Question:
Well I am almost 2 years post-op and??

Well as of 04/12/03 I am officially 2 years post-op. I have readd on here that people stop losing weight about 18 to 24 months post-op. Well I can verify that, that is not true. At 1 year post-op I stopped losing for about 6 months and then all of a sudden BAM another 30 lbs. lost in 2 months. So I went from 347 to 153 a (194lb. weight loss). I have been through many, many bouts of Depression due to some complications. I still have some complications at 2 years post-op and I still get depressed. I think I should be having the time of my life and enjoying it, but instead I am depressed all the time and go from one addiction to another. WILL THIS EVER END?? I love the weight loss, but the rest is the pits any SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT TO DO NOW? HOW DO I GET OVER THIS ADDICTIVE PERSONALITY, NO FOOD TO USE AS AN ADDICTION NOW!!    — lynbaby B. (posted on March 22, 2003)

March 22, 2003
First, your weight loss is terrific. You have done so great. Now for what might be a dumb question - are you taking anything for the depression? I have been so fortunate that I haven't suffered from any since my RNY but I know a lot of people do. I had a little bout after my tummy tuck but it didn't last long. If you aren't on medications, talk to your doctor. There are some wonderful drugs and depression is an illness and should be treated as one just as obesity is and should be treated that way.
   — Patty_Butler

March 22, 2003
first of all i commend your bravery to take charge of your life and make the decision to have this surgery!!! i am pre-op and i am still struggling. you made a very important decision and you have done an awesome job! lift your head up! you have so much going for you right now. get out and about. join a health club, go to local events meet new people. i also suffer for depression, but when i start feeling down i get out of the house. get some fresh air! and as for that addictive personality, you just make up your mind just like you did about your food addiction, and kick it to the curb! you have lost near 200 lbs! you go girl!
   — TIFFANY R.

March 22, 2003
i have suffered off and on with depression all my life. about 8 years ago i hit rock bottom. i felt like i was in a deep dark black pit and i couldn't get out. i couldn't see past the saddness that was with me. i did decide to get help. i went to therapy for 1 year and i was also on prozac during that time. the prozac helped me during this year to get a hold on my feelings so that i would work thru them. this saved my life. i haven't been on prozac in 7 years and i completed my therapy. i still have days or weeks that i feel down...but i know how to handle it now. i think that getting help was almost as scarey as being depressed in the first place. wls does not fix our addictive personalities, it only helps us loose weight. that is why i think after care is so important. getting help with the emotional issues in our life is just as important or even MORE important than getting our bodies to normal weights. i didn't think i was one of "THOSE" people that needed to see a phyciatrist, i didn't think my problems were that bad....but they were. i have been able to climb out of that deep dark black pit and i will never go back. best of luck.
   — franbvan

March 22, 2003
As the other posters said, please congratulate yourself for what you have accomplished. I am a pre-op who suffers from depression, and I am prepared for the fact that losing weight may not make me not depressed. In fact, for some, it can make things worse, since the weight really isn't the issue. Please consider an antidepressant if you aren't taking one now. Prozac, while in some people may cause weight gain, in others has an anti-compulsive effect. If you are not in therapy, get thee to a therapist ASAP, one who works with addictions. There are 12-step groups if that model is your cup of tea -- while I don't care for them personally, they have helped countless others. I am struggling with compulsive eating right now, when I am supposd to be on a liquid diet for the next month before surgery. Perhaps I should take my own advice? Yes -- tomorrow I am going to call my insurance co. to get a referral for a therapist. I don't want to exchange food for another addiction after surgery: alcohol -- been there, done that when I was a young adult. Cigarettes -- quit 8 years ago, plus they're so expensive it's not an option anymore. Drugs -- don't have the guts to find out where to get them (although I am fairly certain various neighbors would gladly accommodate my wishes). Sex -- I think I got fat to avoid physical intimacy in the first place. Shopping -- My credit cards are already maxed out. Any other suggestions?
   — [Deactivated Member]

March 23, 2003
Lynbaby, I would certainly like to know what you were eating and doing that two months that you lost 30 pounds at 1 1/2 years out. That is certainly not the norm for the huge majority of the WLS post-ops. Congrats for being at 153. You must take great pride in your appearance now. As for addictions and depression, I have to add my voice to the others and suggest that you ask your doctor for medications (there are others besides prozac) and therapy too. I know its hard to admit that you may need these things, no one likes to admit they need "head" help, but as another poster said, once you get on medication and go thru therapy it is like coming out of the dark into the light. I have a couple of family members that were miserable and un happy most of their lives until they were put on medication-it was like they were born again. Look at it this way, what can it hurt to try it for a month or two?
   — Cindy R.

March 23, 2003
at the risk of sounding like a broken record, depression is a serious medical condition and needs serious treatment. Ask your PCP for referral to a psychiatrist at once.
   — Kasey

March 23, 2003
I am getting ready to work through Neil Anderson's Freedom From Addiction Workbook. I have the companion book to go with it. He recommends that first you read Victory Over the Darkness, which is what I'm doing right now. He also recommends that you read The Bondage Breaker. I may wait to read that after I do the workbook. I'm not particularly religious; however, I truly believe that I cannot conquer this without Christ. Congrats on your accomplishments! My prayers are with you.
   — fowlerloriann

March 28, 2003
I find people's suggestions that massive weight loss or drugs ought to cure depression. WLS, especially with long-term complications, can be psychologically powerful and create a host of malnutrition related problems. Drugs, especially if needed to deal with WLS complications, can cause depression. Many respected studies show that depression drugs are often no more effective than placebos, talk therapy... I wish I could provide suggestions that help. Sometimes just knowing that people care is all they have to offer. I care.
   — miserable U.