WLS and Mental Illness

 I am bipolar and that has made for some pretty interesting challenges post-surgery. No one prepared me for the unique experiences that those with mental illness have in the days, months and years following their procedure. Looking back there was NO information warning me of what to expect, so I've decided to do something about that. I'm going to write an article about having WLS when you have a mental illness. Right now I'm doing preliminary research, trying to get a scope of the problem. I thought I would invite those with stories similar to mine to share their experiences and maybe point me toward "experts" whom I could interview and/or read up on.

If you would like to help me in my research, feel free to reply to this post or message me. You can also email me at [email protected] . Please put WLS and Mental Illness in the subject line.

Rebecca

what kind of problems have you had?

I've gone from having fairly stable moods to having very rapid mood swings and for the first time mixed states. The days immediately following my surgery were quite harrowing and slow to improve. Some of the problem could be due to the changes in how my body digests my medications. It's been a real struggle to find the right "****tail" to stabilize me again, and success is often fleeting. My doctors, including my mental health providers, are unsure as to why I've had so many problems since my surgery. It's this dearth of information that has led me to write on the subject. Perhaps if a patient calls attention to the problem then a mental health and/or medical professional can help solve it. 

Thank you for sharing. I have had depression for 11 years. I am worried how surgery will affect me. I think your doing a great thing. Your book has the potential to help a lot of people.

The best suggestion I can make to you is to have a frank discussion with both your surgeon and your mental health professional and get a good idea of what all to expect after surgery. Don't let the threat of post-surgery emotional problems stop you from doing what you know is best for you because you may, or may not, have them. You just need to be aware of what MIGHT happen and prepare accordingly. Despite the problems I've had I'm still glad I had my surgery because overall I'm feeling better than I have in years.

Best of luck!

I am also bipolar, and the year has been difficult but I'm not sure how much of it is surgery related. The first few months was definitely hormone induced swings, I had a hysterectomy years ago and I was not prepared for the effects of the estrogen from my fat stores, thank goodness I was seeing a therapist. This winter was also extremely difficult and I thought it was surgery related until I talked to two friends who also have some form of depression, they had a difficult winter as well. I'm pretty sure I have SAD as well and this odd winter of long cold gloomy days and not the typical amount of snow is what I've determined caused my issues this year.

Mind you I am living medicine free, and have been for 15 of the 22 years since diagnosis. I've treated completely with therapy and behavior modification, for numerous reasons. This is only the second time in those 15 years I've even considered going back on meds, I fought through it without them but it was close.

You are not the first to mention hormone induced swings. I hadn't even considered how losing fat would release the estrogen stored in it until someone else told me about their difficulties with it. My therapist suspects I have SAD, too. A good friend recently gave me a "happy light" to help combat it but now that spring is here I'm hoping the dark moods will lift naturally on their own.

Thank you for your thoughtful response to my post. I do appreciate it!

Rebecca

Hey guys I,  just like you ladies battle anxiety and depression disorder   since I was around 16ish and I'm now 27 so around 12 to 14 years. I have not yet gotten my surgery done I have my appointments coming up with the team on the 24th of this month. You guys have any suggestions, tips etc for me I take effexor 300mg once a day and wellbutrin 300mg once a day I also have PCOS and some other heath problems. Thankyou very much for making this thread.

 

Leeann

 

Hi Leeann~

Thank you for responding to my post! Prior to my surgery (I had the bypass) I explained to my psychiatrist that I would probably need to change my medication because at the time I was on something that required that I take it with a meal of at least 500 calories. Then we had to be careful that I wasn't put on medication that was time release.  Now most of my medications are chewable or taken sublingually. My suggestion would be to talk to your surgeon and ask him what kinds of medications you can't take (like time release, high caloric requirements, nsaids, etc.) then take that information to your mental health professional so you can start working on making whatever changes will be necessary post surgery.

Good luck with your surgery! Despite the problems I've had, I'm very glad I had mine because overall I'm feeling better than I have in years!

Rebecca

I'd definitely discuss my meds with my psych doctor and make sure they aren't extended release and make the necessary adjustments pre-op if they are. Allow your body time to adjust before the surgery when you will be going through so many other changes. I'd also make sure I had therapy arranged for at least the 3 mo. following your surgery. The greatest advice I was given was that they are operating on our gut not our head. There is a lot of head work to be done to be successful. There will be times more than likely that your scale doesn't move and if you are already prone to depression you may internalize it as failure. Have a support system who is educated about the process in place to help you through it. Also bare in mind that mood swings from the estrogen dump as you rapidly lose weight at first can be bad for some people, others seem to handle it much easier. Knowing what is causing the crying jags etc will help you to deal with them easier. I cried at commercials, sappy stories, just about everything the first couple of months. If I hadn't read what it was from I would of swore it was my depression.