Post op depression

[Elwood]

Hi Ladies, has anyone here suffered with depression after surgery? Can you offer any advice on how to help myself at home (I hate my GP and meds will be my last resort!!) I cant go back to regular exercise yet which is really not helping and I do have a lot going on at the moment most of which is negative but in a last ditch attempt I wonder if there are any little things I can change to make me feel better? All advice gratefully received, hope everyone is having a pain free day xxx

[LL123]

hi, I had really weird time 3 days after the surgery when anestetics faded away, what helped me I started calling my friends and chatting to them about everything and was really convincing myself that I am getting

better and indeed I was, what helped me the most - the talk to my mum, she was very suportive. I tried to get back to normal life asap just not to get locked in my room between 4 walls. if you feeling good enough

to walk start moving about asap, little step more at the time, not sure if my advice is very helpful but stay

strong and keep it up

[Elwood in reply to LL123]

Hi LL123, I'm actually 8 weeks post op now and back at work etc, always do my best to get back to normal but this op was my biggest yet so it has been a struggle. I'm quite a gym bunny so not exercising is a big part of it I think. I have found it hard to talk to people about it as pre-op I was so unwell it felt like that was all I talked about. I suffered with severe depression a few years back and just noticing all the signs again, just feeling a little lost I guess. I want to speak to my hubby about it but we have had a really rough 12 months and he is finally back to a good mood so don't want to spoil it.

Any advice is helpful and I am really grateful for your reply.

Emma xx

[Hidden in reply to Elwood]

Hi Emma, I just saw your post and wanted to say that I was the same after my operation in December 2013.

I was very depressed for several months afterwards and only got better in June last year. I also suffered from severe depression for years as a child and teenager due to having severe Endometriosis pain from the young age of 11. I didn't get diagnosed until Dec 2013 (age 28 at the time) after my partner and I tried for a baby for over 1,5 years.

On that day I was in surgery for 3 hrs and then got told that we would need IVF to conceive. After that I went into depression and due to being on the IVF waiting list Drs said that I couldn't go on any medication.

I am okay now as we are currently undergoing our first round of IVF, so I am excited and more optimistic. But my partner and I had a rough patch of not talking much for months after my op. After a while we got ourselves out of it by talking about it and deciding that our relationship is the most important thing!

Eventually I started doing things that I enjoy such as trying to do things that are relaxing.

I have a bath every night with lavender oil, read a book, walk our dog, I listen to a hypnotherapy CD by Helen McPherson (she is brilliant!!!). I do this to help me through my IVF but she does others as well. There are lots of hypnotherapy CD's and I find them very helpful. You get them for £10-£15 from Amazon.

Also I like to watch movies, go to the cinema, and meet up with friends just to take my mind off things.

I cook & bake a lot which is something I really enjoy and DP is happy, too as he gets to eat most of it haha

Okay Emma, I hope this helps a bit. Its so difficult to go through this but I hope you will feel better, soon. Talk to your partner about it as whatever it is that leaves you sad and depressed it affects them, too. My partner could always feel that I wasn't happy and I was the same as you and didn't want to burden him with it. But once we started to openly talk about it - I got so much better!! Now he knows straight away when something is up and tries to cheer me up, especially as we are going through IVF. It does help.

If you like, message me if you need someone to talk to Love Ines xx

[LL123 in reply to Elwood]

Hi Emma, sounds good you are back to work, I am the same gym bunny like you so for me from strong woman to go to a woman who cant even lift her handbag was a it of a shock

I did every day a bit more and more and I was back to the gym after 12days I had to really control myself not to overdo it, if you notice depression signs, please stay strong and don't

give up!! if you feel down, message me or the girls on this forum, I found it very sportive at least we understand each other in here x

[Elwood in reply to LL123]

I have been ready to go back to the gym for a couple of weeks now but got a very resounding "NO" from the specialist nurse Fingers crossed I will get the ok at the end of the month, I am itching for a spin class or five!!

Thanks for the reply xx

[Hidden]

I became very depressed after surgery. After the release from being in the hospital, I just felt like everything was crumbling down. I was so open to emotions due to the imbalance in hormones that I didn't realise at the time how vulnerable and emotionally crippled I was just from having the surgery. I can't really say how it helped me to get over this burst as I struggle with depression anyway, and I did not realise fully until I spoke to my gynaecologist in the follow up meeting that feelings like I was experiencing are quite normal after surgery. It does help if you have support from friends and family -- although I didn't really have much of either of them. I was put on cipralex (spelling?) to help, although that was a last resort and it was taken with the history of depression prior to the op.

What really helped me after surgery, and I know that this is probably really unhelpful but I had a nice bath. Just water. And I relaxed in there with a good book.

Sometimes we don't wish to burden others, and sometimes we just aren't able to confide in them how we are feeling. I know that you mentioned that you didn't want to talk to your husband about it because you may spoil your relationship after a time of hardship but if you feel like he could lend you some support, it doesn't even have to be to sit around and talk about it you can (my sister and I just watched movies) do other things that can take your mind of the feelings -- even if its for a short time. And as you gain your confidence in going outside again and the feelings begin to melt away a little, you can build on those times with someone you trust.

Also, as soon as you can go for walks. They don't have to be strenuous. A few days after being released from hospital I waddled around outside before building it up to go on long walks.

Not really sure how helpful anything of this is.

Best wishes for you.

[amie1]

Hello, I had my opp last May and was off work for 8 months in total, subsequently I have suffered on and off with feeling low and anxious over the past few months. I friend of mine had has a similar experience and suggested some herbal pills called 5-HTP which had helped her. I wasn't to keen at first but I did try them and they did help. They helped me settle off the sleep and I did feel more positive in the morning. They did give me some interning dreams. Maybe a placebo who knows but give it a go may help. X

[Elwood]

Thanks so much for all your replies it really helps to know I am not alone and its not "abnormal" to feel this way after surgery, I really appreciate it ladies.

Have my follow up on 22nd and will find out then if I can have a bath and swim (I had a large part of my cervix removed so can't sit in water until the internal stitches have taken) so hopefully can start to do more exercise too.

Plucked up the courage to talk to my husband about it all, he had noticed but didn't want to push me into talking about it, he was brilliant I was worried about nothing. Hopefully with his support and the helpful advice from you all I can turn this around.

xxx

[Princess777]

Bless you xxx