Has WLS helped you with...

...depression? One of the main reasons that I'm considering WLS is because I suffer from terrible depression. I've had problems with it on and off for over twenty years, but the last few years have been the worst. They've also been my worst physically. My GP thinks that that the two problems are intertwined and if I have the WLS I have a better chance of beating the depression. I have taken different anti-depressants over the years and most of them have been helpful for a year or two, but then they become ineffective and I'm back to deep depression again. When I'm at my worst, I suffer from constant thoughts of death and dying, hoplessness, crying jags, panic attacks, outbursts, and insomnia. When I read all of the stories here I am filled with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I feel inspired and hopeful, but on the other hand I feel as though I would never be able to succeed at weight loss...even with surgery. I just don't believe I have it in me to succeed. My darker side insists that I am hopeless and there's no point in even trying. I would like to hear from anybody who had WLS and how it has effected your emotional well being.

Ok.. my first advice to you is please dont look at this as a way to cure your depression. Second.. YOU ARE NOT HOPELES!! and there is a point in trying... i am three months out.. had my surgery april 3 and honestly, although i have always suffered from some type of depression, even attempted suicides when i was much younger.. i am more depressed now. I have recently gone on an anti-depressent and am seeing a psychologist.. I think personally that you really need to get your depression under control FIRST. You will most likely have to pass a psych exam prior to surgery..are you seeing a counselor right now? Hang in there.. there is always hope!! Maggie

Thank you for your reply Maggie. :-) I really don't think of it as a cure for anything. I'm just trying to gather info to see if other people have been helped by it or not. My GP is suggesting that if I have WLS, change my lifestyle, and lose a substantial amount of weight, then I may find that the depression subsides as a bonus. She really believes (and there is evidence to support) that being morbidly obese only adds to depression. I believe it too. When you're tired all the time, your body hurts, and you just feel like a giant pile of poo...well it's pretty darn hard to feel happy. I do have a therapist and he also thinks that I should consider the WLS as a tool. For the most part the depression is under control. I take meds and I go to therapy. I have a few days a month (PMS) when my symptoms flare up quite badly, but for the most part everything is well in hand. When it's time for the psych evaluation I will be 100 percent honest and if they say that I'm not a good person for surgery then I'll accept that and move on. At this point I'm not absolutely committed....I'm still just researching.

Hi, I will say it has helped and fired up the depression. It's made me stronger and more assertive. But OTOH, I think that I expected the surgery to help me more and solve my problems. It didn't and that's what fired up my depression. But because of the assertiveness, I was able to take steps to try to improve what was eating me...and making me want to eat. I have a better handle on my depression now and much more proactive about treating it. I am down 88 pounds, on two meds, and taking them faithfully. I no longer wait to take them and no longer forget to take them, because I am physically better and can move around better. I used to put it off, because my knees would hurt and I hated feeling pain from walking, yeah even just to the kitchen to get them! Pretty sad! The surgery will help, but not cure and it probably won't be instantaneous, it's a process. Kristine

Hi Christine, I don't know about anyone else--but I still get depressed--but now I get depressed when I don't lose as much as I wanted to lose. I feel better about myself --because I am working on ALL of my life issues--with a psychologist. The weight will come off --that is true and you will get some satisfaction from looking and feeling healthier--BUT--and this is a BIG BUT(that has nothing to do with the size of our butts)--you need to work out as many of your other problems as possible--before , and after the surgery! We all have devils that will trouble us--and we have to rid ourselves of them --if we want to be whole and healthy. I am down to a size ten , and I still feel fat and ugly at times. We need to work on that self image--make ourselves lovely in our own eyes. Be blessed and be happy--It was the right decission for me --but you have to be the judge of your situation--and don't let your therapist or you physician influence you too much. Yes--if you have health issues that can be solved by losing weight then by all means --do it. But you cannot solve your depression with weight loss. God Bless and keep you ! Marian S.C. 242.4/157.8/goal 125-130???

Hi Christine It all depends on what form of depression you have been diagnosed with and if there is something else going on. This surgery fixes your tummy, not your head. You might see once the fat comes off, the same old problems will be there. Its best to deal with your mental health now before you think of doing anything like this. Do you see a therapist? Surely therapy will help you get to the bottom of things and see things for what its worth. I wish you nothing but the best and keep your head up!

I do have a therapist. I've actually been in therapy off and on since I was 13 years old. The type of depression I suffer from is based mostly on chemical imbalance. My brain spits out too much of some chemical and not enough of another. Medicines help keep it under control for the most part, but there are times when it doesn't. I've covered every possibility in therapy. It's all been done...from my childhood on up...we've gone over it and over it. The wounds are healed...I just have scars. I don't mean to give the impression that I'm walking around unbalanced and suicidal. It's not like that. It's like a chronic condition...say...asthma...sometimes you don't even know you have it and other times you think it might kill you. Know what I mean? Thank you to everyone who has replied so far. It's been helpful. It doesn't sound like anyone has benefitted emotionally from having the WLS. Everyone seems to feel just like they did before...except they are less fat. Very interesting to me. I really thought more people would chime in and say that they felt much happier after WLS...but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. :spin:

Hey you, What I meant with there are different types of depression, (major depression and dysthymia) and sometimes depression can be part of a bigger problem, like bipolar or BPD(and I am not saying this is you at all). When you are depressed, (if its either dysthymia or major depression) neurotransmitters are affected in the brain which causes the symptoms of depression. Bipolar and BPD are a whole other ball game. It sounds like you are describing dysthmia, which is the name for chronic long lasting depression. You will lose the fat but the neurotransmitters still will be affected. You are right, it is interesting. Its funny how the brain works isnt it? I wish you nothing but the best and keep us updated on you, ok? Feel good.