Insomnia and depression

 Happy Thanksgiving all. I'm 6 1/2 weeks post op RNY and I have been having insomnia every night. And a couple weeks ago depression has kicked in. Everyone keeps telling me this is still new it will pass but I keep thinking I want to have this reversed. I feel like I made the total wrong decision. The whole process happened so fast. I went to my first class on May 22, 2011 and had my surgery 10/10/11 less then 5 months. I found out on Monday I'm lactose intolerant now. If anyone had problems with insomnia how long does this last? 

 sorry to hear that you are suffering with insomnia, depression and "buyers" regret.  I'm pre-op, so haven't any words of wisdom to offer you, but I hope things turn around and start to get better soon.  You deserve a good nights sleep and peace of mind.

 Good luck with your surgery. I wish I would have signed up for this group before I had my surgery. :) Thank you for the kind words.

I've had insomnia my whole life, I think.  At least since I was in junior high school.  And I still have  it - these days I am sleeping about four hours a night, if I'm lucky.  So I can't tell you when or if yours will go away.  however, if it's a real problem for you, you can talk to your doc about a prescription to help you sleep.

Why do you think you made the wrong decision?  Because of the insomnia and depression?  If you did not have those before surgery, they will likely go away soon.  What are you doing to cope with the depression?  Meds?  Therapy?

 I'm also having troubles with eating. I've become lactose intolerant and it seams like all I can eat is chicken. I'm just getting frustrated. I knew this new journey was going to be difficult but I never knew I was going to feel like this. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the depression. I emailed my Dr and now I just have to wait for him to call me back. Reguarding the insomnia I go to sleep around 10:30 and then tossing and turning from 3am to about 4:30am then I just get up. Thank you for the comment :) 

Make an appt with your doc to talk about meds for sleep and depression, and make an appt with a therapist. 

 Thank you Kelly. I will

Good.  Keep us updated.  I hope you're feeling better soon - sometimes, for me, just taking steps in the right direction helps.  It's like if I know relief, or the possibility of relief, is on the way, I can hang  on easier.

Almost all post ops expereince depression and/or insomnia. Hormones become very active as you lose wt, and this in turns, increases activity of hormones. This may lead to wide mood swings or just depresion in general.  If the depression is becoming a major issue, don't be hesitant to consult some medical professionals. Counseling and/or antidepressants may help you a great deal.  I have periods of sleeping issues, moreso since my RNY. I took sleeping pills for 15 years before my wt loss surgery, but those pills alone do not work as well now.  Taking a warm bath right before bedtime, or having a small glass of warm milk may help.  I've also used Melatonin or Tryptophan at bedtime for added help.  These are OTC and do not require a script.  Tryptphon comes in 2, 5 and 10mg sizes normally, and I get the 10mg from puritan.com on sale all the time. For additional help, turn off all forms of disturbance when you retire.  Put phone on answering mode. Turn off cell phone. Turn off TV and most lights.  You want to be as relaxed as possible.  I got 5 1/2 hrs. sleep last night, due to the busy day we had yesterday, and I could not relax enough. I forgot to take the melatonin.  It might sound strange, but here are a couple more tips. I use those "white noise" units that emit various tones--slight hissing, heartbeat, crashing waves, babbling brooks, birds chirping, etc.  These seem to keep a constant low noise level that doesn't bother me.  I have severe headaches and have to lay down for an hour or so daily. At those times, I use those ear portection ear "muffs" that cover your ear and drown out most noises, but not all.  Good luck. DAVE

 Thank you Dave for the advice. I'm lactose intolerant so no warm milk for me. When I sleep it is completly dark. I sleep straight through from about 10:30 to 3 or 3:30am then I toss and turn then finally I just get up.