NEED HELP

I had Gastric Sleeve Bypass Surgery at Humber Region Hospital - Finch Site back in November, 2012. The day of surgery my weight was 480Lbs. I got down to 218lbs I was at that weight in August 2014. From that date until now, I have been under extreme stress & living to this day is falling apart, The hardest part was when I originally had my surgery I had severe depression panic & anxiety attacks. I was    100 % positive it was a result of my weight. I lost the weight it did not change my depression etc except for it all got much worse, because the sole reason I thought my depression was caused by was now ruled out, which heightened my decompression anxiety & panic attacks to the extreme to the point I will  no longer leave the house. Sadly, somehow I have managed to again weight back am now at a whopping size of 320lbs which is also contributing to my lack of interest in anything in life. I am wondering if anyone would know if a surgeon would consider removing a larger part of my stomach. I no longer have any clothes that fit as I got rid of everything once I was so proud how well my weight loss was going, that part of my life entirely changed just not the depression etc. I cant go on like this I am getting worse everyday,I feel if I was able to at least start losing weight again that would be a huge step in the right direction. It could definitely not get worse as I spend 24 hours a day in my bedroom, & have lost all hope etc I cant leave the house or my room, & have no life whatsoever. Even if I could leave the house I refuse to start buying larger clothing again, that would just give me a bigger excuse not to get rid of the weight I worked so hard and because of my high weight it was considered life threatening surgery, but back then I thought I wasn't living anyways so should something happen I went down fighting. Now I am back where I began prior to my surgery in 2012 with no life whatsoever. Any & all suggestions are so welcomed. I really need help. Even any of the best meal replacement shakes, I could even start there. But the ultimate would be having my sleeve surgery revised. At this point I am beyond embarrassed to even go to see my Surgeon. I am a failure. I would appreciate any help at all. Thank You...

You haven't failed, but you will if you don't seek help. You need to see your primary care doctor and be referred to a psychiatrist to have your depression and anxiety treated with medication and therapy. Once the depression is resolved, and the great meds they have now will do that, then make the appointment with your surgeon and discuss your regain.

BTW, 320 pounds is not "whopping." I wasn't that far from that at my highest weight, and I'm only 5'1". You need a perspective adjustment and then get back on a plan to improve your health.

Call your doctor tomorrow! First thing!

Good luck.

psychoticparrot

I am seeing a Psychiatrist but he is not really versed on my sleeve surgery, & sadly my issues are not an overnight fix. It was actually my Psychiatrist that mentioned that I should try & somehow reach out for help, knowing my my problem with leaving my house, & how much the weight gain effects my mood, mobility everything just like prior to surgery. I did get to life for a while with it not hurting to walk or people staring at me but that's right were I am & so ashamed to even tell most after getting so many compliments last year. It's humiliating.

Yes, it's humiliating to regain. Humiliation means being humble, something we all should cultivate. For all of us, things don't always go the way we want them to. We have to accept that, to humble ourselves in the face of obstacles not always of our own making. But then we must look for ways around the obstacles, accepting that it's hard to do that and doing it anyway.

Other people's opinions can't hurt you unless you let them. What they think about you is their problem. It's not something that's under your control, so why let it bother you? Let them stare if they want. What you can control is working on getting back on a plan to take charge of your health. Don't let anything or anyone get in the way of that. You did it before. Find the strength in yourself to take that first step. Go see your surgeon. Get out of the house. Start living again. I wish the very best for you. 

psychoticparrot

First things first... you are most definitely NOT a failure- wow you are amazing, you were almost 500 pounds, both my mom and aunt were that weight and more when they died... you have your ups and downs.. as do we all...  I was put on a waiting list for 4 years in that time I lost 135 pounds on my own I started on this journey at 394.6 pounds.  I was 260 at the time of my surgery and am only 9 days post surgery, I don't have a lot of advice as I am still learning myself.  I have been using Glucerna Diabetic Meal Replacement Shakes either on their own or with milk... I like the chocolate and its the time of year for chocolate... or i use the whey protein and milk... have been travelling but I do know if you can walk around your house or get out and walk around your house a bit... that stirs up your system and gets it going in the right direction.. increase the amounts of your walks or the amount of time you do your walks for and that should help as well. Depression and Anxiety are not fun, this is hard... I am proud of you... one day at a time!

Thank you your kind words mean a lot.

It's all good... we are in this together! 

What could be done is to add the switch portion of a DS to your current surgery.  That is done with some patients *****gain with only a sleeve. 

I would suggest posting this on the DS forum.  It is http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/ds/

The people on that forum can tell you about the surgery.

That was actually the surgery I wanted from the very beginning. But I was lucky I got the Sleeve instead of the RNY I was told there is only one Doctor in Ontario who is in Hamilton & would not refer me.

You don't say whether you're seeing a therapist, but that would be a place to start.  It's clear to me that the regain is due to emotional issues that have not been addressed. You thought your depression, panic and anxiety were due to your obesity, but actually it's the reverse: you're eating to mask/deal with those feelings, which causes gain, and more gain, and it becomes a vicious cycle.

I can't speak to whether the Canadian health system would approve a revision, but I can predict with some confidence that a revision will not work in the long term if the underlying emotional issues remain.

Good luck, sweetie.  You speak for a lot of us, where we were, and where we often are.