8 days since surgery and I feel great. Most of the gas pain is gone and I feel pretty normal. Except when I stand or walk. My port is bulging out, it helps to cup my hand around it while moving (it is like having 1/2 a golf ball under my skin). Laying or in a reclined "sit" and it is no problem. Everynow and then I will move in such a way that I have sharp pain at the port site but it goes away in a few seconds. I am more concerned about the bulging. Any thoughts?

Mine always bulged and it's more pronounced now that I've lost weight.

The area around your port is swollen but will eventually reduce. It will always be there (helpful to find when filling!), and await the day that i lose enough weight for it to be seen (still hidden among much fat)

Mine also looks like a golfball under my skin, and as I lost weight and belly fat, it became more pronounced....

I can even see the tubing coming out of the side, like a worm for about 2 inches before it goes deep to the band.

On the positive side, it would be impossible to flip being held between the skin and muscle wall so tightly, and it is a breeze to have have fills done....the injection port is right there, 1/4" under the skin....

Ports are supposed to be stitched to the abdominal muscle wall....the more belly fat, the deeper it will be....with all the reports about ports flipping, I feel many surgeons are lazy and do not do this. peerhaps planning on it later when much of the fat is gone.

If you click on my profile picture, you can see my port...as bad as the picture is, the port still is visible..

Right below my right breast....

Edited January 19, 201511 yr by B-52

I, too, have had a port "bump" about 5 inches above my navel. I also had a major hematoma at the port incision site about 8 hours after surgery. It was so large I couldn't cup my hand over the bulge. As I approach 4 weeks, the blood from the hematoma is finally disapating and the swelling has really diminished.

Based on what I've heard from my nurse practioner, I was lucky to have Chris Riley as my surgeon [Houston]. He's an artist about placing the port and is consistent that staff doing the fill know exactly where the port is -- no searching to find. It's right at the middle of the incision and about 1/2 inch down towards the navel

Hopefully, your pain will go away with each day. But, and I know this is dumb to say, make certain that you stay in touch with your after care staff. Best wishes...

The area around your port is swollen but will eventually reduce. It will always be there (helpful to find when filling!), and await the day that i lose enough weight for it to be seen (still hidden among much fat)

It will happen @Elizabeth68. I promise. I've lost 150 lbs. and the port, once completely invisible hidden under all that fat, is now protruding just like the other posters say...it does look like a golf ball under the skin. I asked Dr. Ren about it when I saw her last month and she said there was a lower profile port available but it wouldn't make much of a difference in her opinion. Truth be told, I have become very proud of that bump as it means I've lost so much excess weight that it's clearly visible now.

@@Lawrence Baxter dr. Riley was my surgeon also! Just had my surgery in 1/19/2015

Great! How did it go? My nurse practioner at True Results said that of all the surgeons, they like Dr. Riley the best. He's good and consistent. She said they always know exactly where he put the port which is at the center of the largest stitch and then the width of a finger just below. They never have to search for the port with Dr. Riley!

I'm on week 9 and have now gone down 2 pant sizes and had to change to another belt. My guess is that I've lost 40 lbs. now. I had lost 36.1 at week 6.

Hope you are doing well and making progress. Be well...

@@Lawrence Baxter doing well, I'm about 5 weeks out and I'm down 28lbs. I lost 20 for my pre op plan, but now I feel stuck. My weight hasn't budged in 2 weeks!! Very hungry, my next fill is on March 9.

How many weeks between your last fill? I was doing 3 weeks but it will be 4 weeks this round. You may still be in the yellow zone. Share your concerns and see if they can be aggressive with the amount of your fill. I had 2 CCs primed at surgery and then 2 CCs at 3 weeks, but ONLY 1 CC at the last fill. I'm hoping that I get at least another 1 CC [hopefully 2 CCs] on Mar 4.

Have you been monitoring or having feeling challenged with your food intake? Sometimes, it may be that the body is plateauing and just needs a jump start to get back to the losing weight. But, when you think about it, a 2 week plateau is miniscule compared to the years of weight gain. Plus, look at it as a VICTORY++++....YOu haven't gained weight.

Patience. Be well...

@@Lawrence I was down 20 lbs pre op not 20 :0( my next fill is on March 9th so it's about 4 weeks since my first fill. . The hunger is killing me!!

Hello I am at day 6 and I feel very odd .. I would like to ask for some advice.. Because my wife and uncles that got the band last year and and one of them 3 years ago . Which they are doing great. I get from them I cant remember what It felt like and it's frustrating.

I feel like my stomach is full of gas . And pains in my shoulders, ribs , chest And I only pass gas and burp . I go #1 but cant go #2 to save my life..

#1It's a nice way to say urinate

#2 I hope you understand what that is ???lol

I can only get down 4oz of a shake , Water like 60 oz and about 15oz of broth .. In a full 24 hours I feel full but sometimes light headed when I get up from sitting ( I know ! I think I need to eat more ) but I can't get it down anymore. When I try too I feel so bloated .

So when does this all go away??? The gas? Feeling ..... ?

And will I be able to consume more food so I don't feel lightheaded?

How long into I can take a number 2

Last night was so hard for me we had a birthday party to go to and it was food galore from sushi to lasagna salad and appetizers.wine and cocktails .Here I come in with 8oz of fish bouillabaisse (fish broth) 2 4oz cups of Jello.... And siped on a 6oz bottle of water .... All night ...

I am a renowned chef in the area I own restaurants and an Italian specialty store and food is my life and my career and when I am known for. Everyone was very supportive after I told everyone that I got the lap band .... At 10:30 I felt so bloated . I had to go .. Got home layer down and was feeling like I ate a whole pizza with a 2 liter bottle of soda .

Tonight I have to go to a wedding and a 40 year-old surprise party. I will be fine .... Thank you in advance for any advice you may have ???

Hello I am at day 6 and I feel very odd .. I would like to ask for some advice.. Because my wife and uncles that got the band last year and and one of them 3 years ago . Which they are doing great. I get from them I cant remember what It felt like and it's frustrating.

I feel like my stomach is full of gas . And pains in my shoulders, ribs , chest And I only pass gas and burp . I go #1 but cant go #2 to save my life..

#1It's a nice way to say urinate

#2 I hope you understand what that is ???lol

I can only get down 4oz of a shake , Water like 60 oz and about 15oz of broth .. In a full 24 hours I feel full but sometimes light headed when I get up from sitting ( I know ! I think I need to eat more ) but I can't get it down anymore. When I try too I feel so bloated .

So when does this all go away??? The gas? Feeling ..... ?

And will I be able to consume more food so I don't feel lightheaded?

How long into I can take a number 2

Last night was so hard for me we had a birthday party to go to and it was food galore from sushi to lasagna salad and appetizers.wine and cocktails .Here I come in with 8oz of fish bouillabaisse (fish broth) 2 4oz cups of Jello.... And siped on a 6oz bottle of water .... All night ...

I am a renowned chef in the area I own restaurants and an Italian specialty store and food is my life and my career and when I am known for. Everyone was very supportive after I told everyone that I got the lap band .... At 10:30 I felt so bloated . I had to go .. Got home layer down and was feeling like I ate a whole pizza with a 2 liter bottle of soda .

Tonight I have to go to a wedding and a 40 year-old surprise party. I will be fine .... Thank you in advance for any advice you may have ???

This is all perfectly normal. It can take a couple of weeks for the gas to dissipate and that's why you have the shoulder/rib pain. Walk around..it helps. Also, take something to help you do #2 like Mirilax. It's also very common to be constipated. Your insides are swollen from surgery and that's likely why you feel bloated. It won't last.

Enjoy the wedding...follow your protocol...don't 'try' anything you shouldn't and you will do fine. Good luck and welcome to the banded life.

Stick to the rules. Drink 4 oz prune juice for relief. The pain meds constipate you. For the gas shoulder pain, ask someone to do karate chops on your neck and shoulders several times a day and walk walk walk. Good luck! It should get easier each day. Congratulations !!

I totally agree with JustWatchMe! Use a laxative that dissolves in water; add to your flluid intake. Also, GASX taken as often as recommended will help disapate that gas buildup which can be part of the cause of your pain. Be prepared for flatulence and stomach gurrgles.

Most important, keep moving. I had my surgery at 8:30 AM on Dec. 23rd and I never took a nap or laid down until I was ready for bed. If I became uncomfortable when sitting, I got up and moved about: hand washed dishes, rearranged/cleaned up 2 shelves in my pantry [arm movement], and even walked 3 doors down and visited with a neighbor for 30-40 minutes. Of course, I DIDN'T have a hiatal hernia repair so my shoulder pain was minimal.

I also tell people that I lost my appetite on Dec. 23rd. I really haven't hungry since I had the lap band surgery. My stomach feels empty but it's not a hunger sensation. Use that "full" sensation to your advantage. The hardest part of my journey is to remember that "full trumps an empty plate." I was punished as a little kid and had to sit at the table until I finished what was on my plate...even after everyone else had left the table. And, I didnt have a dog to help me eat!!

If you are a chef and in the food business, you are really ahead of the game as you know what it takes to flavor food [herbs and spices] and can adjust recipes to keep your new life of eating from getting boring. It's not that you can't eat or enjoy food: It's just different!!