Where is your port?
My port is 3 inches above my belly button, and about an inch to the right.
Can you see your port when you are not dressed?
No. Not at all. In fact, if someone ran their hand over my stomach, they wouldn't even feel the port unless they pressed down on it.
Does your port bother you if you sleep on your stomach?No -- I don't notice it at all.
Do fills hurt?
Not if they are done right (i.e. not by Nurse Roughstuff. . see my post from a few months ago for background). I mean -- there is a needle involved, so it feels the same as any shot. But it doesn't hurt and it's only for a second. It's a short, easy process.
Here is one I asked my doctor: Can I hurt my port if I lean on it, e.g. while I'm hauling myself over a high wall in boot camp?
My doctor said that it was very unlikely that I'd hurt my port. It is attached to muscle, rather than a bone. So, if you lean on it, the port just moves in like your muscle would. It's relatively sturdy and its ability to move when you lean on it protects it.
Do you notice your port a lot?
No -- in fact, I hardly even think about it. Since it's working fine and I can't see it or feel it (unless I'm trying to feel it), I probably think about it as much as I think of my elbow or my big toe or something.
7 years ago
8 comments:
Wonderful post Catherine! This will be really helpful for those wondering about the port! I still havent watched your video blog yet bc I cant watch it at work and forget when I am home...but I will!
I still cant even find my port! I know where it is at bc my doc told me, and he can feel when he presses, but I still cant when I press there!
Catherine - I agree with Amy - what a great post - especially for people who are in that stage of wanting to know!!! Your blog is such a great resource!
Great post, Catherine. I get asked similar questions but I'm sure I don't answer them as eloquently.
I'm with Amy. I can't feel my port either, though mine is about an inch UNDER my bellybutton and to the left. Strange how the Doctors put them in different spots.
Great post Catherine - would it be ok if I borrowed the picture for my blog? My port is in the same position as yours, and my answers *would* have initially been the same.
But now. . .
Yes, I can seee my port when I am not dressed.
And yes, anyone who er, handled my body there would feel it (my kids have poked it with horrified fascination :-)
And yes, I do have to be careful that I don't harm it, not mega careful, but my surgeon doesn't like me to do sit ups or stomach crunches, he says it can damage the port (ie detatch the tubing from it - like you, my tubing is stitched to my muscle)
As you lose fat and your muscles become more prominent (lol), then your port might too. Small price to pay, and I like this positioning, it is less obtrusive than on the breast bone which some surgeons do.
H x
Thanks Catherine! :)
One thing that made me determine that I wanted the Realize band over the Lapband was the port - the Realize band port is flatter and tends not to show, even after weight loss. Again, being 21, I have dreams of skimpy bikini's someday that isn't necessarily a goal for everyone.
Thought? I love freaking people out with the port. If they're interested in how the band works, I offer to let them feel the port (especially people who have showed interesting in getting a band). It's really strange and funny at the same time. But then again, I'm a little strange sometimes.
I know! The port is kind of freaky, right? One of my friends and I say "port" in a weird science-fiction voice whenever we are talking about it. :)
Catherine
Thanks for the post!
Really timely for me (5 days out). I can feel it a little but I think after the last bits o' swelling go down I won't be able to anymore.
Sorry to be a pest, but I have another question I am wondering if you can answer at your leisure (this is so helpful to us new bandsters so thanks for doing it):
My surgeon recommends a month off from exercise except walking. So in the first few weeks of sept I can get back into the gym- what was that like for you, what should I know? (for example right now I feel weird in my body because I'm always scared of making my band slip)
Second part: My surgeon also said to avoid ab work including crunches for 3 months after surgery. When you did get back in the gym and start ab work is there anything you recommend not doing? Or doing more of, anything to watch out for?
Thanks I am filled with questions :-)
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