I think my depression may be beginning to ease up a little bit because I actually had energy to vacuum my apartment. It needed it and I decided to do it. I have some more energy now. Tomorrow, I think I am going to give my bathroom and kitchen a good thorough cleaning as well.

Wow although today is my first day of really visiting this site , I love it!! I also suffer from depression and although I haven’t had my surgery yet , I worry that the depression will show it’s ugly face , nevertheless I will continue taking my antidepressant and hope for the best.

I also am presurg, have stated depression in its ugly face, but guess what? I'm going to feel less depressed after than before.
More of mine has to do with a pervasive sense of[emoji8] unworthiness, I have felt like I didn't deserve surgery, that the world agreed with that, my surgery will be a reaffirmation of worthy-ness, a confirmation that I matter and that someone believed enough in me to grant this wish. Many people wade in the doldrums [emoji19]post surgery, I on the other hand will be overjoyed. And my current state will be changed.[emoji13][emoji14]

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The first few weeks seem to be the worse. Or they were for me! The big thing is redirecting your thoughts! When you start thinking crap thoughts change your stinking thinking!

And nothing beats having a good medication. But I know finding the right one takes time and is frustrating.

The first few weeks seem to be the worse. Or they were for me! The big thing is redirecting your thoughts! When you start thinking crap thoughts change your stinking thinking!

Why do you guys think you became depressed/more depressed right after surgery? I have a history of some pretty bad depression and I have my consult next week for a bypass so I'm kinda nervous reading this. Thanks for any input you have!

It’s a huge change in the beginning! You’re not going to really loose much weight and you can’t eat anything. Not to mention the portion sizes suck!
All I kept thinking was “what have I done?!?!” BUT it got easier and now I’m so glad I did it!

Congrats hon!!!! That's outstanding!!

5 hours ago, optimisk said:

Why do you guys think you became depressed/more depressed right after surgery? I have a history of some pretty bad depression and I have my consult next week for a bypass so I'm kinda nervous reading this. Thanks for any input you have!

Well, my psychologist says that it is part of the mourning process of letting an old and familiar self go. He also says that it some of it might be the realization that I will be unable to use food as medicine in the future. I've done this all of my life so it's going to be difficult to gradually find and discover better coping skills. I agree with him. Food kept me from experiencing the pain of my past.

It's also that the body has undergone a huge change. In my case, my blood sugar averages went from probably around 150-60 to 98 and I am sure I've had some biochemical changes. Our bodies are meant to maintain tight blood sugar control tolerances. Furthermore, I got off of all 5 of the medicines I was using to control blood sugar and who knows how these effect biochemical process related to mood.

Don't read too much into my experience, @optimisk. Your experience will be different as each person's is. Each person's biochemistry is so different and it is effected by their life's events and experiences. The one thing I can tell you is that this is major, serious surgery and is not to be taken lightly. It will be life changing in ways that will be unique to you.

Congrats on vacating the diabetes drugs and on normalizing blood sugars!!!! Yay!!!

Just now, FluffyChix said:

Congrats on vacating the diabetes drugs and on normalizing blood sugars!!!! Yay!!!

Thank you, @FluffyChix. It feels good to get rid of those. But as you said, this is surgical remission. We'll have to see what happens 6 months to a year down the road. I was only a diabetic for a short period of time (a little over a year.) I hope that this might be in time to reverse damage that may have been caused.

Well. I'm so happy to hear you say that!!! So the good news is you have 6 months to maybe even 18 months of grace to start figuring out how to eat better! So that once, your body does acclimate and regrow microvilli that increase absorption of nutrients, you will be eating a very healthy, diabetic diet for life.

IF you don't have the book by Dr. Richard K. Bernstein. You should buy and read it today. This guy is brilliant, ground breaking and has saved 1000s of lives! He's a 70+ year old T1 diabetic with zero neuropathy, a lower A1c than me, and I think only takes 5 units of slow acting insulin daily. (T1!!! That's amazing!) He is an engineer and now an MD (diabetologist) and he pioneered the use of the home glucometer and "eating to your meter."

The book is called Normal Blood Sugars by Richard K. Bernstein, M.D. https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Bernsteins-Diabetes-Solution-Achieving/dp/0316182699

Thanks Fluffy for the info, I'll look that book up at my local library too. As a pre-diabetic in the "there but for the Grace of God go I" stage I want to read more always. Praying my future surgery averts full-blown diabetes but PCP warns me I'm at the edge of Slippery Slope, one of the reasons he's as gung ho,about my future RnY as me. [emoji14]

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I started the process of switching antidepressants before surgery for unrelated reasons. (in retrospect this was a poor decision). It was going well, and then a few days before surgery I was a mess-- crying in the bathroom at work. It was not pretty. This continued until a few days after surgery. I think the pre-op diet ( and sudden loss of sugar) was the major reason.

Now, my depression is better than it was before surgery. Optimisk, I think if you have dealt with depression before, and have the tools to deal with it (medication or relationship with a psychiatrist or a therapist), it's manageable.

I think part of the worst part of depression is that it can sneak up on you, and then you live in denial about being depressed. And then you needlessly suffer for like three months, because you've convinced yourself nothing is wrong. But if it has happened before, you can be more proactive.

I am glad that you are less depressed @Mattymatt.

All the changes can really be a challenge with more to come, but forewarned is forearmed in most cases.

However, the physiology of depression is an illusive animal for a lot of people and how medication works on it eludes even the physicians.

On a side note - I cannot like any of your content, others have mentioned this, do you have me blocked intentionally/unintentionally?

Why do you guys think you became depressed/more depressed right after surgery? I have a history of some pretty bad depression and I have my consult next week for a bypass so I'm kinda nervous reading this. Thanks for any input you have!

You no longer have the escape of food like you used to. You can no longer abuse food. Also, I think the weight loss has affected my medications as well.