sutures around port how long does it take to heal?

[Sebastia40 0]

Hi everyone I had my surgury 3/4/2010 and everything has been going great until recently. Four weeks ago I bent over and apparently ripped one of the sutures attaching my port to my muscle wall. Some of the worst pain I have ever felt. It lasted about a week. I finally recovered doctor said not to worry about it. This week I was working on a project at work and bent over and ripped another suture from the port area. Again horrible pain, then yesterday reached down to pick something up and I must have done it again!!! Called my doc today because I could barely breath I was in so much pain. My question is how long does that darn suture take to heal or is this something I am going to have to deal with for a long while? Any thoughts would be appreciated Thanks!!

[BetsyB 9]

I'm just about 4 months out, and while I've never attributed it to ripping sutures, I still have times when I get a pretty good wallop of pain at my port site. It's a foreign body that is working to situate itself in muscle---and sometimes, it doesn't win the battle. As time goes on, it's more firmly seated, and the pain wanes.

(And then, you start noticing it changing position---when that happens, don't freak out! It just means your muscle isn't in the same place it was at the time of surgery; losing fat "deflates" you, so the muscle may move to a lower position.)

ETA: I wanted to add that the pain I've experienced has been fleeting, followed by--at most---dull achiness. If you've had persistent severe pain, and it's returned, it might be a good idea to see the doctor for a little more investigation. While it likely is not anything serious. infection at the port site can occur, and once the incision is healed, pain is its hallmark.

Edited May 10, 2010 by BetsyB

[Sebastia40 0]

Thanks Betsy for your response. The thing is the incision is already healed its the stitches on the inside of me that seem to be ripping. The pain is so severe that the doc put me back on hydrocodone for the past couple of days. I just hope that as you said with time it will situate itself so I dont have to constantly worry about bending over and being out of commission for several days.