I was banded in late Nov. and my doctor told me two weeks ago my port was tipped. Last week i had a horrible stomach virus and threw up twice and once was real bad. Ever since then i dont have any real restriction. I am only experiecing a tiny bit of heart burn. After i was sick i realized my band was sticking up against my skin, it was always real close to my skin but this was more than normal. Can anyone give me suggestions on what this may be. I dont want to rush to my doctors i was also wondering if maybe i deflated it, if thats even possible.

thanks

D-

I was banded in late Nov. and my doctor told me two weeks ago my port was tipped. ... After i was sick i realized my band was sticking up against my skin, it was always real close to my skin but this was more than normal.-

Tipped or flipped? A flipped port means that you'll need a port revision before you can get a fill. But that's generally an outpatient procedure and a lot simpler than the full surgery. If it's just tipped, they might still be able to fill you. Either way it shouldn't affect your current fill. The band should still work.

I hope you mean "port" where you said "band" up above (I put it in red). I'm not sure about this. Maybe something shifted?

You do need to see your doctor if you aren't experiencing restriction, because you need a fill. He/she could do a barium swallow and use fluoroscopy to make sure everything is still in place. He can also pull out the Fluid in your band to make sure you have as much as your chart says you do -- to see if you have a leak.

Good luck!

If your doctor can get to your port despite being flipped, it's not a problem. But it's likely at some point it'll flip more and you'll need surgery to replace its position.

You mentioned the band being against your skin, I assume you mean the port. If it flipped and now it's protruding, that wouldn't be unusual.

It wouldn't cause you to get a virus though

The band isn't inflated. There is no air in there so you can't deflate it, it gets filled with liquid.

As for not wanting to rush to the doctor, that's what they are there for.

flipped not tipped. it is tipped but i was wondering if i made it flip when i threw up. i know it is filled with liquid i thought with me being sick i some how caused a leak and made it deflate. i know i can go to the doctors at any time but i rather go to him if its something serious. i see him every 6 weeks and have to use a sick day from my job.

thanks

D-

It wouldn't "deflate" unless there is a leak, which I suppose could come from severe vomiting. It is more likely you could have caused band slippage with the vomiting, which might change your level of restriction. Neither thing is an emergency that you would have to rush to the doctor with, but either could cause a loss of restriction. You would need a fluoroscope and barium swallow to see what, if anything, is out of place. It could wait until your next appointment, but I wouldn't be surprised if your band doesn't work in restricting your appetite during your wait.

Does a flipped port work?<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

As long as the person doing the fill can access the port, it should work, provided all connections are intact.

I was banded in late Nov. and my doctor told me two weeks ago my port was tipped. Last week i had a horrible stomach virus and threw up twice and once was real bad. Ever since then i dont have any real restriction. I am only experiecing a tiny bit of heart burn. After i was sick i realized my band was sticking up against my skin, it was always real close to my skin but this was more than normal. Can anyone give me suggestions on what this may be. I dont want to rush to my doctors i was also wondering if maybe i deflated it, if thats even possible.

Are you sure you're feeling your band? Even if it's slipped on the esophagus, it shouldn't be anywhere that you can feel it. VERY often people will mistake their xyphoid process for the band -- swear they can feel the band close to the skin. Scar tissue is also felt in lieu of the band.

The band shouldn't have lost its fill because you got sick. There's nothing in the act of vomitting that would force fill out of the band (e.g. the port self-heals after puncture, the band isn't really "squeezable" - it's quite hard, etc.)

yeah i can feel the port even the doctors assistant said it was very close to my skin that is why in the beginning they had no problems giving me fills. If the port/band would slip wouldnt i feel some pain. i have no pain.

thanks and you guys are great for answering my questions. i really appreciate it. :thumbup:

D-