lap-band port not healing

hi, i'm looking for help for my mom. she had the lap-band done over four months ago and the excision by the port will not heal. it oozes everyday. she has been on three rounds of antibiotics and is doing great but has a hole in her stomach. her surgean says shes never had a patient do this and hasnot helped our fears any. the local doc says you wont have a hole in your stomach forever. i love my mom and we are worried. anybody out there that had this happen to them? help please!

Lori you might consider having your mom see a wound care sspecialist. Sometimes we have infection or a reaction to the sutures, band material etc and it can cause healing issues. Although she has a band talk with her dietician to make sure she is getting enough protein to assist the healing process. I wish you both all the best, Robin

I've heard of a number of people who had infected ports. If you haven't posted this on the Lap Band Forum directly, you should, there are lots of helpful people there. Some people have to have their ports removed while the area heals, usually left open to heal from the inside out. At least, that's most of what I've read. Don't let it linger too long, because in some people that have had port infections, later had erosion issues (although the connection isn't official).

There was a post a few days ago on the Band forum of a women who's port insision was not healing. The surgeon used pellet antibiotics that went into the wound directly. She is healed now. You might want to post over thier and talk to Dr. Curry. He posts on that board or Sandy R. She is a RN that posts on that board also. They may be able to give you some good advise.

I am having another port surgically put in again for the 3rd time on NOV 29th 2006,its been 6 mos since removal .I am doing some research and am finding this bead-anitboitic treatment in several lap band forums. where was this dcotor and do you know more about the surgery or the person who claimed to have it done, maybe the particular article or posting itself from the origionator? In desperate need of any info. thanks in advance NIKKI

On another board I go to there have been several people who have had trouble with their ports not healing. Some of them took a very long time to heal. What most of them found out was that once they had an infected port, they needed to have the tubing that goes from the port to the band replaced/removed until the infection could be cleared up. The infection in the port area will go up the tube and then keep reinfecting the port area. Once the tubing was addressed as well as the port infection, it did clear up. One poor woman fought her infections for months before they got it healed. Good luck!

my mom went to a wound specialist and the culture came back as a resistant staph infection. he changed her antibiotic and she has to insert a strip into her wound every day. this specialist recomends taking her band out. she returns to this specialist again next tuesday. mom has lost alot of weight but her energy level is not so good. between the infection and all the antibiotics. at least now we have a answer of what this infection is but we still dont know what happens next. thank you all for your response, it helps to know that we are not alone and we are appreciative to all you.