I have 2 infections that my husband has to drain and pack.  Started Bactrim on Friday and this afternoon it will be 48 hours which I thought I heard from someone that this was the time frame I should start seeing improvement.  

One infection is very small and the other is on my upper arm and is big.

I was doing so awesome and feeling so great.  Now I feel like I just had surgery yesterday.  Very tired and just feel crappy. Plus the arm is super tender from all the smashing and pushing that is done to drain it.

Someone tell me this will be over soon and I will feel good again. Someone please tell me something positive becuase I am so depressed. Been resting since Friday.  We brace ourselves to feel bad after surgery, but I never though I would get 75% back to normal and then suddenly feel like I just got run over.

No words advise - I just wanted to tell you I am sending prayers your way today! Hoping the infection will clear up quickly and you will be on your way to recovery.

Kim

 Thanks Kim, I appreciate it!

I am so sorry that you are going through this..I can only imagine how hard it is after having such a good beginning post op!  Unfortunately these things can and do happen after any surgery.  You need to really rest (sounds like you are!!) and take each day at a time.  It will get better but on it's time frame...not yours.  (I get the fustrations..things never happen on my time frame!)  Please take this time to reflect on the positive advances you have made  (you have come so far!) and don't let this time take away from that.  It is just a bump in the road..and it too shall pass!  I think as soon as you start to feel better   physically , you will start to mentally feel better to...atleast I hope so.  SO know that Am sending you good thoughts and a hug!  Hopefully you will start feeling better any minute..hand in there!

Patty

 Thank you so much Patty.  I know you are right, guess I just hit a low spot and needed the reminder.

 I know exactly how you feel, we always know we can have complications but it doesn't make getting them any easier. And you can feel guilty for sharing your distress with others because it's an 'elective' surgery (for us, not so much 'elective' as 'essential') and people who don't understand can be much less sympathetic for that reason. 

You're allowed to feel bad about it, so don't beat yourself up for your feelings either. Let yourself experience your feelings without judging and try as much as possible to identify exactly what you're feeling and why you're feeling it, figure out your mental monologue. That may sound weird but I have this problem where sometimes I'll feel extremely negative about something in a vague, general sense. But if I pin down exactly what it is I'm telling myself about the situation and reason my way through it, I can keep repeating the less-negative version of things to myself and eventually I start to believe them. For example a frequent one for me is "I somehow deserve complications because I don't deserve to be beautiful." Every time I tell myself that I try to provide a logical rebuttal like "I feel bad right now and probably don't look my best either but I will heal and be thrilled with my stomach because it already doesn't make that slapping sound when I go up and down the stairs." Try to acknowledge your feelings and re-frame them sensibly. Even thoughts that we KNOW are too negative to be true, those ones we utter to ourselves in moments of frustration, they add up and we need to counter those too. "This wound will never heal!" needs to turn into "Healing is a slow process but so was recovering from my WLS, and it is all worth it in the end." I know you have the added misery of having felt better and then backsliding, that's especially disappointing.

You need to focus now on the progress that you are making. Are you taking pictures? It may seem gross and like you wouldn't want to do that, but if you are able to make a visual comparison of your progress, say every 3 days or so, it really helps. My poor bruised left breast took over a month to clear up and every day was like torture looking at it, except when I compared photos over 1 week intervals, that's the only time I could ever see progress and felt any hope. You might want to do that with your wounds. It's really hard to see progress that seems to be happening so slowly otherwise. If you can't stomach looking at it that often, have your hubby take the pictures and sort through them and pick the 2 that show the most progress and only show those to you. Healing by second intent (leaving a wound open to heal, without stitching it closed, which sounds like what you're doing) takes a long time but has a much lower risk of re-infection because you're not sealing up the bacteria in your body, it's by far the best option. But it's upsetting seeing the visual evidence of your trauma every day. Every time I empty black blood out of my drain I'm reminded of my hemorrhage and it's hard. It's ok that it's hard, I've been through a lot. So have you. You have a right to your feelings. 

People say "distract yourself"!! to me all the time but I'm like, I'm practically bedridden, too tired to make it through a full movie by myself, and can't go out. How do you want me to do that? I sit and stew about my situation and google possible complications to death and it's horrible for me. 2 different doctors have said that I need to put the computer away because it's stressing me out too badly. And I have tried very hard to spend less time online obsessing. Haven't totally succeeded but I'm trying to find other things that can distract me. There is tv, but that gets so old so quickly. Reading has been good, so has guided imagery meditation. 

When I was in the hospital getting my blood transfusion the only thing that got me through it was my audiobook meditation eBook, "Meditation For Pain Relief" by Jon Kabat-Zinn (like 10 bucks on iTunes). I would highly recommend either that book or another similar book. Even if you're physically not in that much pain. Guided imagery meditation helps keep you connected to your body at a time when you just want to run away from it, and roots you in your skin. It helps me regain a sense of 'living in myself' and get back a small sense of control. Because that loss of control over your body is a horrible feeling and I'm sure you're feeling it. You're very active physically and you're used to being able to control your body, what it does, the movements it makes, the food it gets, etc. But suddenly it develops a mind of its own and you can only sit along for the ride. I think the meditation would help with that. It also will help you get better quality rest. 

And use the boards. I'm on here freaking out about stuff all the time because it's the only outlet I have where people understand my background and what I'm going through. Lots of people here have dealt with infections and seromas and every other complication under the sun. They know what you've gone through and we all care very much about each other. So don't feel bad about posting your frustrations, better to let them out than to keep chewing on them by yourself. 

Go to sites like www.happynews.com it's only uplifting news stories, that helps me feel better sometimes. 

Look at how far you've come. You're slim and healthy and active, it was a long but worthwhile process. You didn't have your WLS and lose the weight in a week. But it was worth it. And this will be worth it too when all is said and done. 

I'm feeling better about my own situation after typing this all out, I'd forgotten to do some of these things for myself lately and it's a good reminder to know what tools I have for self-regulation. So see, you've helped me too! 

I am sending hugs and prayers your way!! 

 Lizzy,  You just saved me $$$$ on counseling therapy!!!  These are great ideas.  I had not thought about taking pictures but you are right.  This is temporary.  Love the link on happy stories!  Thank you!!!  You have been through more than anyone else I have read on here lately and yet you offer such encouragement for my little set back.  Thank you.  :)  -Amy

I'm so sorry you've gotten hit with this so far out from surgery.  I know you were doing amazing.  Keep that amazing in mind if you can and know that this is just a short stop in getting back there.  If there are any things that distract you, use them.  After surgery I always just sleep on the sofabed in the living room because the TV/Tivo/Netflix is in there.  I just camp out until everything passes and I'm ready to resume normal life.  I find it really difficult to read post-op so my Kindle just kind of sits there.  I know I'm feeling better when I want to read again.

Hang in there and know that we'll all send best thoughts, prayers and best wishes your way that this stage ends quickly.  Please keep posting to let us know how you're doing.  You get to complain all you'd like and none of us will care.  The only important thing is keeping your head in the game and out of the depression.

 Thank you Lee.  You are right I have to keep my thoughts positive.  I hit low this morning and then rallied.  Tonight I am feeling low again but am forcing myself to think it through correctly.  This is temporary and a month from now I will probably be back to normal.  -Amy

Hey recovery buddy, I'm packing a hole too.. It was actuallt stitched before I left the hospital but not noticed again until my wee poat op check up and at that time it had got larger. It's in the center of my back and my husband has to pack it with a ribbon like gauze and cover, daily.. Every day I wake up to a wet gauze and we repeat.

Before I went in to surgery I watched my procedure and to be honest I'm surprised that my outcome is as good as it is.

Just continue those antibiotics, drink lot's of water, eat lot's of protein and all of this will help speed up your healing.

Thinking of you.
Julie