Poked, prodded and finally feeling restriction

[hungry4help 0]

hi all... i was banded on 3/3 and was filled a little earlier than usual. unfortunately, starting early just meant i started having problems sooner.

my otherwise extremely skilled surgeon (as well as his pa and another doctor in his practice) has had lots of difficulty accessing my port. apparently, due to the way my weight loss has gone and the slope/shape of my abdominal wall, my port tilts downward in a unusual way. translation: i've been, poked, prodded and left black and blue each and every time i've gone for a fill. i wouldn't have minded any of it if i'd reached restriction. sadly, i had squat to show for any of it.

then yesterday, we finally resorted to a fill under fluoroscope. you'd think that would have made things easier and less painful, right?! alas, it took my surgeon, a radiologist, a fluoroscopic specialist, 2 lidocaine injections and nearly one hour to access my port, empty and refill it with 5ccs of saline. it was the most painful session to date. i'm a pretty stoic woman, but i locked myself in the bathroom stall afterwards and had a good cry.

i'm on liquids for another day, so it's hard to tell if it worked. but i'm optimistic. they had me do a barium swallow afterwards to see what kind of restriction i have and from what i saw on the monitor, i should be at my sweet spot... at least for awhile!

here's hoping the rest of you have less painful fills!

[salsa1877 10]

I have a lot of scar tissue over my port and yes my fills are painful. In fact when I went in for my unfill it took almost an hour. However this is very rare and fortunately (not for us) most fills are relatively unpainful.

[jaunderwood 0]

I went to my Dr. today to get a fill. He couldn't find my port and I have to go for flouro tomorrow,but the worse part is I haven"t loss any weight for 5 weeks!! Iwas so disappointed because I have been eating right and exercising.

Jaunderwood

[hungry4help 0]

I have a lot of scar tissue over my port and yes my fills are painful. In fact when I went in for my unfill it took almost an hour. However this is very rare and fortunately (not for us) most fills are relatively unpainful.

yup, scar tissue is an issue for me too. my doc mentioned something about that being a possible explanation as to why it's so difficult to inject saline into my port. seems like scar tissue might be occluding the surface of my port.

jaunder: not to worry, you'll get there. a loss is a loss, no matter what the number!

[jaunderwood 0]

My Doc said I have a "knotty" stomach that makes it difficult to tell where the port is!!

jaunderwood

[LoisinStA 1]

I had my first fill last Tuesday - have to drive 1 1/2 hours to get it done since I was banded in Mexico and no local doctors will take care of me. With no anesthesia, it took a few good pokes and prods before the port was found. I was filled with 1.5 cc. After a week, no weight loss, intense hunger I made an appt. for tomorrow for another fill. I developed a huge hematoma after the first fill and still have an egg size lump that sticks out of my stomach. It feels hard and now I worry that my port moved, or scar tissue is surrounding it, etc. - all the things that I have just read about. I will discuss all of this with the doctor tomorrow.

I must say I am nervous - it was pretty painful last time...hope it won't be so bad this time. Going through the pain and then not losing any weight was not fun....

[salsa1877 10]

My fill nurse told me HOW she got it in so that I could remind her. So when I go in I just remind her of the scar tissue so that she knows that she has to "go in low and then come up under the scar tissue". This has seemed to help. The last time though I had a different fill nurse and the pain was awful. Probably why I am determined to not have to get a fill again!

[Maysatl 0]

I understand your pain. I had to go back several times for my first fill because they could get it.. They could feel it just couldn't get in the needle in and they poked and poked like 16 times. Once I went and they bent the needle!! It was really frustrating and painful!! I finally found someone who could find it after a few pokes. So good luck with it. hopefully it will get better as you lose. My last fill was a bit better!

[lindseyann2u 0]

I'm surprised to see so many others are having the same problem. Each fill has gotten worse and worse. This time, after about 15 or so pokes (and digging around each time) the doctor finally gave up. I was so excited today, because I thought it was my old fill doctor's fault (sorry Dr.) :thumbup:, and today I was seen by a new doctor. She said it may be a scar tissue problem. I could actually hear the metal needle clicking on the port. So, I have to go in for an ultrasound next week, and get the fill with a radiologist. Hopefully this time it will be successful.

Edited May 16, 2008 by lindseyann2u

[LoisinStA 1]

I went yesterday for my 2nd fill and it was great - he used something to numb me first and then found the port pretty quickly - I didn't feel a thing. What a difference from the first time. :thumbup:

[hungry4help 0]

well, i guess my rather painful flouroscopy experience paid off. i started back on solids 48 hours later and i definitely felt restriction. phew! i was beginning to feel like i'd never get there.

i'd describe what i feel as rather moderate restriction. i haven't pb'ed or foamed and i have eaten some brown rice and Pasta. but i find that i get fuller faster and am sated much longer when i don't eat foods that are sauced. plus, as others have noted on the board, it eating slowly is key.

i'm hoping this feeling lasts. in a pound or two i'll go from morbidly obese to plain old obese. i suppose it's kind of silly, but it feels like an important milestone. i should cross the line sometime next week.

[salsa1877 10]

well, i guess my rather painful flouroscopy experience paid off. i started back on solids 48 hours later and i definitely felt restriction. phew! i was beginning to feel like i'd never get there.

i'd describe what i feel as rather moderate restriction. i haven't pb'ed or foamed and i have eaten some brown rice and Pasta. but i find that i get fuller faster and am sated much longer when i don't eat foods that are sauced. plus, as others have noted on the board, it eating slowly is key.

i'm hoping this feeling lasts. in a pound or two i'll go from morbidly obese to plain old obese. i suppose it's kind of silly, but it feels like an important milestone. i should cross the line sometime next week.

It is not silly at all...that is a huge milestone...I cried like a baby!

[hungry4help 0]

aww shucks, salsa. thanks!

actually just went to weigh myself after my last post and i'm obese! never would have thought i'd actually be proud and happy about that!

[hungry4help 0]

My Doc said I have a "knotty" stomach that makes it difficult to tell where the port is!!

jaunderwood

hi jaunderwood.... how did your fill go?

[wanna35 0]

I feel like I'm in grat company. I had a very hard time with my fill and then unfil they poked and prodded for 35 minutes till they got the needle in cuz my port is angled in a weird way. I'm scared to go for my next fill cuz I'm still black and blue.