Feeling my band?

 Im 6 years post op and For the past few years I've had a bulge right where my band is placed. I could pu**** in and so I figured it was an incisional hernia as I'd been doing a lot of core work like sit ups. Recently the bulge has caused discomfort and can no longer push in, although it doesnt seem to bulge as much and it even feels like its moved up a bit I went to the doctor today and got an x ray. This is the first time I've ever seen my band and it's all over the place. I had no idea the tube would be randomly stretched all over my abdomen.    I'm wondering if anyone has ever heard of being able to feel the band- not the port? Or maybe big weight loss can cause the tubing for the band to move around? the x ray showed nothing else but I'm not sure it would show a hernia anyway or maybe scar tissue...   Any ideas?

You shouldn't be able to feel your band. Not sure what it is. If you don't get anymore responses here you might try posting on the failed band group.

Hi mommyslittlemonster,


There is little to no chance that you can feel your band itself. You might have a hiatal hernia.

As for the tubing, it shouldn't be all over the place. Usually, you can see it, but it shouldn't be winding around in your abdomen. That could cause problems, especially if the tubing is anywhere near the diaphragm.


I think I'd ask your surgeon about checking for hiatal hernia, if you've got a bulge. Situps and core work can actually kind of exacerbate the problem.

Good luck and I hope it's nothing too bad. I used to have a lot of discomfort from a hiatal hernia, but since I've been taking medication, it's lessened considerably. They don't always require surgery, so that's good news.

Take care,
Nic

 Would there be a bulge from a hiatal hernia? 

I had a bulge right under my breastbone, yes. And when I did crunches, I'd get pretty severe pain. I was told that part of the stomach kind of slips through the hernia and up into the chest area. It is really uncomfortable. I should clarify, though, that I think I had inflammation throughout my body... and it caused all kinds of weird and 'wonderful' side effects.

I hope you can get this checked out and nothing's wrong.

No, because the hiatal hernia is where the esophagus goes through the diaphragm, you wouldn't be able to push deep enough to feel that and you can't see them at all externally. And, although the band itself looks quite prominent on an x-ray, it's partially obscured by your liver typically, so you should not be able to feel it externally either.
An x-ray is not the nest way to show an incisional hernia, since they are composed entirely of soft tissue. You might need an MRI or CT scan.

The other thing you could have would be a diastasis recti, which they always say usually occurs in babies or pregnant women, but my dad has one so they sure aren't limited to those populations.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001602.htm

Although they describe it as a "ridge", my dad's just looks like a big bulge slightly below the breast bone and it worsens with "sit-up" like motions. It looks like the alien is about to pop out of his chest when it happens.

This shows you where along the diastisis of rectus you might see the bulge: http://www.mtlfabulous.com/apps/blog/entries/show/14620819-d iastasis-of-rectus-muscle

Thanks everyone. I should hear from my doctor today about my x-ray, although I've seen it myself and know it's not showing the bulge. So I expect to have a CT ordered.

Thanks again!

Following up on this 4 years later just in case anyone else every comes across this for advice. It was my port that was bulging. I'd lost so much weight it was sticking out after I'd eaten and the food had begun its journey through my intestines!