Port help!

[DeLarla 22]

Okay, there's definitely a pea-sized hard round ball right under the skin of my port incision, and THAT is why my incision is popping out like a nipple! And I think this hard pea-thingy is what's causing my pain, like when it floats around to sensitive areas. The pea wants to come out of my incision! When I lay down, the pea hides in other places. But then it comes back to the surface and tries to escape from the port incision. Could this be a broken off piece from the band? I sure hope it's a floating piece of scar tissue. I used to have a round hard ball in my ankle, and the doc said it was formed after ankle trauma. They removed it with a tiny incision and a couple stiches. Anybody????? I can feel the pressure of it wanting to come out of the incision, but the incision is healed shut.

Love, the Alien

[donali 57]

Seroma was the word I was looking for. This article explains a lot about seromas (I think it's a veterinary context, but this would be the same for us human animals):

http://www.transomamedical.com/references/technotes/392-0027-002.html

It is possible that some of the serum encapsulated, and is making that pea-sized object that's bothering you.

[DeLarla 22]

Donali, get the heck out of my head! I'm torn between seeing my local doc and flying to Mexico to have it checked out. Meanwhile, the wheels upstairs are spinning for a quicker fix. I need to make an appointment for my cat, who has a growth on his eye. I figured if I could get in the vet tomorrow, I could casually ask about pea-sized rolly polly's under incisions. My Pitbull had knee surgery last year and has a rolly thingy under the incision.

Great minds think alike! Why pay a doctor when I can see my local vet.

And thanks for always being willing to do the research. I'm searching the web now for the same info you found lickity split. Gonna go read your link now.

Send the your bill to me at........... hee hee

[DeLarla 22]

Donoli:

From Weight Loss Center of Nevada (I used lap band seroma as my search):

Wound infection and seroma are not serious problems, but they are a major hassle for the patient. They often lead to wound hernias however, which need a further operation to correct them. Recently, laparoscopic repair has been shown to be a better way to fix these. Some patients opt to have these fixed when they have the excess skin removed, an abdominal wall reconstruction, or "Tummy Tuck".

[donali 57]

Tummy tucks are our next Nirvana... That place where everything's "perfect"... lol And we thought the weightloss would do it... :cool:

[DeLarla 22]

When my precious angle Pitbull (Sachi a.k.a. Piglett) got sick once, they put her on the same stomach meds I was on at the time. Then she had a discloated knee repaired, which left her with a hard little pea under the skin, aka "seroma." Now we have matching seromas. She came from my womb, ya know.

[DeLarla 22]

discloated? Try dislocated. Geeze, get some sleep, Lis!

[marsha 0]

DeLara,

I had a seroma the size of a quarter under my port incision. It took several weeks but it eventually went away on it's own!:cool:

Marsha

[DeLarla 22]

Marsha, were you able to roll yours around? Did you see the pictures of my incision that I posted the other day? Did your incision look like that? Thanks for sharing... the whole area under my incision is hard so I wonder if it will break up over time. I hope mine goes away like yours did. Thanks again!

[Kelliebelly 13]

What ended up happening with the pea lump. I have been searching and googling all night about this and finally found this thread. I was banded 4 weeks ago and have had pain in the port area the whole time. The port has always been close to the skin too. Today I discovered a hard pea lump on top of the port which moves around when I push on it. Does anyone know what this could be or Delarla what did yours end up being? Also I am due for a fill on Thurs will this stop me being able to get a fill.

Thanks

Kel

4/4/05

[Alexandra 55]

Hi Kel, welcome to LBT!! It sure sounds like you have the same thing DeLarla complained about, and it doubtless isn't serious. It shouldn't get in the way of your having a fill, since if it moves it can be moved out of the way of the needle.

Just ask your doctor about it on Thursday. If you're not seeing the doctor and someone else is doing your fill, you might want to try to make an appointment at the same time. Nothing is too small to ask your doctor about, so never feel like you're bothering him or her. Good luck with your fill and let us know how it goes!

[babsyintx 0]

HI Lisa,

It could just be scar tissue. I have a roly poly in my leg, below my knee. My husband plays with it. Thinks its weird to have a pea size thing floating in there. Doesnt bother me at all. I broke my leg in three or 4 places when I was a kid and thats probably when I got the roly poly. Yeah, I would ask the vet about it. As long as there is no real pain, I doubt its serious, but one can never bee too sure!!!

Babs in TX

334/180

-154

[DeLarla 22]

Okay, everyone ready to laugh at me? The pea-size lump was the tube! I thought it was scar tissue, but it was actually the port tubing moving around. I had no idea it was so close to the skin, but like most of you know, the incision popped open and the tube popped right on out.

Kel, I had major port problems from the get-go. My original port became infected so I had a second surgery to remove it (the only cure for a badly infected port is removal.) When they removed the port, they clamped off the tubing and left it inside me. Many months later, I had a 3rd surgery to replace the port. But the doctor left the tube too close to the skin again, so I needed a 4th surgery to remove the 2nd port. I'm currently portless and broke, so I can't afford Port #3 for another year or so.

[Kelliebelly 13]

Thanks guys, Delarla I have sat here reading through 100s and 100s of posts and I think I am up to date on what you had/are going through. you have had a rough trot. Heres hoping you win the lotto or something and can get things back to normal.

Again thanks for the replies, I will get Dr to check on Thurs and see what it is.

[babsyintx 0]

Lisa,

DId your incision open again? I feel my tubing all the time now that I am thinner. IT feels like an alien tapping me on the inside of my abdomen. So is everything OK?

Babs in TX