Depression and fatigue after surgery - what was your experience?

As this is winter, have you had your Vit. D level checked? Low Vit. D is quite common in today's world - especially with those dealing with BC and it can definitely cause depression and fatigue. If that is the cause - it's not hard to deal with but does take a few days to start 'working' once you start working g on it.

S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is something I've bee dealing with for over 20 yrs be a use of low Vit. D especially from late Aug til late May. I keep it under control with taking Vit. D (5,000 IUs daily per my PA's suggestion) and using a Light Box daily for at least an hour or more. A Light Box is a medically designed light that simulates sunshine to help with Vit. D. I REFUSE to take any anti- depressant drugs as I am ADD and take meds for it so I deal with my SAD without any issues using Vit. D and my Light Box so that's what I do.

I had a similar experience after my BMX. It totally blind-sided me.  I had already had a lumpectomy and re-excision, 4 rounds of chemo, and a bout of sepsis. I lost my hair on day 15 post-first chemo.  Through it all, I held up pretty well, so I expected to be fine with the BMX. 

Well, it all went to hell in a handbasket!  The BMX itself was a piece of cake, but within 7 days I developed a massive amount of tissue death.  The dead, black tissue had to be cut out, which didn't hurt but it left a big crater about 4" x 4" x 2"--all the way to the chest wall.  I had to pack the wounds twice day and it was horrible.  By 2wks post-op I could hardly even get off the couch. I didn't want to bathe or go outside or do anything. My sleep was disrupted, too.  I was miserable. Thankfully, my doctor recognized it for what it was--PTSD.  PTSD is very common following a devastating illness or injury.  She really "got" my sense of mutilation and grief.  My doctor put me on a course of Lexapro, which helped with my constant anxiety. I also have bipolar disorder which is easily triggered by lack of sleep, so she also put me on a sleeping pill for awhile.  Do you know that I was like a new person within 2 weeks?!  It was really pretty amazing. Sure, I still had the big crater (it took 16 weeks to heal!) and I still had to do gross dressing changes, but at least I could get off the couch, work, cook, and generally return to my regular life.  And after about 5 months I no longer needed the meds. 

My suggestion would be to talk to your doctor about your depression, especially since you have a history of depression. You don't have to suffer like this.

I had surgery on Nov. 23 and was in great spirits with fantastic pathology report and little to no pain. However, in the last several days (~12 days post-op) I started getting much more pain - like being slightly electrocuted on my entire chest with intense tightness. And I believe my direct to implants are too large. I was a slightly droopy C cup from nursing and really wanted to be an A cup or small B since I am 5'10" and 128lbs I figured I could rock a lean, flatish look. But instead PS put in 250ccs and I feel enormous and they are high on my pecs. The whole thing is bumming me out especially since I have several open wounds that have to be tended to with Silvadene 2 X day to make sure no infection gets in. Right now, the best thing I do is force myself to go for walks and use a little valium at the end of the day when I am most weary.

I'm also thinking of going to a PTSD therapist. There are Somatic Experience Trauma specialist who deal with physical trauma in LA. My friend suffered a horrible bike accident and he has turned me on to a few names. I'd be glad to share with you if you are interterested.

It's interesting that implants are sometimes bigger than what we wanted; I have read about this reaction so frequently. At the time we are going through this, many of us (myself included) don't know enough about implants to ask for a specific cc amount, especially if going direct to implant without much time to learn about the specifics. We typically reference cup size. My "original" breasts were too big for my frame (an F cup on a 5'5" 140 lb body), and I told the PS that I preferred to have a B cup or smaller. But I wound up with a full C, sometimes D. Though there was a bit of swelling post op, i am now a couple of years out and I remain a full C or D.

I have read in other posts that the PS wants a size that can be snugly "held" by the pecs (if we are having the typical under the pec insertion done) and that may be bigger than our preference. Wish that would be explained outright instead of waking up with a bigger size than wanted/expected. The electric "shocks" are normal...it is the nerves making reconnections and it settles down within a few months. Spasms settle down somewhat, but you will always "feel" the implants under the pecs, and the movement of the implants under the pecs can be noticeable; watch yourself in the mirror as you use your arms/chest muscles to figure out what type of clothing works best. Sensation gradually returns to underarms and between breasts but you will likely remain numb in the center breast area.