Still Sore At Port Site!!!

[thebestmom 1]

Was banded on July 18 2012. I had a large hematoma that bled out for 3weeks. Finally about a week or so ago the port site closed an stopped bleeding out. I assumed the hematoma (blood that has gathered) was now all gone because I had no pain anymore. Well I'm not sure why or if I did anything to cause it but I am severely sore at the port area in my stomach. Bending over hurts, sitting down and getting up hurts. Has any one experienced this? I'm worried my port may have come loose or something. I it normal to have pain at te port area almost 5 weeks after surgery ?

[Jean McMillan 2,973]

I don't know about "normal", but it's not unusual. I don't recall how long it took my original port site to stop bothering me. After my port was repositioned (after flipping), that incision hurt for at least 2 months. It got easier every day, though, and it wasn't the kind of pain that makes you scream or cry. In the almost 5 years I was banded, occasionally I would aggravate my port site while doing abdominal exercise or housework or whatever. I asked my surgeon if my exercise program could have contributed to my port flip and she said maybe, but that's not a good excuse for avoiding abdominal exercise.

The Lap-Band port is usually sutured into the fascia surrounding the abdominal muscles (I think the Realize Band is clamped onto the fascia). It's very hard to do anything without involving your abdominal muscles - bending over, getting in and out of a chair/car/bed, etc. While it is possible that you unwittingly did something to pop a suture, that doesn't necessarily mean that anything bad has happened or that you won't be able to get fills. If you were to call your surgeon's office, they'd probably suggest that you baby your abdomen for a week or so, put an ice pack on it, and call them in the morning.

Having said all that,though, I need to add that if your port site is warm, reddened (not bloody like the hematoma or a bruise), or hot to touch, call your surgeon ASAP because those are signs of infection.