Left out to dry...

That is what I feel like. I had my surgery almost 4 months ago, and do not regret it whatsoever. I did this to be healthier and happier. I have lost 90 lbs, so on my way to healthier, yes. Happier? No. Almost 5 years ago, I had a severe bout with depression and have been on medication ever since which has worked wonders. Within the last 2 months, I have noticed myself growing unhappy, *****y, rude, not caring about anything to the point where I am not able to teach because I dont know what is going to come flying out of my mouth and I have anxiety attacks at school. I have been teaching for 7 years. This is a first. Naturally I have called my therapist, PCP and surgeons office when I "cracked" last week. I still havent had the chance to see my PCP, I saw my therapist and say Bariatrics today where they questioned if I needed to go in-patient because I said I wanted to throttle some of my kids at points. I would never hurt them, hence the reason why I am not in school because I can not give them the best. I just dont know where to go from here. I feel lost. Sorry for the long post, I am just venting.

I think you need to get whatever help you can. So sorry that you are experiencing such feelings. Hopefully things will improve quickly.

You lost your best friend food, so it is hard. I have heard of other people taking anti-depressants and such. One that is being using off label is Topimax for seizures but it helps for depression, bi-polar and other stuff too.  I am not a doctoc but just sharing what I have expereienced. I had a similar experience I started taking Topimax 25mg at bed for 14 days and then another 25mg for 14 days.  Other people I know take an addtional 25mg in the morning. it might be useful to discuss that with your physician. I am praying for you to feel better and congratulation on your achievement.

It's possible that you're experiencing hormonally-driven emotional changes.  As you lose weight, the adipocytes release stored estrogen -- and we all know what estrogen does..... I had several weeks where it was like going through menopause again.    Maybe talk to your GP about having your hormone levels checked, and/or having your depression meds changed?

I'm so sorry - this has to be so hard for you, and my sincere wish is that it's temporary!  You mentioned that you've been on meds for years - with as much weight as you've lost, perhaps your dosage needs to be changed?  I used meds for depression for a couple of years, and when the dosage was too high I would get *****y as all get out.  Wouldn't it be nice if your weight loss led to some lowering of your doses?  I sure hope so!

I definitely think it's partially hormonal.  Your estrogen is stored in belly fat and when the fat cells die, the estrogen releases.  I had issues with my aunt flow but I know for the first couple months I was super emotional not just from hormones but also from the loss of food as my anxiety reliever.  Hang in there and make sure you see your therapist every week for a little while until things calm down.  My therapist was a life saver.

I am so sorry you're going through this. It definitely sounds like you need a med adjustment. Losing 90 lbs (congrats on that, BTW) does major things to your body chemistry. Do what you need to do to take care of yourself and get yourself well again. Hugs and good thoughts to you.

most of us have learned to use food as a comfort measure.  When the ability to do that is taken away by our surgery we have to find new ways to cope.  Mental health issues are really tough, i have many familiy members who have had great struggles.  maybe going inpatient would not be a bad idea, it would get you out of  your current situation for a few days, they can take a look at your meds.  losing weight so quickly produces such massive changes in our metabolixm, hormones and emotions, sometimes it is just too much to handle.  if you don't feel safe, you need to go in.  there is no shame in seeking help. my thoughts are with you.

 

Anne

I'm also in my seventh year of teaching and I have days like that too. The kicker is that I'm not even sleeved yet. I'm worried the hormonal changes will cause me to say something that I can't take back. I'm feeling the sympathy for you big time!

Going inpatient may give you a chance to collect yourself, be thoroughly checked out and reboot yourself. A really good psychiatrist with an understanding of bariatrics should be reevaluating your meds, not a PCP. It makes a world of difference to have that specialist training. The time frame to find the right med and the right dose is considerably shortened. As your weight loss progresses, you meds will need periodic adjustment. Your therapist should be able to give you good guidance along the way, but visits will need to be more frequent until you work through this crisis. Wishing you all the best.