Question about my port?

[AllieBearRocks 0]

Hey all,

I had surgery May 6th and feel great, aside from where my port is.

I stopped taking the pain meds because I don't feel I need them anymore, and I was doing well on full liquids so my surgeon told me to advance at my own pace, I can eat pretty much anything as of now, well from what I have tried anyway, I am def taking things slow.

My only concern is on my left side, where the port is, whenever I walk or get up from a sitting position it feels like it's not in the right spot, like maybe it's moving around. I'm concerned that it's possibly gotten disconnected from where it should be and it is just flopping around in my body?

My surgeon's office is closed today so I won't get to talk to anyone until Monday, and I was planning on going out with my boyfriend tonight to watch a movie, but I'm really worried. I feel like I have to hold my stomach when I walk to keep it in place. I'm praying this is just me being paranoid and the feeling is normal, but I really have no idea. I searched and searched and found no other thread like this except for people who had ripped the port and were in extreme pain. I am not in extreme pain, although it is not comfortable, it's def tolerable.

Anyone else experience anything like this? And any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[BetsyB 9]

The port site does stay very tender for quite a while--and the concern about port movement is very common, and usually unnecessary.

It takes a while for the port to get firmly situated in the muscle tissue. But as long as you're staying within your doctor's exercise recommendations (not doing heavy lifting, and so on), you probably have no cause for concern.

It gets better!

[AllieBearRocks 0]

The port site does stay very tender for quite a while--and the concern about port movement is very common, and usually unnecessary.

It takes a while for the port to get firmly situated in the muscle tissue. But as long as you're staying within your doctor's exercise recommendations (not doing heavy lifting, and so on), you probably have no cause for concern.

It gets better!

Thank you so much for your response Betsy! I feel silly now for not seeing the zillions of other threads titled nearly the same as mine, lol. I must have done the search wrong, but I am def going to take it easy the next few weeks, no heavy lifting :w00t:

[clhendrix2 0]

I was banded on May 7 and my port incision is just to the left of middle of my tummy about 3 inches above my belly button. I do feel pressure above the port incision right around my bra line, I figure it is the band around my stomach? I do have pain in my far left side under my rib cage that gets worse when I walk alot or am very active around the house. They swear to me that it is nothing but gas pains. Lets hope so. But I do not feel like anything is loose or floating around. I go in on Monday for my first post op visit.

[kjh24242424 0]

I had my surgery on the 7th, and was about to post the same thing. The muscle feels very hard when I stand up, sit up, or really change positions at all. It seems like it is moving, and i am constantly trying to move it back in place. I went back to the doctor and he said it might be a slight hematoma, or pool of blood in the muscle wall. He said to try icing it, and this seems to help a little. He said it should go down over the next week or so. Hope this helps.

[AllieBearRocks 0]

I had my surgery on the 7th, and was about to post the same thing. The muscle feels very hard when I stand up, sit up, or really change positions at all. It seems like it is moving, and i am constantly trying to move it back in place. I went back to the doctor and he said it might be a slight hematoma, or pool of blood in the muscle wall. He said to try icing it, and this seems to help a little. He said it should go down over the next week or so. Hope this helps.

I will try that, although I did finally break down and take pain meds cause I needed to drive I had stopped taking them, and they help a ton, I hardly notice the feeling of it "moving" now, so I guess I should stay on them a few more days and try not to move around too much.

[toffeesocks 0]

I was banded May 6th too and sensation of the port moving has settled for me. I however am sticking to what my surgeon has stressed with 2 weeks of thin liquids, then each week going through thicker, puree, mashed and then introducing solid foods to let both stomach and port site heal and reduce the chances of pulling anything. (:

[Dblex 0]

My only concern is on my left side, where the port is, whenever I walk or get up from a sitting position it feels like it's not in the right spot, like maybe it's moving around. I'm concerned that it's possibly gotten disconnected from where it should be and it is just flopping around in my body?

I asked this question at my follow up and this was the awnser I got:

The nerves under your ribs and along the abdomen are very sensitive to irritation, and it will take them a while to get immune to the port being their. They arent used to something rubbing or touching them, so they react sensitively. In time, they will get use to the rubbing and touching and eventually ignore it. Til then, you will probably feel it.

That was probably one of my only concerns too. Especially since sleeping on my left is my favorite!

Dont worry people, we are all Terminators now.:w00t:

[AllieBearRocks 0]

I asked this question at my follow up and this was the awnser I got:

The nerves under your ribs and along the abdomen are very sensitive to irritation, and it will take them a while to get immune to the port being their. They arent used to something rubbing or touching them, so they react sensitively. In time, they will get use to the rubbing and touching and eventually ignore it. Til then, you will probably feel it.

That was probably one of my only concerns too. Especially since sleeping on my left is my favorite!

Dont worry people, we are all Terminators now.:w00t:

Thank you for your reply! That makes a ton of sense. Good to know.

[on the right track 0]

I bought a "Barely There" at Walmart that will hold me together during the day and at night. It helped a lot with the moving. It even stopped the rubbing of my clothing and the incisions.