My wife had the sleeve done almost 2 years ago. She lost weight and everything was good. Then on August 4th she went to a going away party and got super drunk, then all at once she went crazy! Ever since then she has had a huge/unhealthy boost in energy. This event seems to have jump started something that has gotten out of control over the last nine months. Excessive drinking, partying, shopping, cellphone messaging with friends (100's a day), leaving the house as much as possible even for no reason, constant avoidance of anything that requires her to sit still, and avoidance of family members and friends that aren't "exciting" or don't support her acting wild. Even texting with friends for hours in bed when she should be sleeping. She also has lost some interest at her job because in bores her now and lack of caring about our marriage. It really got bad this week and she wanted a divorce so she could party without having to fight with me about it the next day. This week was rock bottom and she broke down and admitted that there was something driving her that she couldn't control. I found a few articles on line that said after extreme weight loss from a surgery, women in their 30's and 40's can experience a resurgence in hormone production. The three most straight forward ways I saw this described was that it was like having roid rage, going through puberty, and being in heat all at the same time. Her ovulation has been extreme since this started, which might be evidence of this. I also read that this could last 1-3 years before the brain realizes to shut it down to normal levels. When I told her this , she cried and said "that's exactly how I feel all the time and I can't control it". She gets jittery sitting on the couch watching TV, she feels like she's being pumped full of adrenaline all day every day non-stop, she lashes out at people who want to help, she says she has major anxiety about sitting down for 3 minute just to write out checks to pay the bills that aren't automatic withdraws, some medical and other small bills have piled up for months now. The last couple of days have been great since we've come to this realization and are going to find a way to fix it. Today sitting on the couch waiting for her friend to come pick her up she looked like a caged wild tiger ready to eat someone, BUT today she realized it was happening. She couldn't stop it, but she recognized it and said something, I was proud of her!

Any other women out there experience this? Were you able to fix or suppress it with medicine?

Edited May 5, 20197 yr by 70worm

I would see her GYN. Hormones are no joke. I hope it gets better.

And have her checked also for hyperthyroidism. The unintentional bodily overdrive does not sound healthy for her, help her before she crashes, please? ???

To me this sounds exactly like Bipolar Disorder (coming from someone who has it). Maybe this is a mental health issue?? Nothing to be ashamed of, just requires professional help. Good luck to both of you!

And please update us if you do find a solution, okay?

On 5/6/2019 at 12:43 PM, Briswife15 said:

To me this sounds exactly like Bipolar Disorder (coming from someone who has it). Maybe this is a mental health issue?? Nothing to be ashamed of, just requires professional help. Good luck to both of you!

I agree with Briswife, as well as testing her hormones, you should probably explore this possibility. My mom has Bipolar Disorder and this sounds EXACTLY like her manic episodes (the "highs" stage), where she is extremely jumpy and talkative, goes on shopping sprees, texts everyone all day, stays up all night doing random activities, booking vacations, etc.

I thought bipolar was an "up & down" thing? She been "up" for 9 months.

She said they test her thyroid check every 6 months.

Edited May 7, 20197 yr by 70worm

No, there are various types of bipolar. She could just be in a long "up" phase. Hoping uou two find some answers

Sounds like she is making up for lost time with her new thinner self.

My wife definitely has addiction transfer.

https://scienceline.org/2015/01/alcoholism-after-gastric-bypass-is-it-in-your-mind-or-gut/

Small Update: My wife is going to the doctor to have her hormone levels checked but says she may not take the medicine to fix it if that's an option. She says she doesn't want to stop having fun even if it hurts me. She said today that sometimes the drive is so great that she feels possessed by a demon! You would think that having that feeling would make her want to seek help? Nothing makes sense with her anymore. My Grandpa has Alzehimer's and Dementia, and talking to her about it is like trying to convince him that he has a problem. She calls me a liar and tells me I'm crazy, and that i'm the only one who has a problem with her drinking. Her whole family hates her drinking and her drinking buddy. She basically told me to get over it and deal with it because she doesn't care what I say. She lives in denial everyday.

Sorry that you and your wife are going thru this. The super high energy level, excessive spending, drinking, and texting when she should be sleeping still sound like Bipolar Disorder to me. But, she probably wouldn't seek help even if it was. Some people like the manic phase. Hang in there, and I hope things get better for you.

On 5/20/2019 at 5:13 AM, 70worm said:

My wife definitely has addiction transfer.

https://scienceline.org/2015/01/alcoholism-after-gastric-bypass-is-it-in-your-mind-or-gut/

I can't get that link to work . What is this now?

On 6/11/2019 at 3:24 PM, 70worm said:

Small Update: My wife is going to the doctor to have her hormone levels checked but says she may not take the medicine to fix it if that's an option. She says she doesn't want to stop having fun even if it hurts me. She said today that sometimes the drive is so great that she feels possessed by a demon! You would think that having that feeling would make her want to seek help? Nothing makes sense with her anymore. My Grandpa has Alzehimer's and Dementia, and talking to her about it is like trying to convince him that he has a problem. She calls me a liar and tells me I'm crazy, and that i'm the only one who has a problem with her drinking. Her whole family hates her drinking and her drinking buddy. She basically told me to get over it and deal with it because she doesn't care what I say. She lives in denial everyday.

So sorry youre going through this. Maybe it is time............

Hello, I'm truly sorry you are going through this, sounds very emotionally exhausting but I have to agree with Briswife, this is text book mania/hypomania of Bipolar Disorder. Not only is she impulsive but also illogical and irrational. She can't see the obvious like you and other family members do and while her actions are deeply hurtful, I doubt she is doing it on purpose as her insight is impaired.
Any human being loves being manic/hypomanic and that's why some people with bipolar disorder are not very medication compliant as it takes their "high" away.

After a good Medical checkup/workup, she needs to see a psychiatrist and it may be easier for her to hear that from her PCP or any medical professional than you. I would encourage you to go with her to her doctor's appointments so they get a full picture.

This is going to test ALL your marital resolve but hang in and hang tough as this is a medical condition too like anything else but the stigma of psychiatric disorders is severe especially when all you see are "behaviors". It's not uncommon for mental illness to be triggered by anything that stresses the mind, body and soul.
Take care and Wishing you success in all areas.