depressed since surgery

I knew about depression after WLS being a thing. I knew it could happen but I am in it now and hate it. Ever since I got home I've been depressed. I was happier before I had this surgery. Now I just feel down all of the time. My mind has gone to really dark places after surgery. 

I have no reason to feel down. I am recovering well from surgery. I have some GERD but I'm hoping it will go away. I have three great kids and a loving, supportive husband. I should be happy, but I'm not. I see other post ops on facebook boards posting about how excited they are about the weight they are losing and how happy they are with their sleeve. I see the weight coming off but I still feel depressed. 

Does ghrelin have something to do with mood? Now that I produce very little ghrelin is that causing the depression?

My PCP has put me on welbutrin but has said I won't see any benefit of that for two weeks. 

My anxiety levels are high and my bp is still high, despite having lost about 40 pounds. 

Has anyone else experienced this? How did you overcome it? Does it just take time?

-Anne

I did not suffer from depression after surgery though I have during my lifetime. It can be a  very dark place that makes no sense when you can see so many good things in your life.

For many they say it is caused by the hormones that the fat releases as it leaves the body. I have not read about the lack of ghrelin causing causing depression but who knows. I am glad you have been to your PCP and are  on Welbutrin. Two weeks sounds like a lifetime when you feel very down but hang in there. Before you know it the world will look so different and you will be able to enjoy the changes surgery and losing weight bring to you.

Hope you soon feel better.

Anne, wishing you clear thoughts about your situation now and improvements in the near term also.  Since you have had a Revision, I suspect that an earlier WLS was not everything you wanted it to be and feel that maybe, your expectations could be a little high.  Sorry to say...patience for abut kept losing along the way which was encouraging. lot of us is a key to some level of happiness.  I am glad that I set my bar a little low and then exceeded it.  Example, I REALLY wanted the surgery and the start of my improvement journey to begin last March but, since I was high risk (male, morbid obesity, age 64), I agreed to losing quite a bit more weight before surgery.  So I had to wait what seemed like a long ti.  Losing that weight in the interim build my confidence that it is me who can do this...not the surgery, not the medical team, and not even my family.  I could do it; not alone because I have a great support in my wife and 2 kids too!  But I have to handle it.

So, I believe that you can get through "the funk" you refer to and a tip is to stay busy which I bet is very doable with 3 kids.  You WILL make it; you WILL improve; you WILL feel lots better. 

Patience!

Rich

Thank you, Rich! That helps.  :)

-Anne

I agree that it might be hormones.  Estrogen is stored in fat cells, so it's probably being released right now.  I didn't have this problem because I'm post-menopausal, but I know a lot of people have weird hormone-related stuff going on the first few weeks after surgery.  I'm sure it will pass.  Hang in there!!!

Depression is horrid. No way around it!

Some things to consider:

   1. Hormone dumping is VERY common the immediate weeks following surgery due to rapid weight loss. 

   2. If food was a coping mechanism (and considering you needed WLS, it probably was to some degree) you no longer have the ability to use food to cope with the changes you are going through. 

   3. Depression, as real as it is, can be situational. Your cir****tances have drastically changed which can cause internal upset that you can't quite put a finger on. 

   4. If you were sugar dependent or caffeine dependent and are no longer ingesting those things, you could still be suffering mental withdrawal. 

While I was deliriously happy after WLS, I was hormone dumping and cried at Hallmark commercials (it was Christmas time), was edgy for a while, and became sort of obsessive about tracking liquids, protein, calories and finding just the right WLS recipes for each stage (not really like me at all). All this stuff waned after a while - probably about a month or so. For some it lasts longer. 

I'm glad you are getting help from you PCP. It might be a good idea to speak with the psych your surgeon uses, too. 

Hope you are feeling better SOON! 

I'm sorry you're feeling this way Anne. I didn't experience any depression since the surgery fortunately so I don't have a lot to offer but I'm sure there are other on here that can furnish you with info you are looking for. My only question is, were you having depression feelings prior to surgery cause if so, maybe the surgery isn't the cause. I hope you are able to figure it out quickly so that you can sit back and enjoy all the wonderful things going on in your life. 

By the way...what part of Jacksonville are you in? I lived in Middleburg for 10 years and just moved from there a few years ago. I miss it!

I didn't feel this bad before the surgery and I wouldn't say I was depressed. I was worried about my weight and my health. I was frustrated with my nearly constant hunger. 

Was I depressed? No, not like this. 

I can burst into tears now at any time. I've cried more in these last few weeks than I cried after my kids were born or even when my father died. 

I think it's the release of hormones. And, I feel weird, different, like I'm broken somehow or not normal.  That feeling is getting better as time goes by. It's all in my head anyway. The kids don't treat me any differently - I'm just mom. And my husband treats me the same. He hugs me and says "ooh, I can hold you closer" and tells me he can definitely see the weight loss in my face.  

Plus, I'm the cook and the food preparer. It feels strange making food I can't eat yet. It's going to get better when I can have a bite. It's going to be an adjustment.  

I live on the southside of jacksonville