chubster808

Just found out today that I have staph infection in my port so they have me on a heavy dose of antibiotics. They are scheduling me to have the port removed, then close me back up and let me heal. He said they could put in a new port at a later time but for now I wont have any restriction. Kind of discouraging and not very pleasent--lots of puss and stuff.+ And I agree that having that lump in your stomach near the port it very annoying and unsightly.

Its official for me---my port is infected--Staph infection to be exact. They are scheduling for me to have the port removed, close me back up and let me heal. Then they will put another port in at a later time. I am on some heavy antibiotics right now. Lots of puss, not pleasent. I dont know if it is worth putting another port it?

Wow, reading your story, I dont feel so bad about my own band woes. Mine seem minor in comparison but still an annoyance. I am fortunate to have easy access to my surgeon and whole bariatric team. Hope you find a good doctor that will address all of your complications!

I now have 6.0ml in a VG band and still very minimal restriciton. It is encouraging to hear that the fills are working for many of you. As for my fills, they now give me a local anasthetic (sp?) so I dont feel a thing. Before it was pretty miserable with 9 sticks to get it. Not to gross anyone out, but my last fill, he extracted a syringe and a half full of puss from a fluid pocket near my port. They say it is not infectious and is because of a hematoma from the port. After he withdrew the puss, he was able to find the port to do the fill. Thank god, I was numb and didnt feel it!!

I eat way more than your sample menu and that is after several fills. I am up to 6ml in a VG band. Still hoping to reach my "sweet point" soon. I am have been stalled with my weight loss for the past month but I know that it is because I am not making wise food choices. Good luck to you!

Keep up the great weight loss!

So comforting to know that other people are struggling with their weight loss even with this band. You still have to exercise and watch what you eat but this tool has helped me to lose 35 pounds so far since my suregery date of 12/13/07. Keep up the hard work bandsters!

Yes I experienced this as well. I had 3 office fills and one under fluoroscopy. My first office fill I got 2 cc, my second fill I suppossedly got another 1 cc but in reality, I didnt. I think the saline just went into my abdomen but not the band. Same thing with the 3rd office fill. When I had my fluoroscopy fill, he found that I only had 2 cc from what I believe was my first fill. He gave me another 3 cc for a total of 5 cc. I am feeling more restriction now but I am still able to eat a good size amount, more than what is recommended so I know I need another fill.

I have experienced the same thing. I think it is gas and walking usually helps.

I had to fill out a whole lot questionnaires. Seemed like alot and then I had to meet with a "behaviorist" about 4 times. She was a social worker by training. It took 4 times because I was hesitant and unsure about getting the procedure done. Otherwise, I think it would have been 1 or 2 times at the most.

I really feel like my port is moving around even though my doctor says that I have a hematoma (sp?). I just dont feel the port near my incision site anymore but I do feel it off to the right. My doctor says that there is a hemetoma which I guess is a build up of fluid and scar tissue. He said that my body would eventually reabsorb it. But just knowing my body, I think it is the port. It is sensitive to touch. Initially I could feel both my port and a solid mass (the hematoma). But now I dont feel anything where my port should be. They are going to try and do a fill under fluoroscopy on 3/7. I hope they are able to do it because I SO do NOT want another surgery to correct the port and because I currently have no restriction and can eat whatever I want to. Has anyone ever experienced this situation where you believe that your port has broken lose and has moved away from the original placement? GRRRR.

Carlos, you claim that you are a lawyer yet you certainly don't write like a lawyer and your profile says that you are only 21 years old. If that is true, you would be in the age range of an undergraduate or are you some kind of genius? I think people here need to take your advice with a serious grain of salt. I don't mean to be rude, but I feel like you are misrepresenting yourself. Lawyer? Administrator? I dont think so.

Sorry, you are experiencing so much angst with the band. You should definately seek out a second opinion. Do you have any support groups in your area? They can be helpful. When I initially found out that my band had suppossedly flipped, I did think about getting the band removed. I felt like I did something really stupid to my body by getting the band. But, the surgeon tole me yesterday that my band did not flip and I am scheduled for a flouroscopy fill on 3/8/07. I am hoping to hit my "sweet spot." If that doesnt work, I may be in the same situation as you are?

Well thanks for the helpful information. Now I will know what to expect. I went to see my surgeon the other day and he is saying that my port isnt flipped and that they will try the fill now under the fluoroscopy. Maybe I will have to get in some strange position, too, for them to figure out how to do the fill? One good thing the surgeon said is that that they should be able to figure out how to fill me to my "sweet spot" under the fluoroscopy. I definately need it because I can eat whatever I want and WAY more than I should be. :heh:

Good News. I saw the surgeon today and he said that my port is still in place. Apparently, the Physcian Assistant who does my fills misread the X-ray so thank goodness that I dont need another surgery but grrrr to that Physican Assistant who put me through this. Per my surgeon, they will now do my fills with the fluoroscopy which I am happy about since I got stuck a good 8-9 times my last two fills, the last of which was unsuccessful. Looking forward to my next fill since I am not feeling any restriction. :clap2:

They say that the sutures that basically tie the port to the abdominal wall must have come out and so there is nothing keeping the port in place. So now my question is what is to prevent it from doing the same thing once it is "fixed?" I am glad to hear you are doing ok now.

I had the same tenderness. Went in today for a fill and was told that my port has completely flipped and will require another surgery to reposition it. I would reccomend that you get an X-ray to make sure your port is ok.

I was just told that my band flipped and they need to do another sugery to reposition it. Kind of discouraging but nice to hear that it wasnt so bad, Bug.

I had the same feeling. Unfortunately for me, my port has completely flipped over and they are not able to do any fills as a result. I will have to have another surgery to reposition the port. I don't know. What will prevent it from flipping again? I may just ask them to take it out or revert to Gastric Bypass. Feeling discouraged. Banded 12/13/06.

Yup, I do the same thing. I have already had 2fills for a total of 3 ml in a VG band and no restriction yet. I eat what I want and as much as I want. Whether it is sabotage or my "last dinner," I eat way too much. I sometimes wonder if I should have gotten the gastric bypass instead but I am hanging in there and waiting until I hit my "sweet spot." I do, however, weigh myself at home daily so that helps to keep me in check than not weighing myself. Maybe you should try that?

I chose the band because it was less invasive and my doctor said that if it didnt work for me, I could always get the band removed and go the bypass route.

With my HMO, if you are covered, it is $14 per fill. If you are NOT convered, they want $200 per fill.

I work in a courthouse and I havent set off any of the metal detectors.

My HMO will only consider Bariatric surgery (Lap Band or Bypass) if your BMI is above 40 or basically, you are 100+ pounds over your ideal weight for your height.

I get that too. My doctor said that the food is stuck between your upper and lower stomach in the band area. He said to chew my food better and eat slower.