RE: Anxiety, nutrition, and finding relationships...

[Guest guest]

First, I want to say how refreshing it is to see someone post with the type

of just heart felt honesty and " real " -- " this is me " -- type of posts as

this one (dan) and (sue) and others lately -- real support for real

issues... thank you

> > I have noticed quite a few people dealing with anxiety, depression, and

panic attacks after WLS. For many of us, this may be due to a lifetime of

obesity related emotions<<<

> I have been diagnosed Bi Polar II, Panic and Anxiety, PTSD, Sleep Disorder

(responds only to anti-anxiety drugs), and a host of other issues.<

**** And lately, in my research of childhood ADHD (which always combines

Adult ADD/HD as well as Bi Polar and other related disorders...) I have

found a great many different doctors writing books and giving advice about

using nutrition to help " curb " these issues instead of just drugs -- most

don't say it is an either or situation but a combination of nutrition and

the right drugs that can make a difference.

When doing research on the article I posted earlier on Sugar Alcohol's I

came across articles on artificial sweeteners and other fillers as well as

preservatives that doctors are linking directly (in controlled studies) to

many of these early on-set disorders.

I don't know so much that they are saying anything new -- more like they

are being more " defined " in refining which 'fillers' seem to be raising more

issues in the mental health field.

We've all heard... We are what we eat .... how true that is becomes more

apparent when direct connections are made to a particular (for example)

sweetener and children with ADD or a fat free filler and adults with panic

disorder -- in small controlled studies.

I personally don't think the field will ever be a widely studied area... it

is much easier to give us a prescription to cure the symptoms than to give

us a way to live that would eliminate the cause (if that exists.)

Adding to a part of obesity that I haven't seen mentioned yet is many of

the medications that we are put on for depression, psychosis, anxiety...

also affect the part of the brain that tells our bodies we are hungry -- as

a result, weight gain is almost inevitable and if we are already

pre-disposed to obesity the weight isn't going to just drop off when we stop

taking the drug (Imipramine, Risperdal and seroquil come to mind...)

I can attest to the fact that a great deal of my own depression has been

relieved as a direct result of maintaining a steady weight loss AND getting

really good results on my lab work. The year before my surgery my only

brother died at the age of 39 of a massive heart attack, a direct result of

his own obesity (and he was less obese than me,) depression, PTSD (all he

self medicated for...) no pre-warning, no nothing... just left for work and

didn't come home.

My depression after that just spiraled way out of control... not so much

for the loss of him but because I KNEW I was next and I had a 3 year old at

the time, a wonderful husband and a really great life that I really wanted

to live -- but, I didn't have any hope that I would or could in the state of

health I was in...

The anxiety and PTSD totally controlled my life to the point that I didn't

leave my house. I couldn't run and play... I didn't " have a life " and I

often wondered if my brother wasn't the one who was blessed by being able to

" get out " while the getting was good (bad depression.)

I think the big difference in this surgery as opposed to the diets I'd been

on previously was that my goal wasn't to loose the weight... the " happiness "

I expected was not related to loosing the weight -- the loosing part has

always been my " goal " -- " If I could only loose this weight I would be

happy... " was no longer my " mind set " -- this wasn't a diet for me it was

the beginning of a whole different way of life. My goal became " living thin

for my lifetime. " My weight loss goals were things like... when I can slide

down the slide with my daughter -- when I can go roller blading and bike

riding -- when I can pick-up my grand babies without the fear of " loosing

it " (HEY, I can pick up 2 grand babies at once now!!! and still run after my

5 year old at the park!!!) Those were my new goals.

Going to the doctor and not in total fear of my what new disease my blood

work was going to bring to light. Laying down for an Echocardio and not

fearing the worst... ok, fitting on the table to lay down for the echo was

pretty great too -- not to mention fitting in the hospital gown.

Today I have 3 grand babies and a 5 year old, a 19 and 22 year old and my

husband has a 38 and 37 year old -- we're expecting our first grand son in

October... Today my goals are to watch my last child and my grand children

go to college, graduate, get married or do what their hearts desire. Maybe

I'll even laugh at the beauty of a great grand child one day.

My fears of an early death are no longer valid and while they aren't

totally gone I know that my chances have greatly improved.... my whole goal

in life isn't to " loose weight " and it hasn't been for quiet a while -- it

is to keep my weight and my HEALTH under control so that I can have a life.

How does that relate to the mental disorders? Well, they haven't gone away

but my life doesn't revolve around them anymore. The past is the past and

each day is something to look forward to the future about. The depression

is no where near what it was and the anxiety and panic attacks are far

better under control. The medication required to help that is much easier

now and I think a lot of that has to do with being a normal body size,

taking a normal dose of medication per pound is far easier than trying to

figure out how much of X medicine is it going to take a 270 lbs woman to

'really' work?

Ah, the support groups like this one are invaluable. No matter WHAT is

going on that day I know I have a place to come where at least one person

will write me back and say... I know how that feels... and I know that they

really do know.

Thank you all for being here,

hugz,

~denise