Emotional Trainwreck

I had RNY surgery 8/31/11 and for some reason today I'm feeling emotionally overwhelmed.  I can't stop crying, I'm aggravated, I can't tolerate the crushed medicine I have to take, I feel like I've made a huge mistake.  Its like I can't enjoy anything anymore and I feel helpless!!  Anybody else go through these terrible moods?  

Absolutely! At one point early out, I was sobbing to my husband "I've broken my perfectly good body!"

I think it's pretty normal early out to have an emotional roller coaster.

Now- I'm a lot calmer and have no regrets.

It will get better!

You are in the acute recovery phase. It is normal to be a wreck right now. You were drugged to the gills and physically traumatized. You are taking in no nutrition and minimal hydration. This is normal.

Talk to the doctor about the medicine and find something different to do. And HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE. You need WATER more than you need anything else right now.

I went through a bit of a depression at about 4 weeks out too. They say its normal to do so. It will pass you just have to stick it out.  I started to feel much better once I began the soft protein stage 4 diet.  I actually started it a bit early just because I was in such a funk. Nothing too crazy just very soft protein like boiled chicken cooked so much it fell apart and soft cheeses with mini saltines for some crunch.

In a couple of weeks you should be able to swallow pils and will no longer have to crush them.  For now try mixing them with some sugar free applesauce or some greek yogurt.  

Soon you should feel better and the weight loss will make it all soooooo worth while!  It just takes a little figuring out. Everyone is different so once you figure out what works for you life will be great!

Your surgeon should have stressed that your hormones would go on a roller coaster ride as a post op. RNY surgery almost always causes female hormones to become overly active. This leads to mood swings, anxiety, depression and high fertility--so be aware of this to avoid unwanted pregnancy as an early post op.  "Buyer's remorse" is also very common after surgery. You've lived your whole life with food as a major part of your daily routine. Many social functions are based around food too.  You have many lifestyle changes as a post op, and you likely find the next few weeks to be a daunting task to deal with. FYI, I've never crushed any pills. I took my scripts in the hosptial in pill or capsule form.  If you can swallow water easily, you should be able to take pills. Take them one at a time for now.  I take liquid vitamins, which take less daily pills.  One word of caution here--if you really feel depressed, it's nothing to take lightly. I went through this about 20 years ago. Get some professional counseling if you need it, and don't be ashamed to take anti depressante meds.  I'd highly recommend a support group to help you understand that others go through the same feelings. You'll meet new friends and find a lot of tips to help you deal with possible challenges of the next few months. Good luck. DAVE

 I didn't have this issue with WLS but I sure did when I had my wisdom teeth out!

all 4 were impacted and I remember waking up in my living room when the pain meds had all worn off and weeping and thinking, OMG I paid somebody money to cut me open with a knife.... it felt like such a violation, the surgery, and it really is.

so give yourself some time.

With our surgeries on the exact same day. ...I know what you are going through.  I cried today watching American Pickers on the History Channel.  Are you kidding me?  What the heck brought this on.  Right now, I'm smelling a wonderful meal my family is preparing upstairs without me.  Everyone is right...we have legitimate feelings and we need to face them.  When I was so dopey sick on the narcs, I was a lot worse feeling sorry for myself.  I've stopped taking anything but some tylenol and my head and emotions are better than they were.

Hang in there Sissyroo.  When we reach some of our goals, this will seem like a distant memory, I'm sure!

Your hormones are going crazy right now.  Depression early on is common.  Talk to the surgeon or your PCP if it does not get better soon.

Oh my Gosh, I felt the same way the first week out. I had bad diarrhea, couldn't take any pain meds, and could get anything into me. I just cried and cried and cried. All I could think was "what did I do? What did I do?" I was a good sport for a day or two, but then I just lost it. My poor husband had to hold me for hours because I just coudln't stop crying.

But the truth is that one week after surgery, I woke up and just felt better. It's a big change and I know I wasn't thinking about the early post-op phase. I ws mentally already way ahead of that. So when it  hit, it took me by surprise.

You haven't madea huge mistake, but it is only fair to warn you that you may have a huge loss the first week and then stall for 2-3 weeks. It is absolutely normal. The weight loss WILL start up again. I wish someone had warned me, it would have saved me some instead of having serious freak outs!

Feel better and keep us posted! You are doing great so far!

I haven't has my VSG yet, but I sure had this problem after my hysterectomy/oophorectomy back in May.  I just cried my eyes out.  The surgeon gave me estrogen and it didn't seem to matter.  I think it is just plain stressful to have surgery.  But, it will get better.  I just tried to relax and get as much rest as possible.  Eventually, I started to feel better.

One problem for women is that fat cell make estrogen.  This is why obese women have higher breast cancer rates, etc.  So, when you loose weight, your estrogen levels will also decline.  This can have a big effect emotionally and physically.  Eventually, however, you will get used to it and feel better.  Since I has my overies out, I haven't had too many problems like hot flashes.  I figure that because of my weight, I am making plenty of estrogen.  But after I get a lot of this weight off I will start having more hot flashes, and all that.  Fortuantely, I'll be able to take estrogen again by the time that happens.

I'm glad to read about this problem in advance.  I will keep an eye out for it after my surgery.