Post Op 2 Days...bulging Port Site??

[Ahlamie 0]

Hello all. I'm brand spanking new on this forum. I am post op 1 day. I just had my surgery on 12/30/11. I did quite a bit of walking on 12/31 and all of the sudden my port site looks like a baby butt bulge or bump. It's that large. I'm a bit worried because it does bother me mainly from the amount of protrusion on my left side. Literally looks like i'm pregnant with the baby's butt sticking out of my left side just above my belly button. I think I may have shifted something as I was walking. The surgeon did say he put 2 stitches in a hernia during the lap band surgery but this is all the way down on my left where i can feel the port site. It's all red about the size of a baseball and hurts if you bump it. Because of the holidays I can not follow up until Tuesday. Just want to know specifically if anyone had this right after surgery and what you did to alleaviate it or did you have to have it adjusted back to where it was?

[elcee 3,341]

Not sure what this is. You may have overdone it with the exercise. It sounds as though there could be bleeding there.Whilst it is good to walk you still need to be aware that you are just recovering from surgery and not overdo it.

Can you call and speak to someone from your Drs office before Tuesday even if you can't see someone until then? Here in Australia we have a service called Nurse on Call which is great for situations like these - do you have something similar?

In the meantime I would suggest that you take it easy. If you have done any damage to your port you don't want to make it worse. Using a cold compress should help to reduce swelling.

If the swelling gets worse, the area becomes distended and hard to touch then I would go to emergency as this could indicate severe internal bleeding. Also if there are signs of infection - pus, odour, heat etc you should try to see someone.

Hopefully there is nothing wrong and it will resolve itself but it is always better to err on the side of caution if you have any concerns.

[Mimilou2004 13]

I agree with everything Elcee said plus from personal experience it could be a seroma which is the leakage of "serum" the liquid part of the blood from the muscle because it is mad about the stitches or staples.....as long as it doesn't get worse, the warm packs should make it feel better and it will absorb. Please let us know what the doctor says.

Mimi

[sherrypep 91]

I am 11 days post op and when I eat to much or walk to much my port site bulges like I have an alien on that side of my stomache. It goes down eventually. Be safe and call and ask just in case but it may be nothing just part of the healing process.

[Jess55 97]

I'd call your doc. Doesn't sound like a crazy emergency, but it could be anything from just swelling, a hematoma (blood clot) or seroma. Or your port came loose. So check with your doc when theory reopen.

[Ahlamie 0]

Hi thank you everyone for the feedback. I did get to speak with the surgeon and he said it wasn't urgent enough to go to the ER. He said there could be some internal bleeding that my body will absorb. I have a post op apt in two weeks he said if there needed to be a repair he can do it then. He didnt believe the port had twisted or dislocated from his attachment site. I'm just taking it very easy and trying to stick with the liquids as much as possible. Seems like too much to drink in one day now that i have to take down 3 shakes and two alternates. The swellingmay have eased up a little. Im sure it will take a couple of weeks to heal properly. If anyone out there has had the bulging last a long time please let me know what your doc explained it as being. Until then thanks again friends!