Post-bariatric surgery nightmare!

[trnsplntgirl]

Help! Help! Help! Has anyone heard of anyone "changing" so dramatically after having a gastric bypass? I feel like I am living a nightmare because my family member is 2 years post-op. He went from 420lbs to approx 250lbs, gaining only about 15-20 back at any given time & will lose it again. He has gone from being a caring, family oriented, spiritual, hard working man who LOVED people(kids especially) and life itself. He is now a full-fledged alcoholic-NEVER used to drink, smokes about a pack a day-used to take a week to get a pack down, abandoned wife and kids, isolates himself from the rest of the family, is paranoid that everyone is out to get him, and darn near close to being an atheist! He has even spoken of suicide on occassion. He said he had a premonition prior to being transported to OR that he should not have the surgery. He has not done any follow up care with his MD since 6 months out. Is this an extremely rare effect or is this just not widely reported? Any suggestions?

[SandraCVRN]

This is the big addition transfers that Oprah like on her show. Most of us handle the weight loss faily well. The are boards at www.obesityhelp.com for family members, addition transfers, etc.

Good luck

PS quite a few of us weight loss surgery pts here

[nursel56]

Poor guy. It must be really hard for him and his family to see what was supposed to be a turning point for the positive turn into his life crumbling to bits. I hope his doctor recommends rehab if he's a full-fledged alcoholic. I'm not saying rehab is the pat answer for everything, it isn't, but until he gets control of his addiction, the job and family problems will continue to spiral out of control, and the good ones will help him get a good look at what might be triggering all this. Any suicidal talk has to be taken seriously. Know from experience with a friend. I know you mean well with the worry over atheism, but a lot of depressed people feel even worse when others bring it up. I hope he gets on the road to true healing.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

this is why our bariatric surgeon INSISTS on psych profile before surgery. There is a reason people over-eat to begin with. Those reasons do not go away after surgery. People may replace food with other substances. This guy needs professional help to get past the issues that caused the morbid obesity in the first place.