post-op depression
hi again pals, ive posted before about post op mental health and here i am again! im almost 6WPO and last week i hit a mental wall and am just feeling bummed out. ive been trying to add variety to my routine, ive been working, slowly gaining independence back in everything and just generally getting more or less “back to normal”. but i just feel mentally stagnant still. its like “i should be fine by now why am i not fine!!! im failing at healing and everyhing is terrible!!!”
i caught myself over the weekend starting to completely overdo it and was like holy crap i gotta slow down and then…i got sad because i had to slow down and rest/relax. ugh.
just needing to vent to a community of people who are also going through this right now.
pic of my cat for dopamine
Gotta be real with you: despite what I’ve seen from others on here, it took me 8-9 weeks to actually feel normal. Yes, things did feel a bit better every day, but it took at least 2 months to have any semblance of energy that actually felt normal.
Def make sure you’re getting enough vitamin d, iron, and protein, it’ll all help!
All I want to say is to be gentle with yourself. You went through a MAJOR surgery and had a large part of your anatomy changed. Even if it's something you've always wanted, it's still a lot to go through. As much as it is physically to recover, it also takes a toll mentally. Think of all you had to do to recover and give that same type of grace to your brain.
I suffer from depression on and off and it definitely spikes on days I have a lot of medical stuff done. I try to give myself grace and focus on things that I know make me happy. Like being with my cat or a favorite tv show. It will get better the more time that passes but in the meantime just be kind to yourself <3
I see you.
I am 16wpo and finally am feeling more myself - mentally, but nowhere near where I was before, physically. My old bras still don't fit. I have seen so many health care support practitioners and have tried so many things to support healing and it's soooooo slow. I'm still very swollen.
I think surgeons are just awful at setting healing expectations. By 6 weeks you're "healed" externally, but internally it takes months.
Stay the course. Eat protein, eat clean, find movement, hydrate, take your supplements, massage. Come back to this forum and support others. Repeat.
I am two months post op today and still have my moments. The first 6-8 weeks I really struggled! Between the new body, the bloating, constipation, upper stomach now showing that I didn’t know existed, and wanting to heal faster than my body was allowing. I finally decided to just listen to my body and give it the rest it deserved! I promise the light at the end of the tunnel will come sooner than you think❤️ In the meantime, the kitty is probably really enjoying the snuggles!!!
Feel better n just go with it. Listen to music, take a walk n feel whatever you’re feeling. I just got clearance so I’m a bundle of nerves but I’m so ready. I just know it will be worth it. Still Im gonna miss the girls because they are part of you n they still are very nice! lol. Just to much n im thankful for all the experiences good n bad ,they allowed me to have.Be kind to yourself n be patient.
You definitely don’t fail at healing. Healing just takes a long time. I know it’s super boring and frustrating to be so limited in the mean time, but you’ll be much happier with the results later if you take care of yourself well now. With surgeries, I was told by my surgeon that it takes about three months for the majority of the healing and scar tissue formation to take place. It sucks to wait, but it’s worth it in the end. Hang in there ❤️🩹
I feel you!!
Im almost 6WPO as well, and some days i almost feel fine, others i want to cry and hide. The feeling of failing at healing i get. I have major openings and when i change my dressings i know i can forget that day. i feel down so bad after seeing the mess. when i have my dressings and tapes on it doesnt look that bad and i feel better.
healing is soooooo slooooow!
Breast reduction depression is real, the breasts are actually responsible for some hormone production and a reduction can through you off causing depression. It should level out with time
🙏🏾
Healing from major surgery is a marathon, not a sprint. You have to pace yourself. Even recovering from anesthesia can take up to 3 months (longer if you're older) and anesthesia can have a depressive effect on your central nervous system. Try to eat well, sleep well, and ease back into things gradually. You've been through an incredible transformation here, and now you're kind of like a butterfly when it first crawls out of it's chrysalis. It's going to take some time for your wings to expand and for your new self to come into its full being.
I feel like being in a depressive state post op for any procedure is very normal. The body is used to a certain amount of activity, but because we physically can’t it knocks us off balance results in mental and physical symptoms! In my personal experience, certain steroidal anti inflammatories/ pain meds will also exacerbate my depression. Just know that this your bodies NORMAL response to a disruption in your life and that there are ways to take back control!!
another pic of my other cat for dopamine! she is obsessed with my pregnancy pillow i got for recovery
thank you everyone for the support. tbh, recovery wouldve been even harder, more isolating and mentally taxing without this community of complete strangers who completely get what each one of us is going thru. seriously so fucking grateful for all of you.
this week has been pretty tough mentally (plus a whole load of work stress and HORRIBLE weather 🙃🥲) but its almost over and today marks officially 6 weeks post op for me. i wish i felt more excited by that but im just like “oh…nice”. imi feel like im slowly catching up on life maintenance post op (except my -to be worn again- clothes chair lol) which is a small silver lining even if none of it made me feel any better other than “huh well at least thats done and now its time to rest again”
some positive notes from the week: i got some incredible strawberries at whole foods and read “the guest” by emma cline which, was excellent and DEFINITELY was a “i guess it could be worse - i could be this lady” type of read
My Doc said you can ride on the motorcycle at 4wks because my husband asked. I don’t think I’m gonna be hopping on a Harley at 4 wks n especially the streets here in NYC are rough. I told my husband no way !
Thanks! I’m gonna go with it. If it takes long , so be it. I’m older but I’m in great shape. Today I walked 3.4 miles so I’m afraid I’m gonna be bored stiff but I don’t think I’m gonna be walking like this for awhile!