For preops: what a port looks like

There's confusion every once in a while among people who are unfamiliar with the term "port" as it refers to the band. I've had people at preop seminars actually think it's DANGLING outside the body like some kind of surgical appendage. It's not.

It's under the skin, sutured to muscle and/or skin (if done properly.) If you feel your abdomen after your surgery, you can feel it under the skin, but in most cases you can't SEE it at all.

In the interest of science, I present to you MY version of "Where's Waldo?" entitled, "Where's Bette's Port?"

I thought nothing could surprise me about your posts anymore, but this one did.  You made my day.   I am laughing so hard about the "Where's Waldo" reference.  Don't ever change. 

 Perhaps if I put a little Waldo costume on it, it would be easier to find . . . 

 

I don't see it, LOL And on your right side??? But look at your little waist. Don't have to look for Waldo, there.

we're all staring at your body & hoping ours will look like that!  what port?

You rock!

 
Perhaps your port doesn't stick out but mine did like a fugly tumor.  If I wore a spandex shirt I'd have to wear another shirt over it to cover up the sticky-out tumor looking thing.

The lower your BMI the more it sticks out.  It is placed on a muscle and under a fat pad.  When you lose weight you lose the fat pad and the port pokes out.

I forget who the bandster was that used to post a photo of her 'sticky out' port on her Av.  But that is what mine looked like and I had the low profile port.

It was gross.

 Oooh, can I play?  

Here's my infamous port pic from several years ago when I was tight, toned & tan.  I used it as my avi for a while until Bubble B*tch and some of the DSers said that I was so gross that they wanted to puke!  How rude, huh?  Some people just can't appreciate others' success (plus they'd just love to chase away successful bandsters because we're proof that yes, the band can get you to goal!

Sorry it's so big, I don't know how to resize.

A few months after that pic was taken, I had my port replaced with a low-profile port.  So here's me today, not nearly as toned or tanned, and a few pounds heavier, but not too shabby for a 51-year old obesity survivor:

ETA:  dang it, I'm obviously doing something wrong with adding pics from my profile, but they're on there!

Tami