Please forgive me for copy and pasting this from another site I post on. I was referred here by someone at obesityhelp.com. I hope to find support and shared experiences on this site! Sorry this first post is SO long!!

On day 7 post op 3 of my incisions started oozing Fluid. I went into the Dr. and he opened up my port incision so that the fluid would have somewhere to drain (a whole other story here. I had no idea what he was doing until it was done. Only that it hurt a tremendous amount). I now have a 'wound' about 3-4 inches across and maybe 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep. Seems huge in person. I have been packing my wound faithfully 2 times/day over the last 12 days. It actually began looking like it was starting to heal a little about 3 days ago and I've been VERY excited about that. Then 2 days ago I started hurting. REALLY hurting. Not the wound itself, but the area around it. I couldn't sit, stand, put my hands above my head, bend, NOTHING without hurting. Heck, it hurt bad just to pass gas! (sorry, TMI!) I called the Dr. and they told me to take Tylenol and apply wet heat 4 times/day. Well, yesterday morning it wasn't any better, and the swelling was obvious so I called again. They worked me in.

First off, I told the Dr. that I like to be a part of my own medical care vs along for the ride. I feel like he should have talked to me more at my last appointment about what he was going to do, said things like 'this might hurt' (in warning), and just explained more to me about what was happening to my body. I had no idea how deep this thing was until I got home and changed the dressing the next day and I was shocked. SO... before I even let him look at it yesterday I told him how I felt. Told him the only thing I fear is ignorance, and I don't want to be ignorant when it comes to my own body. Told him I don't mind pain, but would like him to let me know BEFORE he starts cutting into me, that I'm going to feel some. KWIM? He was very receptive and apologized several times. Then he told me he was going to poke around a little and it might hurt. Well, he poked (with the long Q-tip thing) inside the wound and must have punctured through some of the new tissue and darned if a bunch of fluid didn't come pouring out again. I don't know if he was surprised, but I was. So, my pain must have been from a build up of fluid again, with nowhere to go. He laid me down again and told me he was going to reopen it. That the inside was kind of shaped like an hourglass b/c of all the new tissue inside, and he wanted more of a trough so it could drain better.

In the end, I don't hurt too much anymore, which is great. I'm frustrated, b/c I was really thinking that I was doing well, when in actuality I still have fluid building up inside my abdomen. He was much more compassionate today though, and I feel more like it's a team effort to get me healed up vs me just being a chart or file. I don't know if it's a bad sign that even though he opened me up 2 weeks ago it's still building up, or if there was as much chance of that happening as not, KWIM? I just want to be better!!! Anyway, not looking for anything other than to vent, although if someone has been through this, your experience would be invaluable to me! Best case scenario, I heal up (although he said it will take weeks) worst case I end up having my port removed, let my body heal, and have a new port implanted in the future. Grim, grim, grim Thanks for listening! Erin

hello fello bandster......I too had a port infection but 14 days after surgery......I am wondering what happened to you since then did it ever heal ? was it removed completely ?(The port, like mine) or what.? I have had 2 port infections now and am contemplating a 5th surgery to put this new port back in after packing the wound and healing up since May 24th.I hope this post finds you.and your outcome was good overall. I am maintaining 211# down from 255 Dec 12th. but i need that port for restriction you know!!?? My name is Nicole and was banded in Melbourne flORIDA dec 12 2005