I am thinking of having a tummy tuck but am not sure how it works with the port. I had a consult and told the surgeon that I have the band. He didn't seem concerned over it but I still have some concerns about how the procedure will affect the port. I don't want to do anything to risk loosing my band. Has anyone had a tummy tuck and did it have any affect on your band and/or port?

dawn,

I had an abdominoplasty in august o5. My plastic surgeon had experience with banded patients. He didnt actually move my port, but due to the skin removal, my port is a few inches away from my original scar. He did do an unfill when I was under anesthesia so I could eat a little more post operatively and accidently removed all of it. My restriction has not been the same since them and I regained some weight and spent some time trying to lose what I gained. Make sure that yhour PS knows about either moving ports or replacing with low profile port and let him know where you want it positioned if he/she had no intention of doing it. The port is sewn in the abdominal wall/muscle and depending on where it is, it can be a nuisance if it is near a pant line or somewhere where you can see it.

Babs in TX

334/190 ish

Babs......did you use a PS in the Metroplex? I hope to need one in a year or so and am beginning to check them out. I definitely want one that has had experience with wls patients.

Thank you so much Babs. This is very helpful. My PS didn't say anything about an unfill. I don't have such severe restriction that I wouldn't be able to eat enough after the surgery. It would definately be a deal-breaker if he decided he wouldn't do the surgery without an unfill. He did mention that I would likely need to come back to have the 'love handles'. I don't know if he's just looking to make more money or if he has a legitmate case for waiting. I think I need to get one more consult and make sure it's with someone that has done this procedure on banded patients. Again, thank you for your reply.

Hi Harleygirl,

The primary reason for an unfill is if you have a medical emergency involving NG tubes or something that involves esophagus stomach, throat, or you start to vomit profusely, then its better to have a looser band than a tighter one. Some lapband surgeons recommend this, some are against it feeling that you should not mess with restriction.

The most important part is finding a plastic surgeon that has WLS patients that they have worked on in the past and have a track record of successful outcomes since there is a medical implant and anytime you mess in an abdominal cavity with any kind of open surgery can expose your band to bacteria even though it is a closed system. I considered the low profile port, but my insurance would not pay for it (700.oo) and the port I have is not so bad and doesnt really stick out anyway. I kinda wish my plastic surgeon would have moved it since it is now in an extremely inconvenient place and an be irritating.

Gayle TX: I had my PS with Dr. Lavine in Fort Worth. He had some ads touting a beautiful bandster gal and had experience with bandsters. I met with 3 different plastic surgeons, but I liked him the best. He recently did a show on TLC since he has done more breast augmentation than anyone else practically in the US. He did my TT and medial thighplasty.

Babs in TX

334/190 ish

I had an extended abdomnioplasty in October 06. Had a very tight band but that was never mentioned by the plastic surgeon. He did move my port from the upper center of my belly to right beneath my ribcage. I was scared it would be difficult to access, but my weight loss doc had no problems (I had to have an unfill this month to quit losing). Oh yeah, the scar associated with my port was completly gone from the skin removal....although replaced by new ones from the surgery.

just had tt Jan. 17th. I was very concerned about the port ok obsessed with hurting the port. My excellent surgeon Dr. Santin was very honest he said he couldnt gaurentee me there would be no problems but he would do his very best, and he did. He explained that the port itself would move as it is sewn to the second set of muscles in the "six pack" of the stomach muscles. In surgery to provide the six pack, he had to tighten the muscles inward like in the center of your body and sew the muscles together. that is the pain in the surgery and why you cant stand up straight for 4-6 weeks for the muscles to heal together picture a six pack under rib cage in center of body, that is where the muscles are put in surgery. my port moved about 2" to the center but no higher or lower that I notice, but the scar is gone from banding. Everything is, was great! my surgeon was wonderful and well worth the 6 month consult wait and the 4 month surgery date.

Research well the wait is worth it when the results are good.

Hope this helped good luck

I had my tummy tuck August '05, and my port was not touched. It is still just above my belly button (my BB is just way cuter now)

No problems, no ill effects, and thrilled with the result.

how much do tummy tucks range from?

ALso I am in my early twenties and I want to have children in the next few years, at least before I am 27. SHould I wait to have a tummy tuck till after I have kids?

My belly dropped due to weight gain. 5'8 and 282 pounds will do that to you. Now I am still obviously 5'8 but now at 210lbs and the stomach pouch has gotten significantly smaller. I just cant imagine it completely dissapearing and I am very self contious about it.

considering i know my skin will need to strech again, is it a bad idea to get a tummy tuck. I am worried that removing the access skin will make the already stretched skin strech even more causing complications... or is the new stretched skin as tough as regular skin... if anyone has any ideas about this please let me know.

Hey there Mirella;

From my understanding you physically cannot stretch the resectioned tummy to accomodate a pregnancy, so in short yes you should wait to have your TT or the like after you have your children. And who wants to stretch out that newly tucked tummy anyways...have a nice tight tummy after the babes. I am having a TT or Beltline Lipostomy in the fall. I can hardly wait. The TT runs about 5600 here in Canada and the Beltline about 8500, but that takes legs and tummy at the same time. 2 birds and one stone kinda deal!

Good Luck

POPT

Tracey

Uhh, yeah, you can stretch to accommodate a babe after a tummy tuck. You may not be as flat as you were before pregnancy, but you can indeed stretch enough.

It is recommended that one waits till after they are finished with having babies to have a tummy tuck, but that is only because you are going to the effort of having surgery to look all pretty and flat, and you don't want to ruin it by stretching the skin and muscles.