Fill Appt = Murder Scene

Dang, you win!

No horror stories.  My port has always been easy to palpate.  I'm pear shaped and I can see where an apple shaped person would be more challenging to find that port with the abdominal fat.

Was Freddy Krueger your surgeon?

 Oh WOW!!!  
I have never had an issue... 
My PA does is each time and I have never had an issue   
I think I might have passed out ...just from the shock of seeing the blood squirt...

Oh girlie you win hands down!! I've never had any issues during fills.

OMG!  Bless your heart!  That's crazy!  Did she hit an artery or something?  I'd refuse her next time.

OMG, I feel faint just reading that!

There is NO WAY I could stand up for a needle.  My DR has done all my fills (6 so far w/7cc in an 11 cc RB)  She gives me the numbing shot first.  I won't even look at the needles.  Thank goodness they have pictures on the ceiling!  I about panicked when on my 3rd fill she put in 2cc's & when I told her that made 6cc's she made me lay back down & let her stick a 3rd needle in so she could take 1 cc out! 

You shoulda got someone to take a pic of you, & the doc in the room!  Pull it out every Halloween for your own horror show!

The only experience I have had that even comes close is when I was being prepped for my hysterectomy...the nurse who started my IV forgot to put the tourniquet on my arm and pulled the cap off the tubing at the end...the tube started flying around shooting everybody (including my faint at the sight of blood husband) with blood!  I laughed so hard I almost peed myself....
Since the human body is not exactly the same from person to person and you might have a vein or artery in a spot where one would not normally occur, you really can't blame the person who stuck you, lol.  I don't get the part about the "huge" needle...since they are supposed to use a very fine, non-coring needle.  At my last fill, the PA had a bit of trouble accessing the port, due to scar tissue that has formed around my port...but she got it in and I actually had less bruising than I did last time.

Hi there,

Forgive me for not knowing the medical name, however it is the needle that has a valve switch to prevent fluid coming in or out. It comes standard in the LAP BAND Adjustment kit that Allergan provides surgeons. Believe me when I say it's larger than other needles and it totally sucks. My surgeon using uses a much smaller needle and feels around the port site a while before sticking me but his PA prefers prepping the entire area and using all the components of the kit...

This has happened to me twice now. The second time that it happened, the front of my jeans were soaked with blood. It is a scary experience. My doctor (the only person who does my fills/unfills) now keeps a huge pile of gauze and tape ready, just in case.

I've never seen the needles or syringes that are used with my fills...I have a Realize band and the equipment may be different???  Maybe someone else knows???