ever had anxiety problems in the middle of the night or when you are trying to fall asleep? Like thinking and worrying to much that it interferes with sleep? Thanks for sharing. Dawn

yup - but generally when there is a HIGH amout of stress in my waking life.

Maybe it's because we no longer self medicate with food? I'm on meds for depression for the first time in my life (I'm 44). I have had some anxiety as well as a post-op (never had it before), although it's under control now w/ the Wellbutrin. I also take a small dose of St. John's Wort under the guidance of my doc (you can't combine that w/ most antidepressants, ie. the ones that are SSRIs, but she OK'd it w/ the Wellbutrin). Linda

One more thought on this... sometimes I wonder if we're malabsorbing something our body needs and that's what gets our brain chemicals out of whack. I've read articles about supplementing w/ Omega 3s to help depression. Could it be that our WLS causes us to have low levels of some nutrient or another, and that impacts the way we function?

Thank you Linda, you pose some very thoughtful questions that make me even more curious now!! Good thinking though, I am going to talk to my doc about this. It is kind of scary not knowing what could be in store for us years down the road. Of course, I am glad to not have to deal with the problems of obesity anymore. Am grateful. Again, thanks! Dawn

I've been a bit more anxious every since my GB surgery. I had never had any type of surgery before RNY and the recovery was harder than I thought, then when I had to have GB surgery, I was so scared, thinking it was going to be a rough recovery once more. Surprisingly, it wasn't but because I had pancreatitis before they would remove it, I had to stay in the hospital for 5 days and get potassium supplements (they hurt). NOW, I think every little pain, change, is due to WLS and know that I'm going to have to endure another surgery. I know that I need to just live one day at a time, but somedays I just can't get over the fear of the unknown. So, I do get anxious more now, but it may be just situational rather than chronic. I hope I made sense! Cathy

How would having wls bring on anxiety disorder? Is that what you are asking? I bet there are many who had anxiety disorder before they had wls.

Lynda, I don't think that WLS itself causes an anxiety probelm. I was mostly curious if people had developed anxiety problems after the surgery and what the connection was if any. I have had an opportunity to speak to others through email since this post and have had an opportunity to hear similar stories. It bothers me because it hits at night and usually wakes me up. This is the only time it happens. I just never experienced before. I understand that people have lived with this type of thing for years. Just new to me.