I call BS on many of the statements as well... however, i for sure have had to deal with some emotional issues post weight loss. I was pretty okay during the weight loss phase, it was as I got closer to goal, and then maintenance.
It is my opinion that for me personally the primary issue was that food was sort of an emotional ballast, a crutch, a way of numbing feelings. When you spend DECADES leaning on something like that it is really hard to adapt. They tell you to replace it with physical activity (I did), friends, family and new hobbies and interests (I did) and at times I still felt like I had a hole in my heart. Honestly, I think for the most part, I just wasn't used to REALLY feeling my feelings. I was used to being numb. It was a wild ride to get to the point where I was comfortable with that.
also, your looks change ALOT. It's a good happy change, but when you go from being invisible to being quite noticed, it is shocking. Again, I am over it and it doesn't impact me much these days, but it was a bit of a head trip.
Then, there are expectations. I NEVER expected weight loss to solve my problems in life. However, once that central issue, monkey on my back obesity was in check... I started looking around thinking "hey, i want more out of life". My expectations now in terms of what I want in life are much much higher. Example, I was planning to go to Hawaii in December with a friend - I have never been there in my whole life. She couldn't make it happen, so that was a little disappointing. When I was obese, I wouldn't have even wanted to go to Hawaii. That isn't depressing for me, but it surely has an emotional impact.
I feel at times like I am on an emotional roller coaster,however I was prepared for this. I know that if I am in a funk today, that I should feel better tomorrow. I also eat carbs, not a lot,but some. They're part of the diet that I follow.
Thanks you three for responding... it is really helpful to get your feedback. I am trying to see myself 5 years down the road with having done this operation, and hoping to look at all sides of it: good, bad, hard, wonderful.
Thanks again.
Keep posting, anyone else that would like to contribute.
I read that article just today. I am 2 and 1/2 months out from my gastric bypass and for the first time in my life am dealing with serious depression. My husband took me to the ER on Monday due to the severity. Maybe the article has some inaccuracies. But my life is good. I have lost 73 pounds I am under 300 for the first time in more than 10 years. I have a great job, great home and so much less pain than I did 73 pounds ago. But despite all these wonderful things I feel so sad. My husband called My surgeon who said depression can be a complication. I am not sure that we really know all the reasons. I haven't started treatment yet except the Xanax I was prescribed in the ER, But I think you should know that depression after surgery can really happen and for me it was the scariest thing I have ever felt.
I am not sure any of us understand all the variables and mecanism that go into this. I was "braced" for emotional difficulties during weight loss but what shocked me I guess was it didn't really hit me until I got to goal.
It did make me reflect on the last time i was trim... 1985... I was a cute young thing and I completely FREAKED out at living in a slim body and no food to help soothe me. I have done alot better this time, and now 3 years post op I feel like I am sailing along quite happily, but i did go through some hard times. I did make a conscious effort to face the emotional turmoil and not rely on food to numb me again...
Brenda, one of the things that happens during weight loss is massive amounts of stored estrogen are released. That can definately mess with the emotional state. I hope you are feeling better soon. I am so glad you have a supportive husband - just know that this WILL get better.
I am 2.5 months out from surgery and have started having anxiety and depression. Was started on Paxil. I have never had an issue with this ever so I am really stressing out.
Kaninag- I went through the biggest depression I ever had in my life at 2.5 months after surgery. Since then I started medication which helped but after about 2 months of the depression it just resolved. I have now gone off my medication and have been emotionally stable.. and getting thinner ever since. Partly I just got used to how I eat. Partly I was able to start eating more different foods and partly... I think my body got used to the changes. Things are not always perfect but that really bad time is in the past. I hope that you can see past the here and now and know that it will get greater later.
God bless.
That's why its a requirement for you to speak with a psychologist before you even get approved for surgery so that they can determine if you are mentally prepared for the changes that will occur post op. When I first saw the psychologist she had me take a personality test and follow up with her for results. Assuming I answered correctly because I'm almost 2 mos post op...lol!!!
I had to laugh. I was reading that article while eating dark chocolate with some unsalted peanuts. I did have just Protein for breakfast: scrambled egg, a piece of bacon, and a few bites of Tomato. But for lunch I had a spinach salad with a homemade bean salad made with salsa and 3 kinds of Beans, fresh mushroom, yellow pepper, cukes, tomato, and carrot. For dinner tonight I am having baked eggplant stuffed with lean ground beef and veggies. In a days time, I don't eat as many carbs as I used to, but I will eat enough to stay out of ketosis. I call BS on that article, too.
Great! Thanks! I'm 5 days out, and I have so many mixed emotions.
I was started on meds as well and am feeling tons better! Even though we are required to do psych evals doesn't mean that we won't have problems. I have NEVER EVER had trouble with anxiety and I was a revision from lap band. BUT I had a cardiac complication post surgery and I think that was my trigger.
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Recent Status Updates
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Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs.· 0 replies
I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play, and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm.
I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order.
My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore.
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Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.· 0 replies
Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
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Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣· 0 replies
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Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.· 0 replies
I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL
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I call bullshit on this article. It's replete with inaccuracies, e.g., "So little food can be eaten at a time that patients are told not to drink Water at mealtime because doing so leaves no room for food." (Nope, that's not why we don't drink Water at mealtimes.) And "Post-operatively, patients eat only Protein and supplements to prevent muscle, Vitamin and mineral loss." (Uh, no, that's not true either.)
If the writer did any actual research about WLS patients' actual experiences, the article makes it sound like she attended a single WLS support group and assumed the participants' anecdotal experiences are typical of all WLS patients. (No, that's not how research, even qualitative research, should be conducted.)
The writer does lots of "wondering" and "surmising" and "figuring" and "what if'ing". The text of the article contains eight questions marks, e.g., "Would giving tryptophan as a supplement help?" (Gee, I don't know -- would it?) It reads like it should be titled "Random, Hairbrained Questions I Had About Weight Loss Surgery Without Bothering to Inform Myself About It at All."
This piece is pathetic. It's not fit for a publication like Psychology Today. The author is just flogging her new book, The Antidepressant Diet, not investigating seriously any connections between WLS and depression.
Epic fail.
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