I don't know if you guys remember me or not, but I posted about my port problems about a week ago.Thank you for all of your wonderful responses. Just an update (and short re cap) and throwing myself a little pitty party. I'm VERY sad and feeling a little overwhelmed right now. I'll be 4 weeks post op tomorrow (Wed) and from day 7 on I've had problems with my port incision. I woke up day 7 with blood soaked through my pj's. Basically,my incision had gotten infected and the fluid was finding the easiest way out. The Dr. opened it up on day 8 so that fluid could have a place to drain (can you say ouch!!) I've been packing my 'wound' now (it started out about 3-4 inches long and maybe a couple inches deep when he first cut it open) for almost 3 weeks 2 times/day. I've been in pain pretty much the whole time (not the wound itself, but an area about 2-3 inches wide all around my incision), although the last 3 days I've felt relatively great, and was very hopeful that maybe I had turned the corner. I went in today and the Dr. pushed around on my stomach and pus started coming out. He said that I should be well past the infected stage now and just healing, but I'm obviously not. A little bit of good news though, I guess he can give me a fill during surgery Friday and then cap the end of the tube. I'm a little nervous about this b/c if it's too tight I can't have an unfill without surgery as I won't have a port for a while. I trust him, and hope that he can find the right fill level for me. He's going to have me use a wound vac which he said will help me heal faster than just packing my new wound. I've never used one before, and don't know what I'm in for, if anyone has any experience with this I would REALLY appreciate you sharing it with me. After this wound is healed, I'll have surgery to implant a new port. He said he hopes to have everything healed and me with a new port by Christmas. Seems SO far away, but I will do what I have to do. I don't mean to discourage any of you pre ops. There's just a limited audience that has any idea what I'm talking about IRL, so you guys get to hear it. Any advice or similar experiences would very much be appreciated. Thanks again. Erin

Um...Delarla?

Oh Erin, I'm so sorry to hear you're having to go through this and you have every right to have a pitty party. This is a chance we all take when having the surgery, fortunately these infections are rare. I wish you a speedy recovery and on to your new port.

Please keep us informed as to your condition, we care!

Erin -

I am so sorry to hear of your problems. You are right to be concerned about receiving a fill and then having your port removed - I hear of this happening, and I also hear that some docs don't approve. I wish you the best in that regard.

As far as the wound vac, I had a friend who had what I think was something similar (I belive they called it a hemavac) that I was in charge of emptying. It was tubing that was inserted into the wound and anchored into place, and on the outside end was attached to what is similar to one of those air pumps that come with air mattresses, or exercise balls. You set the hemavac on a table and pushed the top down, and then put the plug in the top, and let go. The hemavac then starts to uncompress, creating suction on the tubing, and the liquids/infection are sucked out of the body cavity into the hemavac. Once the hemavac is full, or fully extended, it is emptied and then recompressed.

As disappointing as this turn of events is, I'm sure the time will fly and you will get your port back before you know it.

((hugs))

I'm so sorry this has happened to you. If he gives you a fill, I would just make sure it is a very small one. I would hate to see you in pain from being too tight after all you've been through! Good luck with your recovery. December will be here before you know it! (((HUGS)))

A little bit of good news though, I guess he can give me a fill during surgery Friday and then cap the end of the tube. I'm a little nervous about this b/c if it's too tight I can't have an unfill without surgery as I won't have a port for a while.

I would be nervous too, but I'm sure your Dr. will be cautious in that regard, he knows the ramifications if he goes too tight. You will just have to do your part in making the fill level work for you until December which is not too far away. I'm very sorry to hear of your ordeal and I wish you the best.. ( hugs to you )

Sorry to hear about your port problems. I hope you heal fast. Good luck!!

Best of luck! Keep us updated - we're here for you!

Good luck, and we'll keep you in our collective thoughts.

You are right about folks not understanding, who've been banded. They have no frame of reference.

Our DeLarla had to have her port removed, but hasn't been able to get a new one yet. Part of it because she's just not prepaired mentally or emotionally for yet another surgury.

Good luck to you and we are thinkink of you!

((screaming)) LISAAAAAAAAAAAAA, this girl needs your help!!!

Erin, PM the name DeLarla ASAP

Erin, PM the name DeLarla ASAP

Erin...! Oh Jenna, you are just TOO evil.

(and funny!)

Hi Erin, I'm the resident pro on port infections, and I'm a little worried. Please don't get scared because you might be fine, but you should get a 2nd opinion pronto before getting a fill. I went through exactly what you are going through. My port incision never healed - it just leaked and leaked and never closed. About a month after surgery, I was told the port had to be removed. I was afraid to trust him, so I started calling other surgeons. A total of 5 surgeons agreed that an infected port MUST be removed. But an infected port can lead to erosion, which is why my doctors wanted me to wait several months to be sure I was clean-clean-clean before getting a new port. The doc that removed the port was in Mexico, and he gave me a fill before removing the port to hold me over. However, my current US surgeon said it's horrible medical practice to give someone a fill before removal. My US surgeon had to save a guy that just got filled before port removal. By the time he got home from the hospital, he couldn't swallow liquid because the fill took awhile to kick in. Then he had to rush back to the hospital for another surgery where they opened him, put a port in, unfilled him, then took the port out. ALL AT HIS EXPENSE AND PAIN.

Please, you waited long enough for the band, so be patient and let them take out the port. I don't have a port, and I'm still maintaining a 60 pound weight loss.

Please read this part very carefully: Ask your doctor where he plans to "stash" the extra tube when he removes the port. I learned that the tube needs to be stashed in the abdominal wall. When they removed my first port, they just left the tube floating around, and it tried to make its way out of my body. At one point, the tube actually found it's way out of the incision, so I walked around with tube sticking out of the infected port incision. The reason was because tube too near the surface of the skin will prevent the wound from closing.

My advise: Have your port removed immediately. Allow yourself a solid 3 months (at least) to heal. Then get an endoscopy and a laproscopy. The endo is a camera that goes down your throat and looks at the inside of your belly. The lapro is a small incision (like in the belly button) where a camera sees the outside of the band. Make sure you have NO signs of erosion before getting a new port. AN INFECTED PORT CAN LEAD TO EROSION. Don't put yourself through any extra heart ache.

I'll PM you my number. It breaks my heart that anyone else has to go through with this, so I'll make you a deal, right here, right now. If you take my advice and heed my warnings, I will be your personal diet buddy. I will commit to losing as much weight as you say. We can call each other every night, write, hell, fly halfway around the moon for a lunch walk if we gotta. See you in PM.

Keep reminding yourself that a healthy BAND is more important than a healthy port. The Band is the important thing. Keep it safe and healthy - the port is the easy part.

Good luck on friday! hope that you have a spedy recovery.......and to better health better times. JohnQ

Rosie's mom --my prayers are with you . . . get rid of that infection and heal . . . the weight loss with come.

Keep reminding yourself that a healthy BAND is more important than a healthy port. The Band is the important thing. Keep it safe and healthy - the port is the easy part.

I am sorry about your port, but as Lisa said your band is the most important. Please be very careful about getting a fill w/o a port. Good luck!