Video Transcript

Alright, I want to give you some insight about port placement. As you know to make the lap band work you have to access the band and add fluid to it through a port which is placed under the skin.

Most surgeons place the port in the abdomen we choose to place our ports up here in the shoulder. We use a very small low profile port, it’s very cosmetic, the incision is made under the arm you can’t really see that. It is much more convenient to get the fills. If it’s more convenient to get the fills and less costly you get more fills and if you get more fills you get more weight loss.

The ports are also less likely to flip and move because they are in the upper part of the chest where there is hardly any movement as opposed to the abdomen where every time you bend or move, the port has a tendency to wiggle.

The port placement in the shoulder allows us to have easy access. We have a clinic set up at the hospital where you can get your fills; it usually takes about 15 minutes.

People in support groups for bariatric surgery can be there for one another in a way that family and friends cannot. They face many of the same challenges, and the group offers a “safe place” for them to blow off steam or share funny stories. It can be nice to know that others are going through a similar situation. If you are going to have lap band surgery, why not check in with your doctor and ask if there is a support group that you can attend in your area. Not only is it something that can help keep you on track, but you might even make some life-long friends along the way.