Ever Heard of Lap Band Port Coming Through Stomach Wall?

Question Below Submitted By:  

Lynda W. (a patient from Belleville, ON.)

My husband and I both have a lap band. He has had a red inflamed area over his port for a few months now.

He asked the fill nurse about it and she said it would be okay. Instead, it got more sore and redder.

Then a few days ago, it stopped hurting as much and when I looked, I could see part of a metal ring coming through the skin. Since then the ring has continued to work it’s way further out.

He went to see a lap band surgeon and he is going to remove the whole band and let his body rest for 6 months.

My concern is that they aren’t doing surgery til the end of April and my husband is restricted in what he can do without putting pressure on the port and the open wound.

I have never heard of this happening. Has anyone else?

Also, why would they leave an opening in his stomach for that long? Is there not fear of infection?

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01.

Expert Responses to the Question Above

Re: Ever heard of Lap band Port Coming Through the Stomach Wall

by: Anonymous

Hello,

We have seen this a few times. Sometimes the body reacts to the port and opens up, the body rejects the port, sometimes years after surgery.

In my experience surgery is not the first option.

I prescribe antibiotics to the patients, sometimes 2 rounds of antibiotics. If the body reacts to them the opening will start closing on it’s own and nothing else needs to be done.

If it does not, then an endoscopy is a good idea to rule out an erosion (the endoscopy might be done even before the antibiotics too).

If the band has eroded into the stomach the band and port need to be removed.

If there is no erosion, I remove the port only, local anesthesia; tubing is sealed and band is left intact. After 3 months I place a new port in the other side of the abdomen by laparoscopic surgery.

This has worked in all cases we have seen. Some patients do not need surgery, some bands need to be removed and in other cases ports need to be replaced. Each patient is a different case and I need to see what exactly is the problem to solve it properly.

Dr. Alberto Aceves

(click here for Dr. Aceves' full bio & contact info)

Dr. Alberto Aceves

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the details provided. The above should never replace the advice of your local physicians as they have the ability to evaluate you in person.

02.

Patient Responses to the Question Above

abdominal wall

by: adele

im going through this right now and going in for surgery in two days to remove. with me its the tubing conecting the port to the band that has worked its way out, in the past 24 hours 4cm has come out.

any update?

by: Anonymous

I read about your Husband's port issues, I am having some problems with mine as well, it hasn't come trough the skin yet but I'm sure it's going to. I wanted to know what your outcome was?

watching carefully

by: Lynda Wood

We have been to both the hospital and the surgeon since my husband's port first broke through the skin. The surgeon is going to remove the entire band system and let it rest for 6 months. we are waiting for a surgery appt. probably in April he said.

Meanwhile, it has been almost a week and we see more and more of the port showing through. We have started to bandage it and put fucidin cream on. Yesterday the opening started to weep a thin fluid tinted a bit yellow with some blood in it. My husband is trying to avoid any lifting, bending, etc. i am going to phone the surgeon's office today since they have not called with a surgery date yet.

I feel very nervous about this open wound in my husband's stomach. There is redness about 2 inches around it.

Lynda

LAP-BAND®

by: Tanna

Mine is the same way. I had it done 5 years ago and it got red and sore. I went to the ER and they said it was infected but the lap band Dr won't do anything. It's literally sticking out, my belly is swollen like if I was 9 months pregnant and my muscles are very sore.

Take Nothing For Granted

by: Dee Taylor

I recently had to have my entire band and port removed.

I had experienced a few years ago extreme pain, for which I thought was my GERD. Fast forward 6 weeks ago. Had a colonoscopy and the doctor saw that part of the band tubing was in my colon.

Two weeks after that I met with another Dr. who works with barbaric surgeries since the doctor who initially performed my surgery had retired.

He ordered a CT scan with contrast to determined where everything was. It was determined that the ring was in my stomach. Fast forward three weeks...the area around my port became red and painful. Went to the Dr. and he determined that bacteria from my colon was backing up to the port and I had developed an abscess. During the office visit he drained it and two days later I was in surgery to remove the band and the port.

I didn't realize that this surgery would take a lot out of me. My energy level has taken some time to return to its original levels before the surgery. I still have an open wound from where they removed the port, which a home health nurse comes to assist me with the dress changing.

My stomach isn't balanced and I must watch what I eat. Too much or too little food causes pain.

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