Have you had a leak in your port/tubing and had to have it replaced?

smilin_apple · 05-15-2008, 06:53 PM

I have been having an unusual pain in my back and my chest for the last few days since my band was too tight and I had to have an unfill. On Tuesday last week I had a fill of .5 cc and it was so tight (I told the doc and he didn't believe me) that starting the next day and for the following 48 hours I was not able to take ANY fluid in. And I started throwing up foam on my way back to the surgeon. I tasted like Bile but came out as White foam, I had a severe migrane from Dehydration as well. Has this happened to anyone?
Well anyways the second part is that I went in to the ER and the Surgeon who put too much fluid in on Tuesday happened to be the surgeon on call and he came in and removed ALL the fluid in the band. Then starting about two days after all the fluid was removed I started getting a "burning like" sensation across the middle of my back; somewhere near where I think the band is placed. Sometimes it kinda feels like a dull pressure on the center of my chest in the front as well.
I know it is not from food being stuck or anything because it happens no where near the times I am eating. Usually when I haven't eaten or 2-3 hours afterwards.

chubbychaser · 05-19-2008, 05:59 PM

Why do you say not to get a band if you are low BMI?

marv-sue · 05-19-2008, 06:50 PM

Wow, this is the first I have heard of a leak, I had a fill last month and did not feel any different, but it hurt when the doc stuck me and I thought maybe he missed the port and shot that stuff somewhere else. I have not lost any weight this month, but not gained any either. Am curious about my next fill and if I will feel restricted. My doc just feels it then shoots me, never had a scope done. Does the shot hurt anyone else? I have never had a problem with shots, but this one did hurt. Sue

jenny6253 · 05-20-2008, 11:41 AM

I also have this problem. What is the liability for the doctor if this occurrs?

cabguy · 05-20-2008, 04:26 PM

Bumbed out. This is my first go at anything like this so you experienced folks will have to be patient. I just got back from doc's. I had a fill 3 weeks ago that put me up to 10cc's in vg band that is supposed to hold 11. Major restriction for about a week. Suddenly I had zero restriction and today my fears were confirmed. I have a leak. The bad part is I know the doctor must have caused it. He is new at Lap bands and fills and has had a hard time finding the port. LOTS of pokes. So he told me of a substance that can be injected with the saline thats works like a stop leak. I have not read or heard about it. Does anyone know what he is talking about.

marz88 · 05-20-2008, 09:35 PM

I don't think the dr is liable for anything. They may choose to do the surgery for nothing in order to fix the leak but the hospital and staff will bill you!!!!!!!! There is no way out of that. If you go back to the info that most drs give their patients when they are opting for this kind of procedure, it will tell you that leaking is a risk (just as a flipped port or slipped band is too). I was told that if your port is defective, that the maker of the band will pay for a portion of the surgery, but not to expect it right away, in other words it could take a year to get your money back.

I just had my first re-fill since my surgery to fix a leak. I am at 5cc and have a bit of restriction but not at all what I want. My dr wants to see me in two weeks and then in two weeks after that. I told him that was going to get expensive (it cost me $100 each visit and the gas in my car for 100 miles round trip). So he told me maybe just one more visit to get me back up where I need to be. Hopefully he'll take me right up to 7cc, that's where I found my sweet spot before I found the leak!

cabguy · 05-20-2008, 10:14 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I know it is up to me to pay for it all and with me beeing self pay that hurts. I just hope to get the word out to all those out there. Make sure yu find a good doctor to do your fills. My last two fill were with a doctor that has little if any experienc and i liked the idea cause he was close and cheap. I wish i had listened when everyone suggested fluro. live and learn is what they say. But i say "Listen Learn" save yourself the learning curve

marz88 · 05-20-2008, 11:26 PM

Please remember that even good drs make mistakes. I understand that most of us don't make the kind of money that a good surgeon does and that's why it hurts us so bad when they screw up and we have to pay.

I have insurance but it's a different one than what I had when I had my surgery 2 yrs ago so I'm still waiting to hear if they are covering it. I refinanced my home last year to pay the difference of what insurance didn't pay(because my dr was out of network) and now I'm back where I started if they don't cover anything PLUS, I may still have the dr bill on top of the almost $9000 hospital bill! Now that bites!

I am of the mind set now that drs make too many little fills and anytime you are poking to find the port you are risking a nicked tube. If a dr would just get in there and fill the band instead of pussy-footing around for months on end you wouldn't have to be running that risk. I'd rather have to go back to have a bit of my fill removed than to go back again and again to have it filled until it reaches a desired level. I'd love to have others feed back on that. What do you all think?

cabguy · 05-21-2008, 12:00 AM

I had my surgery done in mexico where the doctors have had alot more experience. This doesn't apear to be the same here in the states

marz88 · 05-21-2008, 08:31 AM

It is true that the drs down south are more experiened but there are plenty of drs here that are just as good. My dr has been doing the surgery since it was legal in the states(about 6 yrs). He was trained by the drs in Mexico. He is very much in favor of going to Mexico if you are self pay and can't afford it here. He will do your follow up and fills with no questions asked! His concern is for your health. He's not in a competition. Statistically speaking, with all the hundreds of surgeries he does in a year, I think the percentage of mis-pokes is extremely low. My leak was my port, nothing that the dr did. I'm still waiting to find out if it was defective or not. Hang in there, put your trust in the dr or find one you can trust. There are a lot of good ones here. By the way Cabguy, where are you located?

nan42 · 06-01-2008, 10:07 PM

Your story is what has happened to me did you end up having a leak? how much was it to fix

marz88 · 06-01-2008, 11:43 PM

My port was my problem. I just got the insurance denial on the dr bill of $1000. They haven't denied the hospital bill of $8775...yet. I still haven't heard if the port was defective. I refinanced my house to pay for the initial surgery and now I'm back where I started from, $10,000 in the hole. But it is still worth it. I wouldn't take $10,000 for the weight to be put back on! Good luck

aa8ua · 06-07-2008, 03:25 PM

I keep showing less in the band than what should be in there. My doctor says there is fluid in there so I do not have a leak. I have read 1 or 2 entries that may suggest otherwise. I do not know. He got it so tight that I had severe chest pain and esophageal spasms,(but I could still eat a fairly small-normal amount), it hurt in my jaw, ears and shoulders. I know it is not my heart because when he took a cc out, it went away. But so did the little restriction I had. I went back in a couple of weeks and he said there was 8 cc in there but there shold have been 10.5. He gave me 1 1/2 cc more 2 weeks ago and I have had some restriction and some esopageal spasms, but not as bad as before. I have only seen 1 or 2 people on this entire site report these feelings with the jaw and esophgus. I thought maybe it slipped but the Nurse Practitioner says that is not the case. I am not sure what is going on. It is lessening a bit- the pain and the restriction. I eat about half my normal and I am satisfied. But the pains concern me. Maybe it is normal? Maybe I should just have him fill a bit more? I think I will have him set me up for flouro again and have him look.

BigRob777 · 06-08-2008, 07:24 PM

After each fill, I feel more restricted, but that goes away each time. I am going in for my third fill tomorrow, and to have my pain checked out. I feel like the stitches on the band are pulling, or something like that. It hurts to breathe deeply, cough, eat, etc.
Rob

marz88 · 06-08-2008, 09:32 PM

As you loss weight, your stomach shrinks too. Your band will naturally losen a bit, that"s why you continue to need fills. By now I wouldn't think you'd have pain, that could be a totally different ballgame that certaianly needs checked out by your dr. But it doesn't sound like a leak yet. Your dr can withdraw the fluid in your band to measure how much is in there to see if it measures up to what has been put in.

Have you had a leak in your port/tubing and had to have it replaced?

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