Ever since my surgery I seem to feel blue. My recovery has been relatively normal so I should be feeling more optimistic but my skies seem gray. What's wrong with me?
Even if you have never suffered from these medical issues before in your life, the hormonal upheaval which occurs at the time of surgical menopause can trigger mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. While getting on the right HRT regimen works for most women in alleviating the anxiety and mood fluctuations that commence with surgical menopause, for other women, taking an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) can wind up being the key to “feeling like yourself” again.
Exactly what is depression? It is not a weakness or personality flaw. It isn’t temporary worry or situational anxiety about a recent pressing personal problem, family issue or employment dilemma. It’s not just a few days of feeling anxious or sad because of current stressful circumstances or challenging occurrences in your life. Anyone, regardless of age, gender, race or socioeconomic status, can suffer from depression. Depression changes the way you think and how you behave. It takes away your feelings of well-being and sense of connectedness to the world around you. It can cause you to sleep or eat too much, or not enough. If is gets bad, it can make you feel like your life just isn’t worth living.
Depression is caused by an imbalance of certain chemicals in the brain. When working properly, the nerve cells in the brain communicate with one another by sending and receiving messages. With patients who are depressed, the available supply of the chemical messengers is low, so the nerve cells can’t communicate effectively. You didn’t “do anything wrong” to cause this to happen. Depression is a medical condition like any other, and doctors are able to treat it effectively in most cases with medication, such as one of many SSRI’s that are available.
If you are several months post-op and your mood is still low and you don’t “feel right” you do not need to make an appointment with a psychiatrist. You do not need to drive yourself to a mental institution and check yourself in. You just need to call and make an appointment with your regular medical provider, to talk about how you have been feeling. Family physicians are qualified to treat depression. It is actually a common medical condition. Your doctor will ask you some easy questions, and may have you fill out a short questionnaire. Even just taking this first step to begin your mission to treat the condition may feel as if part of the burden has already been lifted from your shoulders. You will likely depart from your doctor’s office with sample pills or a prescription in hand, and a renewed enthusiasm for life, because you will understand that you indeed can get to feeling better again.
Medication may take several weeks to reach its full effectiveness, although some patients start to feel relief in just a few days. While taking an SSRI, is it important to maintain your physician-patient partnership with your doctor. When you start to feel better again, don’t stop taking your medication without consulting your doctor. Some SSRI’s need to be reduced gradually to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
Remember, there is effective help available for depression. See your doctor and take advantage of it! You deserve to be the best “you” that you can be!
This content was written by staff of HysterSisters.com by non-medical professionals based on discussions, resources and input from other patients for the purpose of patient-to-patient support.
-- Checking In - Feel Great - Lose Weight The HysterSisters January 'Checking In' eMagazine has been published and should be in your email inbox if you are a regi [More]...
Store »
Hysterectomy Checkpoints
Hysterectomy News [Read More]
What 100,000 Women Know About Hysterectomy
