Doctor couldn't find my port

MustLuvLhasa's · 10-29-2008, 12:38 PM

Just curious if anyone out has experienced this. I went to have my first fill this morning..I was banded on Sept 16th. My doctor couldn't find my port to give me a fill...he tried and put the needle a couple of times but couldn't find it. He stated there was alot of scar tissue there which makes it hard to find sometimes and I will need to go to radiology to have them do it. He once I loose more weight my stomach will become softer and there shouldn't be a problem finding it...then he states sometime scar tissue makes the port flip

. So I of course begin to panic he didn't seem to concern about it and says I shouldn't worry. Has this happened to anyone where your surgeon couldn't give you a fill because they couldn't find your port? WHat the procedure when radiology does it?

laniayala · 10-29-2008, 01:04 PM

i didn't know that getting filled was just done in the clinic! Mine was always done under the radiology department with the help of a flouroscope! Either there is something with your Doctors way of doing his fill or I am a glowing patient due to RADIATION!!! (Ninja turtles here I come!)

nortone · 10-29-2008, 01:05 PM

Yes...I too had to go to radiology to get a fill under fluro because they couldn't find my port...it's no biggie...actually less painful, because then they do get into your port quickly and less digging around w/needles in your stomach :)

katers · 10-29-2008, 01:22 PM

Hello, I was banded on Sept 15, 2008. Had my first fill Oct 20, took 8-9 tries. I had a refill yesterday and it took more then 20 tries. I am a bit sore in the abdomal muscles today. My port is easy to find but hard to get through, the needle kept deflecting off it. I have 8 cc in a 9cc band. I am scheduled to get another fill on Dec 1. Hopefully not so many pokes! All is well though, I am happy with my dicision to get the LAP-BAND^®.

floridachick · 10-29-2008, 02:18 PM

Good Gracious, you already have 8cc in your band and you were just banded on Sept 15th? I too was banded on the 15th and I only have 3cc's.

katers · 10-29-2008, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by floridachick

Good Gracious, you already have 8cc in your band and you were just banded on Sept 15th? I too was banded on the 15th and I only have 3cc's.

He said he put 6cc in during surgery. Then 1cc on the 20th and then 1cc yesterday. I am very sore today though. I think next time I will have him freeze the area first or something.

virginiaann · 10-29-2008, 03:08 PM

At my second fill no one could find the port, so I had to leave the Drs. office and go have an xray which showed my port flipped, I had to have surgery to correct this. Just got my first fill since surgery. I've never felt any restriction. My dr. always does the fill in his office, either the Dr. or a nurse, no pain

slim-n-tn · 10-29-2008, 03:14 PM

I am lucky in that my doctor does the fills under fluro in his office. Basically what they do is similar to having an upper GI. You drink a small amount of barium while they look at your band. Then you sip some water while they tighten the band. It's pretty cool to see.

kdlee · 10-29-2008, 03:33 PM

I had my first fill with no problem. 2nd fill the doctor could not access the port for some reason and I had to go to the radiology department at the hospital to have the fill under fluoro. I had my 3rd fill last week in the office and the nurse practitioner got it the first try with no problems. The fluoro was no biggie. Actually it was a lot easier. More expensive, but easier.

MustLuvLhasa's · 10-29-2008, 05:03 PM

Thanks everyone that responded. It just made me a little nervous when he couldn't find it and then he mentioned flipped port. Hopefully that isn't the case...if not and surgery is needed to correct is it basically the same thing as the original surgery, they go in where the port is already and just turn it back?