Plastics and Port Removal

Hello,

Has anyone had their port removed by choice during a tummy tuck procedure? I have not had a fill or unfill in 2 years and am considering that as an option. Just curious to see what anyone else's experience was like.

Just wondering, if you had your port removed, what would you do if you had to have an emergency unfill, especially in the context of a medical emergency?  While you haven't had a fill or unfill in two years, that doesn't mean that something might come up in the future requiring you to have one.  Good luck on your tummy tuck!

I second that. I would definitely NOT have my port removed unless the band was also removed.

I know several people have opted to change their ports to a low profile one during plastics-maybe that might be an option for you.

Congrats on getting plastics!

I would seriously question the logic and the mental processes of a plastic surgeon who would remove a port.

Now relocating one or changing to a lower profile port, that I could see.  Totally removing it?  I wouldn't do it.

Your port is your LIFE LINE to your band, I would never get my port removed, although you my feel comfort right now, the band is filled with saline, ANYTHING like illness, extreme stress, or having major surgery and tissues surrounding the band can swell and cause the band to tighten extremely tight as if you got a fill....also if you are going to have ANY major surgery it is RECOMMENDED TO UNFILL THE BAND...so many people get into trouble with NOT unfilling the band during pregnancy or surgeries...but it again it's your call and your band, YOU CANNOT TURN AN ADJUSTABLE BAND INTO A NON ADJUSTABLE BAND, IT'S IS ADJUSTABLE FOR A REASON.  I have always used common sense with mine and it's kept me complication free going on 6 years..good luck with your tummy tuck.

Thank you all for your replies. I had not thought about the option of a low profile port. I will look into that as opposed to having it removed all together.

I had a tummy tuck in Dec. The plastic surgeon wasn't comfortable putting in a low profile port for me. My lapband doc. didn't have privilages at the hospital I had the tummy tuck. If he had, he would have "stepped in" during the surgery and put in the low profile port. The plastic surgeon did move it to the side a little, so it's a little less noticable. I looked into having a lowprofile port put in by my lapband doc.- 4,ooo dollars! It doesn't bother me that much lol.

The band/port combination is considered a 'closed system' -- they are connected and you cannot remove the port and still have the band be functional.

When I was considering a tummy tuck, my bariatric surgeon offered to have a conference call wit the plastic surgeon to discuss the location of my port and how to proceed with re-locating it.