Cameo325

I am six months post-op and have clinical depression. I went through a small "cycle" of depression about a month ago with no apparent trigger, although it could have been surgery-hormone-related, but it's cleared up now. Hang in there.

It could be that food and habits associated with food were comforting you, and now that comfort is suddenly gone.
I know that I’ve personally experienced this at times.
One thing I’ve done to combat this is to throw myself into a workout routine that eats up some down time. The bonus is you can’t eat or think about while working out, and you get the positive reinforcement of a sense of accomplishment.

I’m also thinking that you might want to change psychiatrists and find someone who specializes in bariatric patients.
I had one for my first couple months post-op, and she got me through some really rough moments.

My love affair with food had to stop and I found that, the most depressing during my first 2 months post op. I loved having lunches with my co-workers, drinking and partying on the weekend with friends and hubby.... and then I had to completely change my lifestyle! I can't eat with people because I lose focus and end up throwing up. I stayed home on my weekends too.... BUT..... little by little, I started learning how my new stomach works. Slowly but surely, I started socializing again and eating at the same time without getting sick.
Give it time. Be patient. You're gonna be great!
See your doctor if it gets too bad.

Hoping someone can shed some light on why I might be feeling so sad & weepy. I'm 5 weeks out from GSV and feel great otherwise. I am also diagnosed with depression, but it was under total control before surgery. Do you think feeling sad & wanting to cry is normal, or could my meds not be working as well? I hate to tell my psychiatrist as she didn't want me to have the surgery in the first place. Thanks in advance for your insights.

So far I’m loving not being constantly hungry, I enjoy food more when I’m not inhaling it and I find healthier things more tasty than before. I haven’t had any complications or severe side effects and I barely feel like anything has been done (except when I’m eating of course).

The not so great part at this point is not being able to drink Water like I used to. I loooove chugging a huge glass of ice cold water and now I feel like I’m always thirsty even though I carry a bottle with me and sip constantly. Plus, I still can’t sleep on my stomach and it bugs me, but at least that’s temporary so it’s all good.

All in all, everything is going well and in my case it’s definitely worth it even though it has only been four weeks.

I felt weepy and depressed for about 3 weeks after surgery. I don't have depression, but the hormonal changes really messed me up. I cried at nothing.
The surgery DID mess with my psychiatric meds, too. I take them for anxiety. You should be honest with your psychiatrist because you may need dose changes or complete med changes. I had to be pulled off one completely, and another one I had tripled in dose.

It seems like your hormones are readjusting and could be normal. Check in with your psychiatrist as she might be best to assess what you are going through.
Wishing you the best.

Diagnosed with depression and anxiety here. My psychiatrist told me I wouldn't get approved on the psych eval either. Just goes to show what she knows. Passed with flying colors and had my surgery 5/20. Don't stress, but don't spill your guts either.

Diagnosed with depression and anxiety here. My psychiatrist told me I wouldn't get approved on the psych eval either. Just goes to show what she knows. Passed with flying colors and had my surgery 5/20. Don't stress, but don't spill your guts either.

I'm 28, had my sleeve done last year when I was 27. 7.5 months out...I had a lot of hair to begin with and have experienced Hair loss, so it's not too noticeable for me. I also started to lighten my hair as having darker hair you can see your scalp more. I have lost nearly 140lbs and do have sagging breasts (went from a 42F to a 34 DDD) and sagging skin on my belly, thighs and a teeeeeny bit on my arms. I feel like if you have stretch marks, wherever those areas are, they don't seem to recover as well as other parts (my experience). I've posted about this before though, it all depends on your genes...I have very sensitive skin and scar easily. Some people have hair loss, some don't, some people have sagging skin and others snap right back. At the end of the day, I chose to improve my health and expand my wardrobe and live with saggy breasts and skin...I want to fix it eventually but, am in no hurry. Reach out to me directly if you have any questions too! I know sometimes it can be hard to post in a public forum. I attached pictures of my belly and thighs and then a picture of me today. No spanks, no special bra (one of those new lounge bras by PINK), no control top leggings just me today. It's easily covered up. Everyone's different. Hope I've helped and not scared you, but I can tell you 1000% it was worth it for me. Best of luck on your journey!!!!

Healthy_life2 and Fluffy gave some great advice. They are very knowledgeable, and a treasure to this board.
I’m only a month out, but the memories of the first couple of weeks are very fresh. It was rough. I felt like getting my liquids and some Protein in was a full time job. Drinking is a lot easier now.
By week 3 I could eat very soft cheese (like laughing cow), eggface’s ricotta bake (that recipe is LEGIT), high-protein low-carb yogurt, soft scrambled eggs, puréed salmon spread.
Week 4, last week, I was able to add in some softly cooked brown meat chicken (I have a Sous vide, so it’s easy to keep it soft and not overcook it, I highly recommend that gadget) and softly cooked salmon. I could get in about 1/8 - 1/4 cup in. I have to go very slowly, like taking 20-30 minutes to eat it, and chew the daylights out of it.
I’ve progressed to being able to try little bits of most types of meats. I’m still learning to listen to my body’s signals that it’s full, so I go by measurements. 1/4 cup of food per meal, 3 meals per day, and 1 Protein Shake for a snack (half in the afternoon, half in the evening/night). I can add bits of salsa, etc. for flavor, which keeps down the monotony. I’m still going to be chewing for a long long time, and may forever. It’s not a bad thing. I enjoy my meals a lot more.
I can add in non-starchy veggies in at the 3 month mark, as long as I’m getting the protein in.
The chewing a ton and not drinking Water 1/2 hour before and 1/2 hour after a meal were some of the behaviors that I had to develop prior to surgery. My program was pretty rigorous, but I think it prepared me fairly well.
You’ll get used to this new way of being. There are so many wonderful Proteins and non starchy veggies out there.
I’m still going to indulge in fruit here and there, but it will be a bite of fresh strawberry, or a blackberry off a vine or a huckleberry or two while I’m hiking. And I will enjoy the hell out of it.

yup lesson learned, Proteins ALWAYS first, 60-80 grams daily

Oh God, that means I should start detox-ing now. Surgery is on the 14th.

I posted this in the guy's room, but thought woman might also find it useful.

I just passed my halfway point, and am feeling really good today! It may be slow, but it's better than not losing at all, or gaining. Feeling strong and knowing I can do this!

Ricotta Bake (google for recipe) seems to be a puree phase favorite. Also refried Beans or pureed beans of any kind.

Heyyyy everyone! Today is my surgery day. I am currently in the pre-op waiting area. Got my IV in and took pain medication. Waiting for my drugs and then off to the operating table. A little nervous but I'm sooooo ready!!!! Let's do this

Post Op Day 35:
Well folks... this thing called life has kept me from posting days 8 - 34, but I can tell you I'm down 40 pounds and working. My biggest struggles or should I say my biggest change is that I have to pace myself and not over do it. That and getting enough Water in. Once I'm at work I tend to get busy and forget to drink my alloted amount each day, but I'm still managing to get in 40-50oz a day. Getting enough water in is key as it will help with Constipation.
Our golf league started earlier this week and I felt as though I was a bit tuckered out after about 6 holes. I have zero pain at this point and life is good. Some big adjustments to lifestyle, but my main goal was a healthy lifestyle, no diabetes, better mobility and hoping to extend my life by 10 years
Hope everyone else is pain free and enjoying life ! ! !
MassMan

Update everyone...first of all thanks for all of the positive feedback. I actually went back into the hospital on Monday. All of my Vitamin levels were low and I will still extremely dehydrated. They ended up giving me more fluids with all of the Vitamins added. They could not find any usable veins since i was so dehydrated so after what felt like a thousand attempts... they were able to get my IV started with the use of an ultrasound machine. I feel a thousand times better today. I hope to never be in that situation again. Im taking alllll of my vitamins as scheduled and ive actually been able to keep down some things like small pieces of fruit, baby food, approx. 2 to 3 teaspoons of oatmel and about 40 ounces of Water throughout the day 😊😁😎😍 i hope my good days are here to stay

I just purchased the very same cookbook! Looks like some good, healthy recipes inside. Can't wait to get to pureed stage so I can start to try some!

Yeah so true I've read many times people doing the wrong thing instead of going stage by stage from liquids they jump to eating solid too soon I don't see the point going through all this surgery and costs just to continue to make the wrong choices.
You have to be completely prepared to change your whole life and everything you put in your body for the surgery, not just for health but because you can do damage if you skip steps..
I say to those people do more research before committing to surgery!!
I've personally been researching for months reading 100s of posts and articles..

I plan on trying some wine when I am 10 weeks out as we have a "girls trip" planned to Vegas. Can't go to Vegas and not indulge just a little bit.

I am home resting. First day was a lot of pain but it is now manageable. I have 6 incision 4 small ones and 2 large one. Looks like the made the incision where I had my gallbladder removed.
I am onto pureed, but 2 spoonfuls of yogurt fills me up. I am sipping Water, everything else taste like Syrup. No head hunger and I am uninterested in eating. The team at Mt. Sinai hospital NYC was absolutely amazing.

As of today's weigh in, I weigh exactly half of what I weighed when I began this journey! I've lost exactly 50% of my starting weight, and I've lost almost 85% of my excess weight! So glad I did this!

But they are not gonna, that messes up your surgeon's record as well as YOU, so they have a more than vested interest in keeping you SAFE.