Why does OHS cause depression?

[Ross]

I had depression too. I would just start crying for no reason. The doctors said it was normal and put me on Zoloft for 3 weeks which I didn't like at all so we stopped it.
I still feel weird and depressed now and then but don't know why.
A friend suggested this.....no one has ever "touched" your heart before or invaded that internal space. So I believe maybe our hearts are what are expressing the sadness of the wounds they've had.
I also believe the joy will return as we heal. Laughter and love is the best medicine for all of us.
And I hope a little love makes it through all the posts here to you along with the humor.
May each day brighten for you!
Viki

Yeap, me too. I was sitting there balling my eyes out when the surgeon came in to see me. He looked at me and asked, "Why are you crying?" and I told him I couldn't help it, I just did. Next trip in, he walked through the door and goes "Waaaaaaaaa" like a baby and I bust into a laugh and cry at the sametime. I could have hit him, but he was funny.

 

[Philip B]

Post-Op Depression

Post-Op Depression

The folks in my cardio doctor's office have told me that have seldom have OHS patients who do not experience some level of post-traumatic stress. The night it hit me, I could have hurt myself and not even thought twice about it. It was spooky.

Like others have mentioned, I was not happy about the prospects of doing the "happy pill" thing, but the prospects associated with dealing with depression did not thrill me either. In the end, I decided to take the meds they recommended.

Meds were not an instant fix. I still had to work at keeping a positive mindset. Just knowing what was going on with the depression stuff helped me a lot.

I still do the meds. I still have ups and downs. The meds take some of the edge off of the downer stuff.

-Philip

 

[BDMc]

About One Month Out

About One Month Out

I got depressed. I think it was all the stress I'd been under catching up to me. Initially I was so happy to be alive that nothing bothered me. I started to feel frustrated that I couldn't do a lot of things yet too. After another month I was fine. Brian

 

[WayneGM]

I've been on the sidelines as I've been pondering this. To be honest, I'm not sure if I'm depressed or not. On the one hand, I have a new sense of "inner peace" which has rearranged my priorities in life...taking time to smell the roses so to speak. I'm more spiritual, sensitive, and emotional....all of which I think are for the better. On the other hand, I have a hard time concentrating, I am forgetful (occasional pumphead), don't seem to have the "drive" I used to, I spend more time in solitude, and I sometimes I feel "damaged" (i.e. repaired but will never be as good as new). Some days I can be very laid back and very at peace, and other days I'm frustrated because life isn't exactly the same as it was. Not sure if this is depression, but it's definitely an emotional roller coast ride. As I think back, it was smoother (peaceful) in the earlier days post-op. The roller coaster ride started much later, after life was supposedly back to "normal".

 

[sonavogel]

Do those of you following this thread feel that heart surgery leads to a kind of depression that other types of life-altering experiences do not--for instance, cancer surgery (a friend comes to mind, one whose life has been profoundly altered emotionally from the bone cancer diagnosed as a result of exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War), or the loss of a child (my mother, who was profoundly depressed following the death of my sister [whom I never met] when she was 8 years old)?

I think what I'm asking is whether it might not be likely that depression of this kind will accompany any truly life-altering trauma, the kinds that involve major surgery (with no guarantee of full recovery or that re-surgery won't be needed down the road) as well as the kinds that change our lives from other causes (death of a loved one and so on).

Or do you feel that heart surgery brings on a form of depression that is unlike any other?

 

[WayneGM]

I can't say from experience, but I suspect that other similar life threatening trauma where one faces one's mortality would have similar impact.

 

[ruth]

Debi - First off, sorry about your mom. I know how that feels and I sympathize with what you are going through. Mine passed away several years ago and it was a very difficult time for me leading to a period of depression.

As I've mentioned here before I've battled depression my whole life. I've also lived with a loud murmur since I was 12 and always thought of myself as someone who had a 'bad heart'. My first experience with major depression happened at age 16. Was it due to the heart issues? The knowledge at a young age that rheumatic fever had done damage that I'd have to live with and that I wasn't invincible (like most teens think they are)? I think that same harsh reality faces everyone who goes through a valve diagnosis and surgery.

We all handle stress differently and OHS is quite a stressor, both physically and mentally before, during and after. It's a wonder the percentage isn't 100% who experience depression. Maybe it really is but only a percentage recognize it and/or seek treatment.

In my case antidepressants have done a world of good. I was very resistant to the concept that I needed them but I've made my peace with it and I'm happy that they work and that they help.

I wish you all the best,
Ruth