Post Op Port question...

Dogfather84 · October 7, 2008

Hello everyone. I'm a newbie, banded on last Thursday, 10/2.

Everything is proceding 'normally' right now. The first couple nights were tough to sleep with the soreness. I had to sit up to get any sleep. But now I'm able to sleep in my bed on my sides. The pain during the day has gradually subsided. Yesterday I was able to walk pretty normally, straight-up, without walking 'hunched over.' In fact today, post-op Day 4, I was desperate for some fresh air and went to the store to pick up some things, then later went on a 15 walk up the street. Also, the first two days were tough for me because alot of my back muscles (I'm a muscular guy from playing football in HS and college) were getting stiff and tight from overcompensation and sitting up in the same position for hours on end. But that too got better by day 3 as I was able to get around a little better, and a good, hot shower that night did wonders. So, everything is going well right now. :crying:

Now, I guess my surgery was pretty tough on the doctor because I have a lot of fat concentrated in one area, around the belly, and not much anywhere else (BMI = 44.1). So it took the doc extra time and a couple of extra incissions to complete the banding.

Now, from what his assistant told me, the skin near the top of my belly is especially thin (as opposed to the rest of me! :thumbup:). Thus my port is really protruding. I can see it now, oval shaped, sticking about about a quarter of an inch at the top (it took me a day or two to get rid of the "squirellies" and to be able to look at some of the work the doctor did).

Now I'm sure this will make for easy saline injections/removal, but I'm not too thrilled about this port sticking out the way it does, and I am not one of this superficial people that freaks out over silly, stupid things. But the port sticking out that way it is now still irritates me.

Now, my question, of course, is will this get any better?? Will the port become less noticable over time and regular weight loss, or should I just resign myself to having this protrusion out of the top of my stomach for the rest of my life??

Thank you.

................. ken

*slim* · October 7, 2008

I don't know about the rest of your life, but my surgeon says they will do a port revision once I have lost a significant amount of weight. I guess I can understand why they don't use the smaller port to begin with because it would be hard to find under the fat. That being said, you are probably swollen around that area and that is making it stick out more than it will. I know, my port site looked like a huge egg, but now almost 2 weeks out, it doesn't stick out as much as it did the first few days. I hope that it goes down enough for you to be comfortable with it being there.

lfoss · October 7, 2008

The only way I even know my port is there is if I push pretty hard on the incision. I surely have never been able to see my port sticking out. My doctor did mention too that after a big weight loss that sometimes the port does have to be revised. Hope this helps.

kathystrick · October 7, 2008

Also keep in mind that you are still pretty swollen in there, so that may be effecting what you see at this point. Mine sticks out somewhat too, but no one would notice and I am expecting to have a revision eventually. My port is on top of the lower part of my rib cage, so pretty close to the surface, but much easier to find for fills the nurse says.