OT: manic depression and morbid obesity

 I'm not about to quote a study or refer to a program.  Rather, this is my own experience.  I was just telling my wife this morning that I often don't relate to celebrities who say they have been diagnosed as being manic-depressive or bi-polar and  then go on working.  It just hit me that I had that experience 20-30 years ago but no one was talking about it.  

I started showing some signs of depression back in 1971-72 but wasn't treated for it until the early 1980s.  At that time, I was diagnosed with depression and would see a therapist --no meds-- and recover in 6-9 months.  After anouther year or 2, I'd go through the same thing.  Eventually I was treated full time for depression and given anti-depressants.  However, I wasn't diagnosed as being manic-depressive until 1990.  I was able to work sporadically after that.  

I retired from the Federal Govt in 1992 on an occupational disability (not a total diability which would have been required if I had worked for a job covered by Social Security).  I was already obese.  My mental disorder is largerly genetic and I have many relatives on my father's side who suffer from depression or manic-depression.  It is also chronic and tends to get worse with age.  I was the first one to talk about it and then they started coming out of the woodwork.  

I continued to gain weight, and by the time I had my RNY on 11-14-2000, I weighed 571 lbs--super morbidly obese with a BMI in the mid 80s.  I'm down to 336 and will probably never be able to work again.  It's frustrating because I am intelligent but I just can't do most things.  If my wife gives me a "honey-do" list of even 3 items, she better prioritize them or I won't get anything done.  I'd spend all day tring to determine which one to do first.

I accept myself as I am now.  I don't like my current weight, but I have a lot of difficulty simply walking.  I've been using a cane or a rollator for years and I'm getting a walker soon.  

I'm writing today to encourage other people with depression or manic-depression to press forward.  Our post-op journey is not like many other people's.  I know several people in my situation who do read and lurk on various forums but never post.  I just want to assure them that most people on OH are not critical ( yeah, there are some everywhere these days ).  If you post and get a negative response, just delete it--don't beat yourself up with negative thoughts, food, or other inappropriate actions.  You may find that OH can be a safe place for you to express your frustrations with losing weight, staying on your post-op diet, or simply coping with life.  You can Contact me at times for assurance but note that I am not a therapist and I may just refer you to one.  I know I don't need one now nor could I afford one.  But, I oftentimes write a little about my life or my struggles with my food addiction or my lack of exercis.

Still, life is good.  You can probably tell I'm having a good day.  And, when I feel depressed, I have to remind myself that that feeling will not last long.  Sometimes it's hard to look past the feelings to see that life is OK.  Oftentimes, the feelings are just temporary clouds that distort our view of life.

Take care and be thankful for the diversity of forums available on OH.

 OMG thank you so much for posting this.

I'm a new post-op who also has bipolar disorder. My story is so similar to yours!  I was originally diagnosed with depression, was on anti-depressants for 4 years. They worked great in the beginning, then slowly declined in effectiveness over time. Those four years ended with me being hospitalized for being suicidal. 

Years later, the manic episodes started. I wasn't even diagnosed as bipolar until after 2 more hospitalizations. I've been on meds ever since, with mixed success. For years, I was pretty stable, and able to work without a problem. Then I got laid off. I got a job about 7 months later, but my symptoms reared their ugly heads and I had to quit. Then I started to feel better, so I thought it was just a fluke and started looking for another job. Long story short, I got 3 successive jobs, each ending in me having to quit because my condition worsened. I'm now on disability.

I got my surgery done two and a half weeks ago. Today, I've been feeling really frustrated because, for the last three days, I've had a lot of anxiety and depression, and I feel as though I SHOULD be so happy (that I had the surgery & everything's going ok so far). But I don't feel happy, and I can't seem to make myself, no matter how I try. In fact, I feel worse than I did before the surgery. I'm hoping it will go away as mysteriously as it came, but you never can tell what will happen with this disorder. 

Anyway, I'm really glad you posted - I know that there's someone who understands.

 

 just wanted to send you a huge/big hug for having the courage to speak about this.  Thank you.  I will say my personal experience with depression is this...when I was 270 pounds and 5'3" I am still short only 5'2 1/2 " I suffered terribly from depression and I went for gastric and had to do a cardio eval and it was discovered I have 80% blockage which was caused by obesity and diabetes type 2  I have 3 stents in my heart and my diabetes was reversed some days are rough. More hugs.

Thanks for posting this. I am bi-polar, have DID, PTSD and GAD. There is a stigma, and talking about stuff like this out in the open can only help.

Thanks for bringing it up. Bet you'll be hearing from more of us on this thread as the day goes on.

Do you know if they have a forum on OH for behavioral health disorders? Maybe they should consider one....

There is a mental health forum on OH.  It may be a good place for some people to post about their mental problems.  It deals mostly with depression and manic-depression.  After years (decades) of dealing with these problems, I don't mind making general and sensible recommendations.  But, I ould not recommend one medication over another.  However, even though a primary doc can prescribe anit-depressants, I would strongly urge seeing a psychiatrist for meds.  This is their specialty.  In a similar way, your primary can give you advice about many medical conditions, but I'm glad that my primary trefers me to a cardiologist for heart problems, to a pulmonologist for my breathing and sleep apnea, and to other specialists as needed.

You may or may not need cognitive therapy--often called "talk therapy"--with a psychologist or MSW.  My insurer used to pay for the former but now uses the latter.  If you have addiction problems you may be able to see an addictions councelor.  There are food addiction counselors but not that many.  Of course, almost all addiction counselors say they can help you with food addictions but that's just not true.  If you want to work on following any diet using these principles, I suggest getting one of the books by Dr Judith Beck.  Her father, Dr Aaron Beck formulated the most popular forms ot cognitive therapy.  I've used it with enthusiastic but limited success.  That may just be my problem.

As to people who have recently had WLS and are surprised that they are depressed, just having this major surgery may give "normal" people depression.  Many surgeons and doctors recommend having post-op patients who complain of depression to get a mild antidepressant for a few months after WLS and to get re-evaluated about that condition in about 3 months.  As with any medicine, do not take yourself off of it just because you are feeling good.  See the doctor who prescribed it;  they oftentimes have to take you off antidepressants or change the dosage slowly.  Your other meds affect them and they affect your other meds.

Let the doctors be doctors.  I know that sounds trite,but we can support each other without giving medical advice.  We're just not qualified to do that.  I've been in OH since July 2000 and have met many fine people and just a few jerks.  I come to OH several times a day.  I usually post to other forums because this one moves much too fast for me.  But this seemed to be a message that I wanted to share with a lot of people.

I usually post on the Men's Forum which everyone can read.  We ask that only Men respond directly to the Forum.  If I post there, and you want to reply to me, just use the Contact link through OH.  Bob