I had to have my port replaced last year due to a leak in the tubing (was punctured during a fill) and I'm wondering how common this problem is.

Please answer the poll and discuss!

I am having my port changed on the 25th. Yes, it will cost me $2500, but my band is wothless without the fluid in it. I am praying this will work & I will be on my way to goal.

the fewer fills fewer leaks blind pokes high potential for leaks. vg band has fewest erosion numbers what band do you have

Nan,

I didn't realize in the beginnning that all the poking could harm my port or tubing. I should have stopped it too. The DR. who placed my band gave the impression he was experienced & didn't even know how to do the fills.

I am 1 of those whose port has turned in a wacky position. I went for my second fill yesterday...after 2 different people tried 8 different times to hit the port, it was decided that the stitches holding the port in place have broken and the port has "flipped" over. It was the strangest thing I've felt in a while when they were poking and you could hear the needle hit the back of the port. I could actually hear it tapping. Well, now I have to schedule another surgery to fix that problem. I'm kind of scared, kind of depressed. Am I unique with this problem or has anyone else had this before.

:confused2:

I know how you feel. Did they use fluoro to make sure the port is flipped? or was it a guess?

I had my band first done in feb 07 the first fill i had the dr pierced it and it leeked until they realised in november 07 and they replaced the port and tube. I had only lost about 15 kilos i now am down about 42 kilos and still needing to lose about 40 to 50 kilos. I am now scared every time i get a fill it will happen again.

I went in the docs office for my first fill on Tuesday, 4/29 and after several attempts I was instructed to go to the hospital the next morning so they could give me a fill under flouro. Once there and after several more attempts it was decided that the port was too deep, was moving around and had tilted sideways (or maybe flipped). Now all this is happening 6 weeks after the lap band placement. I'm scheduled to have the port re-done on Tuesday. The doc isn't charging me but the hospital is charging me $1000 and I work there! Not sure if anesthesia is going to charge me, my docs supposed to be asking them not to but if they do I'm poing to pitch a fit. Even though I don't think I should have to pay anything at all I'm not going to fuss over it. It will be worth is if it works. I've lost 37 pounds in 6 weeks and don't want anything to slow my progress. I hope to go back to work within a day or 2.

Hi I'm not new here but I have not post for a while. I was banded two years ago in Monterrey Mexico by Doctor Arturo Rodriguez, and had have no complications but a few months ago, I had to deal with a stomach virus that kept me vomiting for days, so I had to go to get an unfill here in Chicago, two actually one after the other. Well the last one, this doctor could not find the port, and kept pinching my skin with the needle and trying to place the port manually in position and after that it just has been painful, it felt like it was stuck to the skin it kept pulling, the area around started getting hard and red. I kept putting ice on it, but finally I send a email to Doctor Rodriguez with some pictures and guess what?, He told to get there immediately because I had a port infection. He had to removed the port last Friday with a small surgery that only require local anesthesia but he did had to make a little bigger incision than the original one to got the port out and he said it look bad. Hopefully the infection did not got all the way to band, but I wont know this until later, for now, I have an empty band with no port and not much restriction.

Leticia

S glad I found this post. Here is my story. Pregnant, deleived Feb 27th, scheduled my first fill after baby Apirl 7 by the Doctor his self not the nurse. I immediatley did not have restriction. Called them twice to try to get them to see me but was told "Your are fine we will see you in a month". Well, went yesterday and they pulled out nothing!!!!! i should have had 3.2cc's in and the doctor was to busy to talk to me. I am so hurt. The nurse filled me with 2.2cc's of omnipaque (which is like fix-a-flat for the band) I am praying this works. I am on liqiuds today then move to mushies. Anyway to the ones that have had to have their port replaced did the doctor offer to wave his fee or did you ask?? I want him to wave his fee. I am self-pay and we just had a baby we don't have the money to do this now but yet I have come this far can't walk away now???????? Can I????? Help please any advice would be great!!!!!

After many years as a lap band patient, I am at the end of my rope.

I had my original surgery in June of 2002. Since then I have been through

3 doctors. One resigned, I fired one, and a new one since I relocated. Additionally I have had 4 surgeries all related to the lap band. Lets see,

my first fill resulted in a raging infection that was treated for 6 months

unsucessfully. Ultimately,my port had to be removed until the infection

cleared up. That took another 2 months. All of this time I've had no restriction! Then we started again and I got up to two cc's and my port flipped. Another surgery. We start again and the tubing disconnects form the port. Another surgery!! Now we move on to a new doctor and he wants to put in a new port because the old one is on a angle and "hitting" the port for a fill is near impossible. Another surgery!!! We start again!!!! I get back up to 1.75cc's and my husband and I hit the road for 6 months. The doctor tells me to see him when I get back, which I did, and even though I had not lost any weight in those 6 months(I wasn't tight enough) he refuses to give me a fill. I get slightly annoyed to say the least and after a few words with him, I ask for my records and never went back!!! Still only 1.75 cc's.

We relocated to South Carolina and after searching for a bariatric Dr. I find one that was somewhat reluctant to take me as a patient with all my previous problems, but finally agreed to see me. I really liked him and we arranged for a fluroscopy to see what's happening , and before I can get it done, I get a letter saying that he had resigned and relocated to another office 300 miles away. OH BOY!!! Should I be surprised?? Well. he has a partner and I started seeing him last October. This Dr gave me a fill under fluro in October, I feel nothing and I tell him so. Another fill in Nov....nothing... I tell him I think I have a leak.... I feel nothing! But he says no I don't have a leak. OK, I'm thinking maybe I just haven't hit my sweet spot yet. I get another fill in January of 2.8ccs and actually feel a restriction!!! ALLRIGHT now we're cooking!!! Finally! Well........2 days later...guess what....I FEEL NOTHING! I finally talk him into putting a little contrast in there and under fluro we find out that the inner ballon is leaking. Very slowly, but its leaking!!! YIPEE!!! I'm relieved to know that I'm not losing my mind!! So I ask the DR about a revision. But, because of all my previous surgeries with the lapband, it would be a BIG surgery!! I am not willing to put myself through a major surgery with no guarantee of leaks and flips and infections not happening again, so I'm sure you can understand why I am fed up.....and.....I AM DONE with the lapband and am resigned to live with the appliance sitting in me doing nothing. :cursing:

In closing let me say, I do know several people that have been quite successful with their weight loss with the lapband, unfortunately, I am not one of them. Than you for taking the time to read this.

Colleen

I was banded in 2005. Lost about 60lbs and was close to my goal weight. As my stomach got smaller, my port was closer to the surface of my skin and an infection stopped me from getting the tummy tuck I had scheduled! So I had the port removed, and spent 3 months with a gaping hole in my belly while that healed. With 0 restriction, I gained about 30 of the 60lbs back. In May I had the port put back in but was getting NO restriction. After a few months, my doc did a test to discover there was a leak - the tubing had been punctured. So here I go again to the hospital. Replaced that port -- 3rd surgery. I have lost about 10lbs in 5 months but am completely 100% STUCK at this point. I don't eat much, but I'm not losing anything. I'm ready to go have it removed, honestly. I've been having some esophagus pain/chest pain today and I wonder if I have a slippage or something!? God knows that's all I need.

Because I'm self-pay, I've spent about an additional $15,000 on the 3 repairs - that's just for the hospital. I figure I've paid about $1000/pound. :biggrin: My insurance originally paid for my port removal but a year later came back and took the money back from the hospital so I owe them another $4000. I hope whoever made that decision has uncontrollable diarrhea for a month. ::grin::

I have a friend in my support group that self paid and his band is defective, according to our Dr. He is really having a hard time trying to get it replaced. He has tried to contact the company to see if they will pay for a new band (since it is defective) and the hospital bill. Our Dr. said he will replace the band for nothing but the hosp. will charges over $20,000.00 for their facilities. Anyone have any ideas short of getting an attorney involved??

I had my tubing replaced on April 22. My originial surgery was May18, 06. I had lost 70lbs before I finally convinced the dr that I had a leak. Initially he thought my port was the issue but once they got inside, it was the tubing. It had a "crack". I got the hospital bill last week for $8775. No dr bill yet. I have yet to get it filled, he said he didn't wish to put pressure on the band yet. So on the 19th, I get my first re-fill. I'm up 10lbs to my lowest and just angry. I had to refinance my house the first time to pay what my insurance didn't (dr was out of network) to the tune of almost $8000 and now I'm back where I started financially. Not all of us make the same money our surgeons do. And I can't help but think a lot of the problems are their fault. Did my tube actually crack or did it get poked?

But like others, my band is worthless unfilled and I certainly don't wish to put on anymore weight. I've come half way and I need the help for the last half.

Sorry to hear of your troubles, I don't know how far he will go to replace his though. He was hoping that the company that makes the band will back it up... Hope things get better for you...

I have been having an unusual pain in my back and my chest for the last few days since my band was too tight and I had to have an unfill. On Tuesday last week I had a fill of .5 cc and it was so tight (I told the doc and he didn't believe me) that starting the next day and for the following 48 hours I was not able to take ANY fluid in. And I started throwing up foam on my way back to the surgeon. I tasted like Bile but came out as White foam, I had a severe migrane from Dehydration as well. Has this happened to anyone?

Well anyways the second part is that I went in to the ER and the Surgeon who put too much fluid in on Tuesday happened to be the surgeon on call and he came in and removed ALL the fluid in the band. Then starting about two days after all the fluid was removed I started getting a "burning like" sensation across the middle of my back; somewhere near where I think the band is placed. Sometimes it kinda feels like a dull pressure on the center of my chest in the front as well.

I know it is not from food being stuck or anything because it happens no where near the times I am eating. Usually when I haven't eaten or 2-3 hours afterwards.