SWOLLEN AND CONCERNED

Hello, I had  lapband surgery on June 22nd , 3 weeks out and I still have alot of swelling on my left side above port. My side is very swollen, extended and tight. It seems to get tighter after meals. I have not follwed meal plans as instructed but I have never vomitted. When I feel full I stop eatting. Please help, Is this swelling normal or have I slipped  band by cheating on my diet. My doctor is not aware of me cheating but says the swelling will go down with more protein in my diet. How  would I know if my band has slipped?

 Sounds like you have inflammation around the port area.  I doubt you have slipped.  Of course call your surgeon's office  but I think you should put an ice pack on the area to help the inflammation go down.  See how that does.  My surgeon told me to try both ice and heat and see what I liked better, and I definitely found that ice works better.  Hope you feel better, keep us posted!  Don't worry, I don't think it's that easy to slip your band, but do be careful and follow the rules as well as you can!!

Lex

Thank you! I will try the ice and heating pad.

Is the area hot to touch or red?  Do you have a fever over 101F? Those are signs of infection and you should call your surgeon and insist on treatment for it.  Protein intake may prevent bacterial infection in healthy individuals but anyone who suggests dietary solutions for infectious disease without also considering antibiotic therapy is full of crap.  If you have symptoms of infection and can't get attention for them from your bariatric surgeon, call your PCP or go to the ER.

But...

Swelling, distention, and tightness is quite common after any abdominal surgery.  Some of that is due to irritation - the port is stitched into the abdominal muscles, and it's pretty hard to do even basic daily movements without involving the ab muscles.  Some of it is due to gas.  They pump gas into you during surgery, and the banded digestive system just doesn't seem to handle gas as well or quickly as the unbanded system.  So you could try a remedy like GasX, and alternate hot (heating pad) and cold **** packs) on your belly while waiting for your surgeon to call you back.

Hope you feel better soon!

Jean

The area is not hot or red and I have no pain just discomfort tightness. No fevers since discharge from the hospital on the 23rd. Yes I do have horrible gas pain since surgery.  Gas x does not help. I have used a pinch of baking soda and it helps alittle.  Thanks!

My port area seemed to take forever to heal.  I liked putting a heating pad with a pillow or even a bag of rice on top of that to put some pressure on the heat.

I doubt you have slipped your band, but if you are eating things not on your program you could be irritating your stomach.   

I will commit myself to sticking to soft and pureed foods for a couple weeks to allow my band to heal. Hopefully I haven't done any demage. Thanks for the advice!