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Depression and anxiety



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Hello!! I was sleeved on 12/20 and everything seemed to be going well. But now I feel sad and anxiety. I take Zoloft and have been taking it for a couple of years. How are you doing with this or have you experienced this??

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I had my surgery 12/13/18. When I got home from the hospital, the next day, I was depressed and regretful. I couldn't believe what I had done to my body because I can't control my eating habits. I moped a bit, but then decided to focus on the positive outcomes that lie ahead for me. I am losing weight and I do feel better. The more I heal from the surgery, the better I feel about my decision. It can be lonely when you have to eat differently during these first few weeks. So much emphasis is placed on bonding over shared eating in our culture, in fact, most if not all cultures.

I think is is natural to morn your old self and habits, so try to focus on your new ones in a positive light.

With all of this said, I realize if you have diagnosed depression with medication, then the feelings may be amplified for you. I would consider talking to your doctor about your feelings and also your dosage.

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You build yourself up and up preparing for your surgery, when you go home often there is a let-down, you may not feel really great, stiff, sore and gassy. More often than not as the days pass things will smooth out, if not reach out to your doctor or someone else you trust. We all need help at one time or another, no shame in that.

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I had my surgery 12/13/18. When I got home from the hospital, the next day, I was depressed and regretful. I couldn't believe what I had done to my body because I can't control my eating habits. I moped a bit, but then decided to focus on the positive outcomes that lie ahead for me. I am losing weight and I do feel better. The more I heal from the surgery, the better I feel about my decision. It can be lonely when you have to eat differently during these first few weeks. So much emphasis is placed on bonding over shared eating in our culture, in fact, most if not all cultures.
I think is is natural to morn your old self and habits, so try to focus on your new ones in a positive light.
With all of this said, I realize if you have diagnosed depression with medication, then the feelings may be amplified for you. I would consider talking to your doctor about your feelings and also your dosage.


Thanks for replying. I thought I was doing well coping or adjusting to the surgery but I guess mentally or subconsciously I was thinking negatively. My depression has been in remission for the past 2 years so I was surprised that these feelings came back and it seemed to come abruptly. I meet with my surgeon on Thursday I will speak with him about it. Also I will make an appointment with psychiatrist too. But I do have a great support system and I am reaching out to them. So grateful for this forum too


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You build yourself up and up preparing for your surgery, when you go home often there is a let-down, you may not feel really great, stiff, sore and gassy. More often than not as the days pass things will smooth out, if not reach out to your doctor or someone else you trust. We all need help at one time or another, no shame in that.
Thanks, I'm glad I have his forum for support. I will speak with my surgeon and psychiatrist too.


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Good Luck! I hope things get better for you.

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Ah, yes! Depression and anxiety! Quite frankly, mine was probably not well controlled prior to surgery, but I felt AMAZING after surgery (sleeved 10/17/18) and stopped taking my depression medication. (I only take anxiety medication on an as-needed basis. When my depression is well controlled, that means I almost never need anxiety meds.) That amazing feeling was temporary and I'm back on my meds. I can tell I'm struggling a bit with the depression and am really struggling with anxiety. (Also dealing with my 8 year old daughter's mental health concerns and a major job change, so it just feels like a lot to handle while also learning my new life.)

I'm seeing a therapist weekly for my eating disorder (diagnosed binge eating disorder) and we also touch on my depression and anxiety via the talk therapy.

While at my daughter's neurologist this summer, I mentioned my surgery to the doctor. He told me to watch myself carefully and seek help when I needed it because he sees drastic mental health changes in post bariatric surgery patients. He indicated that they are often temporary while the body heals and re-norms, but made it clear that these changes can be astronomical. I try to remember that on days I'm really struggling. With time and therapy (for me) things will re-norm.

Please consider talking with your doctor about a temporary dose adjustment.

Hang in there!

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I thought it was just me feeling out of sorts. Today I'm really off. But I've been really off the past couple of days. I just want to be alone for a while. I'm really agitated. Everything and everyone feels like they're smothering me.

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I had a depressed day and basically wanting to be alone and everyone not getting how I felt, and not being able to figure out what my body can tolerate, but this chick here sat down, regrouped, and thought of alternatives to get myself together. Prayer, Music, Water, and walks. The next day was a lot better. I felt stuck literally. But, I got a little more MOJO to keep pushing...WE CAN DO THIS Y'ALL![emoji847][emoji7]

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The best thing I do for me is see a psychologist. She has helped me be prepared to better deal with stress and the changes I am going through.

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Ah, yes! Depression and anxiety! Quite frankly, mine was probably not well controlled prior to surgery, but I felt AMAZING after surgery (sleeved 10/17/18) and stopped taking my depression medication. (I only take anxiety medication on an as-needed basis. When my depression is well controlled, that means I almost never need anxiety meds.) That amazing feeling was temporary and I'm back on my meds. I can tell I'm struggling a bit with the depression and am really struggling with anxiety. (Also dealing with my 8 year old daughter's mental health concerns and a major job change, so it just feels like a lot to handle while also learning my new life.)
I'm seeing a therapist weekly for my eating disorder (diagnosed binge eating disorder) and we also touch on my depression and anxiety via the talk therapy.
While at my daughter's neurologist this summer, I mentioned my surgery to the doctor. He told me to watch myself carefully and seek help when I needed it because he sees drastic mental health changes in post bariatric surgery patients. He indicated that they are often temporary while the body heals and re-norms, but made it clear that these changes can be astronomical. I try to remember that on days I'm really struggling. With time and therapy (for me) things will re-norm.
Please consider talking with your doctor about a temporary dose adjustment.
Hang in there!
Thanks for replying! And I'm sorry to hear about your situation. That does seem like a lot to handle, I hope things get better! I'm glad you mentioned that it's temporary, I remember to think about that when I'm having an episode. Today I feel a lot better. I'm focusing on the positive, staying present, and putting all my faith in God. Looking back, I realized that I was playing that negative reel in my mind. Like the what ifs or the should ofs and how it's going to be. So I stopped that. Takes practice but I feel better. I've also made an appointment with my therapist!!

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I thought it was just me feeling out of sorts. Today I'm really off. But I've been really off the past couple of days. I just want to be alone for a while. I'm really agitated. Everything and everyone feels like they're smothering me.
I'm feeling better today!! I'm taking it one day at a time! How are you today?

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I had a depressed day and basically wanting to be alone and everyone not getting how I felt, and not being able to figure out what my body can tolerate, but this chick here sat down, regrouped, and thought of alternatives to get myself together. Prayer, Music, Water, and walks. The next day was a lot better. I felt stuck literally. But, I got a little more MOJO to keep pushing...WE CAN DO THIS Y'ALL![emoji847][emoji7]

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You are absolutely right. I realized I wasn't doing anything. So I decided to start walking, listening to music and meditating. It's only been a day, but I feel better!

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The best thing I do for me is see a psychologist. She has helped me be prepared to better deal with stress and the changes I am going through.
I made appointment but her next availability is in March. Yikes! But she put me on a wait list, just in case anyone cancels. [emoji57]

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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