I had my surgery on Aug 28th, and my stomach is still pretty swollen especially on my left side over my port. How long does it take for that to go down? I can't even bend forward on my left side yet due to the swelling and pain. Just wondering what is the average length of time for everyone else-

Thanks so much!

Targa

I was banded 8/29 and feel great and have for, well, since that day actually. I can bend and move and so on just fine.

i was swollen for about one and a half to two weeks.

I was swollen for about 3 weeks.

I am not too swollen. I think most of mine is gone... and I am one week post-op today.

At almost 3 wks out, I'm still swollen. And I swell even more if I've been up and about too long. It's crazy. I'm hoping it goes away soon. Sorry, I'm no help!

thanks Heartfire-

It does help to know I am not the only one that hasn't completely recovered after one week!

Targa

I had my surgery on August 26 and my left side where my port is also still swollen - especially if I have been out shopping or running errands or even sitting straight up too long. I think everyone is different in that we are not all shaped the same. I wear a bra to work, but take it off as soon as I get home and just wear a baggy t-shirt on the weekends as my bra starts to irritate the incicison in the upper middle.

Hi there, We had our surgery on the same day and i wondered if you might be having some of the same feelings as me. I am doing well, ive lost 20lbs but am definately starting to have some hunger? are you? I go for my first fill in 5 weeks and i cant wait. I am definately eating less and started soft food this past friday. They want me to eat 2 ounces every 3 hours and drink 60 ounces of water a day. Does this sound the same to you?

I was pretty swollen for about 2 weeks and a month later I still have some swelling but not enough to cause any problem. I can still see that the left side of my abdomen over my port is bigger than the right side.

yes, I do have hunger....and I have no restriction. I am worried about gaining before I get my first fill.

The problem I am currently having is constant pain over my port. If I feel with my fingers the area about 2 inches below my largest incision, I can feel a hard area that I believe is my port...and it is extremely tender, and hurts constantly, not just with exertion. The left side is definitely more swollen than the right. I was under the impression we would not be able to feel our port from the outside until we were closer to our goal weight.

I am going to give my Dr a call tomorrow...I feel like this surgery has turned me into a hypocondriac! I just want to make sure that I havent done something to my port to make it come loose :smile:

Targa

Dear Targa,

I had my surgery on August 11th and I still have constant pain over the port. It is so very sore and tender especially if i have been sitting for too long. It also sits at the same hight as my kitchen counter so every time i wash dishes and bump against the counter it aggravates it. I have started making my hubby and daughter take care of that mess, but i still do the cooking and bump it all the time. It is also very swollen still. I see the Dr. Tomorrow for my first fill and hopefully he can give me some time line or advice about it. I will keep you posted as to what he says. I did read about someone who used a belly band (they used to use these years ago on babies with umbilical hernia's to flatten the area until the muscles in that area grew and keep things in place. I am assuming those for adults would be something a little larger (lol) but on the same principle, maybe an elasticized band with a cushioned area to place over the port. I am a seamstress and I am going to try making one for myself, if it works I will let you know and explain how to make one yourself. I hope this helps. At least you know you aren't the only one out there with this problem.

Take Care,

elliespetals:smile:

I think what we are experiencing is part of the process. You gave me a laugh when you said you were ready to rip that pizza out of their sweet little hands! LOL My youngest is 15 and the only one left at home so the cooking isn't too band initially my husband did it for her and him and I cooked what I could eat. One of my favorite filling things was not diet at all, but so yummy and kept me full for a while and that was homemade mushroom soup. Although it was made with fat free milk I did use butter as the rue started I don't know if having a few extra calories in the fats department helped but it kept me on track. My Dr. wants you to be a month post op to do a fill to give the belly time to adjust to the band and for all the swelling to go down. I am ready as i too can eat everything (although not in the quantities that I once did) so there is some restriction with out a fill, but I think it needs to be tweaked. I will know tomorrow. I can still eat bread and chicken and they say if you can do that you need a fill. Weird criteria but I guess they have to have some benchmark.

Good luck.

Thanks so much for everyone's responses, and elliespetals, please let me know what your dr. says. I talked to the nurse, and we are kind of in a watch and see period right now...she said most of everything I am feeling is normal, and that there will be scar tissue build-up around the port, and that is probably what i am feeling. She said what they watch for are hematoma's and infection...the area that is sore is not discolored or warmer than the surrounding area, and those would be bad signs. I guess I am just a slower healer...I am going to take it as easy as I can and unless I get worse, I will probably wait another 10 days until I am scheduled for my first fill. Please let me know if anyone gets different information than what I was told.

Thanks so much-

Targa

I was banded on 9/15 and the only problems I'm experiencing is trying to sleep on my left side. I have to prop myself up with pillows, and get out of the bed very slowly. Compared to the gas pains.....the discomfort of my swollen stomach is a piece of cake. LOL

I was banded on August 26 and I still have swelling, especially on my left side. I also still have pain where my port is. I have trouble sleeping on my left side but each day it is getting better.