Finally on the right track....

[whatever 2]

I had lap band in May of this year, and almost immediately I suspected there was a problem. The incision where my port was stuck out really far... in fact it looked really bad. It was below my left breast, and was about as big as my left breast.

At first the surgeon said it was a bad hematoma and it would resolve... but it didn't seem to do so, plus I could feel the port easily. The surgeon didn't want to inflate my lap band until the hematoma resolved. A week or so later I noticed it was migrating North and now set on top of my rib cage... so it looked even worse. The surgeon finally did try twice to inflate it... poking around for about 20 min each time! He was not able to find the injection site. Finally in July when it became apparent it was not going to work, the surgeon admitted there was something wrong. I spent the next 4 months trying to get insurance to authorize a second operation to replace the port.

Last week I finally had my first fill.... Here's hoping it will be smooth sailing.

[Mimilou2004 13]

Wow, you have had a rough time...in my opinion the surgeon should have sucked up the cost of port change since it happened right away!!!!

Good luck on your journey.

Mimi

[Katy517 1]

I can really empathize. My surgery was in April 2010 and I also had complications from a really bad hematoma at the port incision. My port stuck out a whole lot too and caused a lot of pain. I was complaining to the surgeon within two days of surgery. My hematoma finally healed up though while the pain did not. Turns out that the point at which my port was attached was rubbing on a nerve and that was causing the pain.

In my experience it wasn't hard to get the insurance company to approve a port revision, but it was difficult to convince my surgeon that it was needed. I think he finally got sick of hearing me complain so much and gave in. After four months I had surgery to relocate the original port. It still sticks out, I still feel it and it's sometimes uncomfortable, but nothing like the pain that I had before.

I was able to get two adjustments though between the original surgery and the revision so continued to lose weight and the band was working to provide restriction.

I wish you the best.

[whatever 2]

Katy,

I am sorry you still have some pain! My insurance was reluctant to pay because the original request to revise had made it sound like we needed to revise the pouch rather than te port. Once it was clarified ( through filing a grievence) they approved it. I had a talk with the surgeon before we went to the OR the next time and let him know that, whever he was planning to move it to... I did not want to be able to see or feel the port after this operation. He did a good job of making it happen. Afterward he said that what had happened was that 2 of the 4 stitched areas securing the port had broken free, so instead of laying flat, it was standing up... And in that position there was no way to fill it as the needle was entering parrallell to the port.

My real concern now is that after being banded in May and not being ant to get it filled until November. I worry that I msy not be inthe right "mindset" to be successful. At first it's new, and you are sure you have found the thing that is really going to work for you. Then you get it done... And I lost 20 lb... But it was through dieting rather than the lap band doing much... Then that tapered off... And after a while it felt to me like the lap band was going to be one more failed diet attempt.

Now that I have had my first fill i am trying to get back the optimism I had at the beginning... But there is still the self doubt that makes me afraid this too will not work. I am really hoping that I will see results that will give me some hope that this time things are going to be different.

[Katy517 1]

I am confident that things will be different for you now that you've had an adjustment and the band will be working with you now. Just keep in mind how well you've done on your own while waiting for your band to be the tool it is intended to be. Hang in there and stay motivated. You've come this far and gotten through two surgeries. This is the easy part compared to what you've already gone through. Good luck and let me know if you ever need to talk about all this. You're in my thoughts and prayers.

Now that I have had my first fill i am trying to get back the optimism I had at the beginning... But there is still the self doubt that makes me afraid this too will not work. I am really hoping that I will see results that will give me some hope that this time things are going to be different.