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Originally Posted by joon  HI I am new, I appreciate everyone's candid disclosures, it is very generous and lovely to see the support it brings about.
Though I haven't had any wls yet, I can offer some advice about the anxiety. Maybe today you can try to let it be that you have lost all desire to eat. You mentioned checking in with your docs office right? They said sometimes the swelling takes longer to go down for some people right?
OK, so thats how it is today. Sounds like it happens to lots of people some days.
For today it isnt a problem. Dont worry that if it continues it may become a problem, that hasnt happened yet and may not happen at all. dont worry about tomorrow, just think about today and today it isnt a problem.
Perhaps focus more on other things today and just take the minimum amount of your drinks and water that is necessary, whatever that is. light teas broth etc. I think a large part of your problem is the anxiety and breaking that cycle may be more beneficial than force feeding yourself at this time. Also, Reglan is a drug that produces a very serious restless anxiety response in some individuals that has the potential to progress to hallucinations. It is without doubt grounds for being given an alternate med. If you are still on it, I recommend telling the doctor you are having a severe anxiety reaction to the med and it needs to be changed. I doubt he will give you a problem. In the meantime, ask him if you can take some otc bendryl to counteract the effect of the reglan already in your system. Disclaimer here, I am not an MD so this isnt medical advice, I am a psychotherapist and these suggestions come from my experience working together with MD's in treating our joint clients)
As everyone is saying, relaxation is chemically important. However, just telling yourself to relax will probably only make it worse. Dont focus on the state of your mind, focus on doing an activity that physically brings about relaxation. A short stroll, a bit of knitting, drawing, yoga. Just do it without worrying how you "feel". Do it in 15 min increments and try to let go of everything else just for those 15 mins. TV, movies and books are not the best when one is as anxious as you describe. I would also suggest refraining from absorbing any peripheral stress by keeping your news reading light and staying away from any TV news. Believe me, if something really big happens, you'll find out about it :-). Hope some of that is helpful. |
joon, Welcome to this forum and message board. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for laying out some concrete instruction I am in desperate need of that. It's as though I am in need of someone to constructively structure my day, my every move, in a way that will bring healing. Often times I find myself frozen, just standing or sitting nearly crouched over paralyzed in thought thought of what to do or not knowing how, what or which way to move myself, help myself. I can't even cry. I want help, I need help and sometimes even when I reach out and visit with my surgeon I'm given pat answers...just this or that and you'll be fine. I went to one therapy session with a psychiatric nurse therapist, I did not even remotely feel hope as I walked out of there before leaving, she told me to call her again if I thought I could benefit. I have an appointment this Thursday with a very young psychologist who has a private practice locally and also works out of the bariatric WL department where I had my surgery...mostly with
lap band and bypass patients. I really am trying to help myself.
Your advise on anxiety is so vital to me. As of yesterday I stopped the Regulan...I suspected as such since a year or more ago I'd been given it intravenously as a treatment in the ER for severe migraine. It would be administered for about 20 minutes and usually the migraine would dissipate but each time I'd be flooded with anxiety immediately afterward.
Currently,since the VSG surgery, my surgeon had been administering regulan to me in the hospital for nausea prevention and then had me take it in pill (crushed) form ever since, he told me to take it since I have had problems with food kind of slowly going down etc. He said it helps to move the food through. When I questioned him at my last appointment, with regard to any possible side effect such as anxiety, he gently chuckled and said no no no just take the regulan, you'll be fine. I don't think he is aware of the potential side effect.
I'm stopping the regulan. I don't know if I will chance the otc benydrl (I am so afraid to try). My primary care physician is a wonderful compassionate woman and I will speak to her about this next week when I see her. She has prescribed xanax .5mgs 3x per day OR LESS, as needed since I know that drug,
although it immediately helps, can become a problem. She told me she will supervise my use of it however and I do trust her. I am wondering however if xanax may be the reason I've seemingly lost my desire to eat.
I will take your advise and get my body moving my body...I've been trying things like walks. It does help, somewhat (my mind still races with thought). I thank God you came on here. We all could benefit from someone like you. Please stay connected and thank you so very much for your thoughtful consideration and insight. God bless you.
ps- I stopped watching tv news I don't even look on the internet anymore. I used to delve and research, no can do- I live in dead silence and apprehension though.