Question:
DEPRESSED AND DOWN

I am four weeks out and I feel great physically. Emotionally, I am a wreck. I have only lost a few pounds (227 to start), I feel hungry, my head is hungry, I am depressed and I feel washed out. I know that my anti-depressants have kicked back in, but I still feel like a piece of me is missing. I feel like my whole life is swallowed (no pun intended) up with thinking about food. All the things I wanted to avoid by having the surgery is plaquing me, calories, diet, measuring, etc. etc. Has anyone else felt this depression around this time and I am hoping that I can snap out of it. thanks, C~    — [Anonymous] (posted on May 12, 2000)

May 12, 2000
C, I was blue after surgery also but couldn't put my finger on it. I kept thinking, "Well, you wanted this, so why are you unhappy now?" My doctors gave me several different reasons, invasive surgery will cause depression, the anesthesia can cause depression, change can cause depression...no doubt all of those things are true, and I knew all those things already, I just wanted it to be better. Finally a colleague said to me, "You know, if your surgery causes malabsorbtion than maybe you're not absorbing all your anti-depression medication. Try taking half a few hours earlier and see if that won't keep your medication at a therapeutic level in your system." It worked in my case. I wouldn't want you to make any changes without consulting with your doctor first, but it might be worth mentioning to your PCP.
   — Alicia B.

May 13, 2000
HELLO... I am almost 7 months post op... and I too experienced something similar in the begining of my post-op days. I guess looking back I "morned" food to a certain extent, and also I had so many things going my head... but eventually I got better... I did not take any antidepressants I waited it out; I felt as if a lot of my issues were from me just trying to deal with everything that had just recently happened to me. I wish you all the luck and if you want to talk I am here. I started at 400lbs; I have thus far lost 142lbs :-)
   — Jamie T.