flipped port.

kizzie · July 15, 2008

I went for my first fill today and found that my port had flipped 180 degrees! incredible. The doctor tried three times to access it to no avail. I had surgery this evening to correct it. I had local anesthesia so was awake through the whole procedure. It was uncomfortable at times but they kept drugging me which was great. My port has been placed an inch and a half lower now. It was under my bra strap area. I think this is why it flipped.

Anyway, I am home again now with 3cc in my band. I ate an inch of poached salmon, an inch of vegetable tortilla and half a cup of Soup. I felt FULL!!! and completely satisfied!!.. now THIS is what the BAND IS ALL ABOUT!! HURRAH!.

I am so pleased that I can now get on with this and start to lose weight again.

My surgeon has been amazing. He booked me into my surgery immediately. I guess the added benefits of being self pay. However, I am not paying for the reposition and correction, to my knowledge.

Going to bed now. Tramadol is kicking in.. Stinging pain and will have to be careful again with the port.

Just thought posting this might have been of some use to others!.

Oh! My infection has completely gone now too. I was admitted 2 weeks post op with temp 102. I had liquid in my spleen area. If it happens to anyone it happens to me. My surgeon has an incredible success rate. Poor guy must feel he was given a DUD!! lol... at least I didn't hemorrage! which is my usual trick post surgery.

Kizzie

PS:I have posted this in the Post Op thread and the June 2008 thread. thought I should post here.. want it to be useful. Will post my thread about my infection too. Sorry to those who have come across me more than once!!

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whippoorwillow · September 25, 2008

Kizzie

Did you have any symptoms before hand?

kizzie · September 25, 2008

Hi Willow

yes I did. I was one week post op and my port pain was very severe. I had read that it could be bad but didn't think any more of it. The port was right next to my bra wire so I walked around with my hand cupped over it or a big wad of guaze tucked under my wire. ... at week 2 post op I was extremely ill. I had a raging fever and had to stay overnight in the hospital with an infection. They thought it was either a chest infection as I was coughing a lot or liquid around the band. It transpired it was liquid (blood) around the band. Just before I hit the 4 week mark. I had the attempt at a fill... which was when they realised I had done a '180'!.. Between us (the surgeon and myself) we think that my bra wire pushed on the port too much and caused the excruciating pain. That I shouldn't have been in that much pain. (his stand in told me to get a non wire bra or go without for a few weeks.. with 38HH at the time I just laughed in his face!)... so the tearing of the muscle caused the build up of blood around my band area and led to the infection...

hope this helps..

What are your concerns???

take care and best of luck to you

Kizzie

whippoorwillow · September 25, 2008

Hi Willow
yes I did. I was one week post op and my port pain was very severe. I had read that it could be bad but didn't think any more of it. The port was right next to my bra wire so I walked around with my hand cupped over it or a big wad of guaze tucked under my wire. ... at week 2 post op I was extremely ill. I had a raging fever and had to stay overnight in the hospital with an infection. They thought it was either a chest infection as I was coughing a lot or liquid around the band. It transpired it was liquid (blood) around the band. Just before I hit the 4 week mark. I had the attempt at a fill... which was when they realised I had done a '180'!.. Between us (the surgeon and myself) we think that my bra wire pushed on the port too much and caused the excruciating pain. That I shouldn't have been in that much pain. (his stand in told me to get a non wire bra or go without for a few weeks.. with 38HH at the time I just laughed in his face!)... so the tearing of the muscle caused the build up of blood around my band area and led to the infection...

hope this helps..

What are your concerns???

take care and best of luck to you

Kizzie

Wow, Kizzie! You have had a real go of it.

My port was more sore than I thought it should be from day one. It has only been in the last couple of weeks where I wasn't aware of it all the time. Now it only hurts if I bend over while sitting. I think it gets mashed between my ribs and bra wire. (I don't have your endowment (just a 36DD), but I still need to wear a bra when I leave the house, so there's no question of going without. I don't want to send anyone to the loony bin or to the hospital. )

I had a simple surgery and recovery and have thus far sailed through with no complications. Since I've been away, I haven't had a fill yet, and have lost only 15 pounds, but that's ok with me.

All was going very well until this morning, when I awoke with a lot of pain at the port site. No swelling, no redness, nothing but pain. When I walk, move, sit stand, etc.

It feels as it did immediately post-op.

When I palpate the area, I think I can feel the upper part of the port closer to my skin than it was before.

I am VERY concerned.

I am away from homw and away from a surgeon for 6 more weeks.

Do you have any thoughts?

Thanks,

and good luck!

ww

Jaceesmom03 · November 9, 2008

Okay, so I'm kind of freaking out a little. My port is right where yours is, right below where my bra hits. Anyway, I've never had any problems whatsoever with it, but this morning I woke up and like I usually do, I felt of it (just paranoid I guess??) and it feels like it is sticking up more than normal. It doesn't hurt or anything, but it kind of freaks me out. Do you think its flipped? I just had my 2nd fill on Oct.30th and it was fine. Help??

kizzie · November 9, 2008

..Hey there Jaccie..

First of all.. if you are really worried go and have your doctor look at you. It could be simply that you are losing weight so the port will stick out a bit more.

I had trouble with my port flipping right from the beginning. I KNOW that my bra wire constantly pushed on my port as I was in a lot of pain and would walk with my hand cupped over the port and partially under my bra wire.. looked great!!..

I hope you feel better soon!.. and well done with your weight loss!!..

take care

kizzie

Jaceesmom03 · November 9, 2008

Thank you so much kizzie. I am a worrier, and have worried about everything since day one. LIke I said, I've had no pain or anything. Just feels weird and different. So it could just be that I'm psychotic :-) I hope so. Because I was self pay, I'm not sure what I'd do if I had to have another surgery.

kizzie · November 9, 2008

I think we all go through the paranoia.. I know I would bug the hell out of my doctor for every little thing.. although I did have heaps of problems.. but then I have never had any surgery go smoothly ( I wonder if this is why my boyfriend is so against me having my boob job and Tummy Tuck !! mmm??lol)... you have every right to be paranoid and question EVERYTHING.. don't leave it.. We have lived so many years knowing our bodies.. then we put a foreign object in there and expect to still know how we function.. we really don't and it is a total learning curve for understanding the new us's!.. ...

I am going through some tricky times. I am almost 5 months post op and had practically zero weight loss since the summer. have come to a complete stand still.. but my doctor is in Spain, I am in Miami and not due back in Spain until next summer so frantically trying to find a new doc.. .. so my weight is staying the same and I am vomitting almost everything!.. (ironically milkshakes and ice cream stay down.. well I have to eat SOMETHING am starving!!.. and I throw up all my 'menu' foods!).. never mind.. will get it sorted out too and email my doctor in Spain..

bug them!! that is what they are there for.. and if you do need port repositioning.. don't they pay for it??.. as it is a complication arising from their surgery?. I guess I was lucky and had it all under the original cost.

let me know how you get on!!

Kizzie

Pezo · April 21, 2009

Hey I am 4 weeks post op and have felt alot of stabbing pricks at my port area but its been getting better daily...today I sat on the floor and started catching really bad like a pulling I am freaking it REALLY keeps hurting when I move.....I wiil call doc tomorrow....

lizatjsu · May 2, 2009

I too had a flipped port. I had no pain, therefore no clue. At my second fill appt. my Dr. couldn't manage to get the needle in. I could actually hear the needle scrapping the titanium on the back of the port. He scheduled me immediately for surgery. I was under general anesthetic. It really wasn't so bad. The worst part of it all was the set back. I was banded in Sept.08. I then had a small skin infection near an incision and could not get a fill until it cleared up. In Jan.09 I had the port correction surgery and all the Fluid taken from my band. I had to wait 6 more wks to get another fill. Essentially, I had to start over but I am down 28lbs. I am finally starting to feel this has been worth it. Still, I can't help but feel frustrated when I read about people who've had their surgery around the same time and lost 50+ lbs.

Tiffykins · May 5, 2009

My story is a long read, but I have a flipped port, and many complications since the day of surgery. Remember, I warned ya'll it was a long read:

I was banded Oct 1, 2008. The complications started the day of surgery when a nurse held my ankles and made me reach above my head, grab the bedrails and pull my butt into the hospital bed. I had a shredding pain spread across my abdomen. No big deal they said, hit the pain pump. The next morning I woke up to an enormous bruise that was about 7" wide by 10" long across my abdomen under my port site sutures. I was scared. . .But was reassured that nothing was wrong with me.
Fast forward 10 days, suture removal, the bruising has now spread to my side and down even further my abdomen. The port site suture could not be removed because of swelling. The nurse dug around in one of my lap sites to remove sutures, and she couldn't get them out. YAY. 2 weeks later, I had cottage cheese consistency, old blood spewing from the lap site, it's now the size of a lima bean, and I see all the way to the pink layers of my abdomen, right through the fat. The infection is now tunnelling through my tummy. YAY YAY. They didn't seem too concerned, just keep it clean. Okay, off I go, 6 weeks later, the little hole is now getting smaller, it closes one day, but to my surprise there was something growing behind it. LOVELY. Prescription of Levaquin should resolve that. . .

I quit having restriction around Thanksgiving with a total of 2.5cc in my "band", in the tubing really. Was told to just stick to the diet, and to remember I am ahead of the game with 25lbs gone. December rolls around, not restriction, can eat more than I should, trying to be good. Called office about not having restriction, am told that it may take 25+ fills to get restriction and I need to accept it. REALLY?

I'll throw out this and it maybe TMI for some. But, our sex life suffered substantially because the port area was so sensitive, sex was sometimes impossible. . . Even though my husband is the most understanding, loving, and supportive husband in the universe, I hated feeling that we could not be intimate because I hurt so badly.

Okay, now fast forward end of Jan. Lost 1 pound in 2 months, YAY. I have a lot pain in my port area especially about my monthly cycle. Told surgeon, he looks dumbfounded. Manipulates the port for 15-20 minutes, I get 1cc finally. Thought I had restriction, yeah, not really. February, port pain is becoming more and more noticeable. And when I say pain, I mean pain level 6-8 on a daily basis. I go in for a fill even though they don't want to give me one, and he can't get to the port after 20 minutes of gouging around in my abdomen. It's swelling, bruising... I ask about the bleeding, and they finally agree to test me for R5 factor, reaction to Heparin. I am NEGATIVE. I received 5cc of heparin over a 30 hour hospital stay.

Okay, March 3rd, went in for a fill under fluoro, yep port is flipped, he digs on me for another 20 minutes, 5 different sticks, and can't get it under fluoro. I'm devastated. . . I ask him "why do I hurt everyday?" his reply " I honestly don't know ". . . Hmmmm this is not good.

6 days later, I show up for another attempt under fluoro even though they tell me it is to be done the next week. He agrees to try again, I get to radiology, and he says " have I accessed the port since repositioning it?" Ummm I was just here 6 days ago, and NO you haven't repositioned my port. He chuckled and said "oh dear, I've forgotten your chart." The fluoro table is at a 25degree angle, he manipulates the port and is able to give me 1cc, and tells me "see ya in 60 days". . . And off he went.

I left feeling like I was just ridden hard and put up wet. It was horrific. . . I called a week later and spoke with his nurse who proceeded to tell me " you haven't been happy since the beginning" I argued and said " No I haven't been happy since I have been ignored, and brushed off, and having complications that are trivialized by you and your husband." I told her I wanted my chart, and it took me driving down there and waiting an hour and a half to get my measley chart. She proceeded to tell me " you should of had gastric bypass like I told you". LOVELY.

I am not sure if I would of been successful with the band, but I know that I am so glad that I am getting the revision. The PB, sliming, getting stuck on crystal light was just too much for me to tolerate. I followed the rules, I worked my butt off for that 1lb loss between Thanksgiving and January 22nd. I truly feel like I was set up for failure by my surgeon, and I am so grateful to have the approval that I need to have the band removed and revision to the sleeve in June.

I was one of those ecstatic band patients until I had problems. Couple that with lack of concern and aftercare from my surgeon, I don't regret my choice for the band initially, I am sad it took me this long to get the hell away from my original surgeon.

Pezo · May 5, 2009

Wow Tiffykins that is jacked up......I hope u get to doing better soon....I have a friend that did the sleeve 1 year ago and has lost over 100 lbs. in just over a year.....I considered it but my insurance doesn't cover it and I didn't like the fact that they cut away so much of your stomach.......And lets face it w/any of these surgeries the key is NOT to stretch your pouch....I am 6 weeks post op going 4 my first fill today.....And I have been questioning my choice cuz I want to feel restriction, but don't so far.....Good luck and man that is some story.....My husband would be in jail if a doc treated me like that cuz he would beat his a#$.....Take care