Hi Candice,
I also had depression,still deal with it off and on. Lynn said it all,we all go through this. It's been almost five years and I still look for the old me...can't find her but learning to live with who I am now. Hope you start feeling better soon.

ooxx
Mimi

Hi Candace,
What you are going through with depression is very common, whether you had coiling, clipping or rupture, the depression afterward is common. My thoughts on it are I always felt I was this really healthy person that would never get a life threatening illness, but it happened and in a moment my life changed considerably and will never be quite the same. The big thing i feel I lost was that secure safe feeling that nothing bad will ever happen, because it can and it did. This is something that I have learned to live with, and do battle with down feelings still after 4 years, but it is much better with time. You will be fine, just give yourself time and try to focus on the good things in your life.
Ruthie

fI got my group hug fr reading all of your reponds. I am a year and few months past my clipping surgery...and this has been a bad day....Then I will have my good days...and trying to find the old me, don't know if I will.............thanks to all of you,
Blessings, Sage

Hello Sage

This was an old thread - but so true. I had my aneurysm clipped in 2004, and I know that there were lots of dark days (and nights when I couldn't sleep).

There are lots of reasons why depression is so common after brain surgery. Not least because you have been through a life threatening surgery, but because I think you lose a lot of your identity when you have to depend on others and find yourself different from the 'you' that you have always known.

There are the cognitive effects - poor sleeping, poor memory, trouble sleeping, difficulty finding words (although YOU know what you want to say), physical effects - like having a massive scar, hair loss, weight gain (particularly if you have been on steroids), weakness and generally feeling like cr@p. Added to that, you are trying to cope with people who have no idea what you are experiencing that expect that it is something like recovery after getting your tonsils removed.

Of course, we can't discount the fact that your brain has had a massive insult and some doctor (even if they are great - like mine was) has been messing around with the very thing that makes you YOU.

The whole thing is a recipe for depression, and if you are experiencing that, I hope you have seen a good doctor, and have someone around that you can REALLY talk to.

Keep in touch and remember that if you come to this forum, you will get support from others who have been through, or are coping with this journey now.

Regards

Lyn