Is my Port Infected???

[triciaself 0]

I had my band surgery 4 weeks ago and I have been doing great until now. I noticed a few days ago that my port site was very tender and getting sore. This morning, it was very sore and red so I lifted up some of the scab and mashed a little on it and it oozed out a creamy, bloody looking drainage (sorry for the gross detail). I called the dr's office and they said that it was hard to tell about it without looking at it. I live 4.5 hours away from the surgical center and didn't want to go unless I really needed to so they called me in some antibiotic for it just in case and told me to call back if it was not better in a couple of days. Does this sound like infection to you all or am I just worrying over nothing? I don't want to go all the way to the dr's office for nothing, but I want to go if I really need to. How dangerous is it to wait a few days to see if the antibiotic works?

[Tricia K. 0]

It does sound like a mild infection but the antibiotics that were prescribed should fight it. If, after taking the antibiotics, you find that it's not getting better, it would be to your benefit to go see a doctor.

[Elisabethsew 50]

Keep an eye on your temperature. Do you have a regular MD who is near to your home? If so, it might be a good idea to make an appt. He/she might not know about lapband surgery but can certainly diagnose an infection. A wound culture and blood work to check your WBC would be a good idea. If the antibiotic doesn't lessen the soreness/heat/reddness, etc., get to an MD.

[PhotoNut 7]

My friend LindaV had something similar. The antibiotics cleared it up. Have you been swimming or taking baths? Could be that the incision is just slow in healing due to something like that.

Take the antibiotics and keep a close eye on it. If it doesnt start clearing up soon, get your arse down to see that Dr. A 4.5 hr drive is well worth prevention of a port infection!

I'll be thinking about ya. Let us know how things progress, ok?

[Marimaru 7]

Like someone else said, you should definately be able to get a diagnosis from your regular doc about whether or not it's an infection. Please do so if the antibiotics don't help in another couple of days. :huggie:

[triciaself 0]

Thanks for the interest in my problem. I started the antibiotics yesterday and it is much better today. It is still sore and is still draining some, but the redness is better. I haven't ran any fever with it and I only take showers and have not been swimming either, so I'm not real sure why this happened, but I will be careful from now on. Thanks again...