Hi everyone, long time reader of the vst but this is my first post. My surgey date is August 6th and after doing some research on the physiological changes after surgery and not being able to find any answers, I was hoping some members of the community would be able to shed some light on this.

VSG is successful by limiting the ammounf of food that can be consumed at one time (restriction). The part of the stomach that is removed is home to a concentration of Ghrelin producing cells. Although they exist all over the stomach, they are highly concentrated in the area that is removed. Ghrelin is responsible for rewarding you for filling your stomach full of food. From what I gather, eating a meal is the equivelant of Ghrelin giving your brain a reward for eating. Less hormone...less desire to eat.

With that being said Ghrellin is also responsible for a few other bodily functions, but this has me concerned:

The hormone (Ghrellin) might help defend against symptoms of stress-induced depression and anxiety.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghrelin

So is it evident enough to say that this surgery may cause difficulty coping with stress-induced depression and anxiety? Anyone have an opinion or experience to share?

The old me turned to food for stress management. The new me goes kickboxing for stress management so I think I'm ok.

But that is very interesting.

Well, I'm 18 months post-op and have a stressful job. I haven't noticed any symptoms of depression or anxiety. I'm not saying it couldn't happen to anyone else, but I haven't experienced it.

Gastrectomies have never been done in the numbers that have occurred over the past five years and especially over the past three. We are all kind of guinea pigs in a huge, real-world experiment and the long-term effects of VSG probably won't be known for a while. That said, the research done about ghrelin, leptin, and the other hunger and obesity hormones is also in infancy. As with any topic, take what you read on Wikipedia with a dose of skepticism. Anyone can post anything there.

Cross over addiction is a huge concern as we give up our food addiction. This can be brought on by depression and emotional disorders so I would make sure you have a support network in place that is willing to confront you in love if they see you struggling emotionally and if they do don't not hesitate to get help. On the other hand... how depressing has it been to be so overweight!

I'm going with the earlier Wikipedia comment.

That said, I think there is a huge connection between feelings and fat. And I think that connection, especially with this surgery, requires us all to be grown-ups and face it head-on (as opposed,say, to my usual strategy of brownies as a preferred coping mechanism for stress).

There are a lot of incredibly bright, successful, and courageous people on this site. Ever wonder why people who can sanely and rationally take on adult life can succeed in every but this one? Me too. I'm a sharp girl, so why have I engaged in a decades long attempt at this thing I cannot conquer?

Other than this (okay, and algebra with Miss Henchel in the ninth grade) I have not failed at anything else in my whole life. Mistakes? Sure, but failure? Not so much.

Think I'm going to be depressed after surgery? Hmmmm. I'm gonna risk it. DeterminedGirl

The psychologist I saw for my psych evaluation had done a lot of bariatric evals and follow-up counseling and she said that she had seen a huge number of depression cases post weight loss. But a lot of her experience was in lapband, so I think she was referring more to the body image/not having adequate coping mechanisms/dealing with all the reasons we ate to begin with.

For my own mental health, I'm planning on starting counseling soon and continuing with it. I know from experience that sometimes I fail in the coping strategies department and would like to be prepared.

Thank you for everyone that contributed. Your insite is greatly appreciated

Most people have commented on how I seem happier since my WLS. I tend to smile more, and I am engaged in life more. I am more willing to do things and say things. I feel more confident, and I no longer have that voice in my ear commenting on my large body, which is a big reason why I'm happier.

im worried about that to, but because i've had depression before i know exactly what it feels like. if it does happen which i doubt, ill get help before it gets a chance to do anything major. I think you should too. Depression starts off as you not feeling like doing anything anymore, you just don't have the motivation you used t.o you feel like meeting up with your friends is too much to deal with so you avoid it. You have to nip it right there before it starts getting serious

(a great cure for depression is lots of exercise)

I agree with the seeking counseling idea. I've gone to a counselor off and on for years. In some ways, she's like a life coach. She couldn't be happier about me doing this for myself. But, I can definitely see some problems in the long run, if unchecked. I've always turned to food when I was happy or sad. I think a strong component of any WLS procedure is nutritional guidance and counseling, if necessary.

Ooh I have never heard about the correlation between ghrelin and coping with stress/anxiety. If that's the case, if removing ghrelin from my body will cause coping problems, then I am sunk. Because I have an increasingly harder time coping with stress!

On the other hand, I really think it's more to do with the stress in my life increasing a an alarming rate than me unable to cope......so maybe the flip side is that ghrelin isn't doing it's job in large amounts!

I think each person will have a different reaction and experience and just because Wiki says you'll be unable to cope doesn't mean it's true. It's a risk I'm willing to take, but of course everyone will have a different perspective.

:-)