Flipped Port

A friend of mine who had the lap band placed in January just found out that her band flipped. After doing some research online I wanted to put together a post about what happens when a port flips. What are some of the causes and how do they fix it.

Remember, I am not a medical professional. I'm just sharing some of the info I found online.

Dislodging or Flipping: The access port is sutured in place on the fascia (gristle) and muscle of the abdominal wall. If the sutures pull out of the muscle, the port can become loose or even flip over. The port then becomes difficult to access. Fixing the problems requires a return to the operating room for minor surgery.

Only 2% of band patients experience flipped ports.

Usually a port flips after a traumatic event. For example, if you were in a car accident and your air bag went off, there is a chance you flipped your port. I read about one person who bent over in the shower and they heard and felt a "pop". That was actually their port unattaching itself and flipping over. Since your port is just held in place with sutures, there is a possibility of it becoming unattached.

If your port does become flipped, you will unfortunately need another operation. They say that the surgery is very quick (10 minutes), is done on an outpatient basis and is alot easier than the actual lap band surgery. They do not enter the abdominal wall nor do they do anything to the band itself.

I read on a lap band forum that one person who had the surgery said that within 8 days she was back to normal and couldn't even feel that she had surgery. That sounds alot better than the original surgery recovery time!

If you have experienced a port issue, please leave a comment and share your story.