Infected Port

[Lynsay 0]

:think

A sad story to tell, but I'm still full of hope.....

I had my band fitted in Prague on Nov 20 07. My stiches became infected about a month after the operation and my local GP put me on antibiotics. Then I found a Bariatric Surgeon in my home town of Aberdeen, Scotland, who's been taking excellent care of me. After Xmas he looked at my port and descided that it wasn't getting any better. Now I'm having an operation to get the port taken out so that area can heal and in 8 weeks I'll have the port re-located. I still haven't had a fill yet, but I've lost 7lbs and kept it off.

Has anyone else had this happen ??

Lynsay - full of holes - Scotland - UK

[Sades 4]

Mine got infected after my first fill but the antibiotics healed it so I was lucky. Sorry to hear you have to go through that. Maybe they need to put you on stronger antibiotics rather than go straight to surgery??

[Ann D 0]

I currently have excess Fluid gathering around my port; causing soem swelling, hardness and redness a tthe port site. The Doc told me that it was normal and to keep an eye on it for a few days. I asked about my fill due on Jan 23. He said it should be okay as long as he can feel the port. We will see.

Good luck, I agree with Sade, Unless you are very ill, running a fever or something, I would want to try some stronger anitbiotics as well. Keep us posted.

[nomadem 1]

I posted in the Complications section...I just started Kelfex and the redness is going away.

More concerned about erosion etc down in the future

[Summer87 0]

I had lap band surgery Oct. 24th 07 and was fine no issues. Then on December 3rd right before I was to receive my first fill I developed a very bad infection in the port area. My port area and incision area were swollen, red, hot to the touch, and it hurt like heck! I had chills and fevers.

After two ER visits, antibiotics by mouth, a CT Scan and high fevers I was hospitalized for a week and received very strong IV antibiotics.

24 hours after being discharged with antibiotics by mouth from the hospital my fever spiked again to 103.3, and I was back in the hospital. Since the infection did not go away after IV antibiotics my surgeon told me the port would have to come out. They did not want to remove the port, however, they did everything they could to treat the infection first.

My infection was a general infection that happened to be in the port area, not a port infection. Lab tests indicated the port itself was not infected.

Infection is one of the risk associated with any surgery.

Two days later on December 18th I had port removal surgery. Due to the infection they could not suture the incision closed so I had an open wound. (yuck kind of gross looking).

I found port removal surgery more painful then the lap band surgery! I was out from work again for two and half weeks, however, the infection cleared up.

At that point I did not care whether I had a port or not I was just relieved to not feel sick. My surgeon plans to replace the port in early March and we will try this again! :welldoneclap:

So yes infection is a small complication rate, however, it happens and it is part of the risk we take. It sounds like y our surgeon is doing a good job in taking care of you.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[Ann D 0]

Okay so I went to the doctor a week ago and he said I had Fluid around my port causing the swelling and redness. I have a half dollor size red blotch on my stomache where my port is located. he told me it's no big deal but it's not going away.

Has anyone had anything similar? It doesn't really hurt, just annoying. Of course I have not worn anything that woudl rub that area yet.

[nomadem 1]

My infection was a general infection that happened to be in the port area, not a port infection. Lab tests indicated the port itself was not infected.

I never knew that you could get an infection so long after surgery. I too think my infection isnt from the port but from the revision and in that area.

you've been thru a lot, I wish you the best!