Tiernan1212

I have major depressive disorder and anxiety. My surgeon and I have decided that gastric sleeve will be best for me. I have the blessing of my Psychiatrist and my therapist. I will also meet with my therapist once a week for 8 weeks to make sure i am stable. Congrats on your decision!!

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I take meds and Vitamins with the sleeve and I never had problems swallowing them. I take Claritin D 24 and Women's One a Day Vitamins, which are both pretty big without issue. I could take one of my medications that's medium large the day after surgery.

I’m also preop (surgery on 28th Sept) and have followed this thread with interest.
I have bipolar and anxiety disorder- both of which are well controlled with meds.
To have (hopefully) the least impact on my med absorption my surgeon suggested a sleeve instead of a bypass. I really don’t want my bipolar exacerbated by having this surgery.

I just called today to schedule my consultation appointment! I'm not concerned about qualifying since my BMI is 44 and I have high blood pressure and cholesterol. I will have to jump through insurance hoops, but they're checking into all that before I actually schedule my appointment.
The only person I've told is my partner, and he is very supportive of me no matter my choices. He's happy with me the way I am (and I truly believe him), but he understands the positive impact it will have on both my physical and mental health. I don't plan on telling anyone else until everything is set and scheduled, and even then it will just be my kids and my parents.
I'm so happy you posted this because I'm sure he'll be happy I've found other people to constantly talk about this with lol. Im sure I'm driving him nuts!

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I suffer from anxiety and I had been talking to my therapist before I had the surgery to prep. I know having this surgery won’t solve all my issues but it will help improve the quality of my life. My mental health as of now has been stable. I have a tool kit to help me. I do my best to give myself a daily goal. Even if it’s just making the bed. This way I don’t back slide. I’m 6 days post op so my goal is to walk as much as I can within reason and that seems to be helping. In the psych evaluation for the surgery I was open about my anxiety issues and that wasn’t used against me. Turns old my old therapist used to work there. Small world!

I think you are on the right track, as long as you are monitoring your symptoms and have a plan, you should be OK. I know what you're going through, there was a period of many months where I couldn't get out of bed for lack of energy and I was sleeping about 14-16 hours a day. I call this my "Koala mode" (as an Aussie). Other times, I will get Patches of insomnia.
I actually think WLS helped me because it gave me a sense of purpose and hope. For me, mental health and weight are both issues that I will deal with for life. I think you have to accept that and put together a "tool kit" for dealing with both. I try and set daily goals and go easy on myself when I need to, and push myself when I need to. A daily walk, medication and therapy are important components of my treatment plan. For others, it might be quiet time, attending church, self care, a hobby etc.
Things can get better, I promise. My symptoms are very light at the moment, but I do work very hard to "look after myself". Losing weight has been great for energy levels. My sleeping is much better. I don't know if it's the sleep apnea getting better or something else. I do have some chronic illnesses, so I will just go and take a nap if I need it, and I try not to be hard on myself. But I've definitely seen improvements in the three years since I had surgery. I really hope that you do too!

Thank you both very much! I'm in a good place right now, but I had read that post surgery depression can get worse. I'll make sure to keep in close contact with my psychiatric team throughout and after surgery. My main depression obstacle right now is an extreme lack of energy and a lot of sleeping. My mood is fine, and I'm sure it could simply be the weight that's so draining.

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Hi everyone,

I'm just starting on my research for weight loss surgery, and just requested my first appointment. I've been reading through posts here and am curious how pre-existing mental health issues played into your surgery decisions. I am diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety, but have found a good med combination and am stable overall. Most of my depression issues relate to my weight and self esteem. How has the pre-op, actual surgery, and short and long term post-op impacted your mental health?

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