what in the he!! did i do to myself??

So almost 3 weeks out and everything is going fine. Then a pain developed...no problem right? WRONG!! I went to sleep Sunday night and woke up drenched. Seems I have a spontaneously evacuating seroma. My surgeon looked at it and gave instructions to prevent infecion and I get to go back next week. Hopefully they wont have to reopen and drain it. (OUCH!!) So, needless to say I'm frustrated and wondering if this is worth it all. Anybody out there been through this or have some kind words for a struggling fat girl?

I"m so sorry you're having to go through that!  I've never heard of a "spntaneously evacuating seroma" but is sure doesn't sound like fun.  So I didn't have that BUT I had another complication that wore on for almost 8 months, needed 2 surgeries to fix, landed me in the hospital for 4 weeks all together, made me have a tube running from the inside of my stomach to a bag I had to wear under me shirt from August until December, and just about got me addicted to pain killers because it was so darn painful.  It is over now (Thank God!) and it was worth it. It was worth it during the thick of it too.  From my weight loss surgery I lost 160 pounds, got rid of my type 2 diabetes and got my mobility and my life back.  I pray that you don't have to struggle with this for 8 months, and I also pray that you will see the fruits of your surgery (the good ones!) soon, so you can know that your WLS is worth it.   Feel better soon! 

I didn't have any problem like that, but I did have two other complications - a huge bruise that left my skin permanently discolored - see my just after surgery photo on my profile - and a bit of scarring from the catheter which was and still is a bit problamatic - BUT...it was still totally worth dealing with! Sure I asked myself that question (WTF did I do to myself?)  I think we all do. For me I was asking that question when I was starting to learn to eat again...Overall though, the main thing is that most of us, especially us younger patients, regain our health before it is too late. Some of us have surgery before our obesity ravages our bodies, or some of us wait for the onset of those problems. For me, it took three extremely painful herniated discs (complete with the requisite vicodin dependency that often goes along), and being started on high cholestorol meds at the age of 27 (a full 25 years younger than my dad was when he almost died of a heart attack and had to have a triple bypass) to get the message that I needed to do something about my problem...It was only after I made the decision to seek out WLS that I found out I also suffered from Type II Diabetes and Sleep Apnea. The good news is that now all of those issues have rapidly resolved themselves and I am the healthiest I have ever been. So nowadays, when I occasionally find myself asking that question (like when I get bummed over not being able to use food the way I used to, ya know as a comforting agent) I remind myselft that what I did was I actually for once made a decision about my health that was postive! I hope what I said doesn't come off any way but supportive. I just wanted to share with you my experiemce, which is similar to a lot of other people's. I just wanted to let you know how some of us who have gotten past the tenuous early stages look back on the experience and the answer is almost always overwhelmingly the same - hell yeah it was worth it. Hang in there, keep asking questions, and let us know how you're doing and if we can do anything to help!

HIJACK - I didn't regocnize you at first.  That's a great new picture, and it's good to see you around

Thanks, I took it this morning...I thought it was about time for a new avatar, it's been about four months....notice that I am outside without a jacket - It's Grrreat to live in the desert this time of year, and it's grrreat to be in the forum! Try to stay warm up there in Wiz-cans- kin....hey maybe the Pack will get into the superbowl, and all you upper mid-westerners can take a trip down here to see 'em and "thaw out"!!! Super Bowl Party at Mike's Place!

I am so sorry to hear about your complication...but like mike and amy said it will all be worth it in the end! Good luck-hope everything turns out OK