Thank you for starting a thread on this topic!
It is important and needs discussion!

Way to go Pooh!!

I talked about this on a prior post, but since Pooh started a thread specific to this discussion, it warrants being repeated here IMO.

When my post op restrictions ended, I was glad to be able to begin being active again, so I started walking. That's when I noticed that my battery seemed to be getting closer to the surface. I could feel the outline of it and to be honest, it actually freaked me out. I have heard of situations in patients where the battery actually DID try to 'work it's way out'
When I went to the Dr with my concerns, he looked at the battery (in my hip/butt) and just smiled and said "You lost weight girl, that's all!"

I was perceiving the battery as working it's way to the surface, when in fact, losing the 20-30 lbs simply thinned out the 'fat' content, which made the battery seem closer to the surface.

There have been many cases in which the patient had to get the battery relocated. Not all of these cases were due to the losing weight issue tho.

I'm wondering, however, that if this subject is addressed in more detail to the Dr, maybe it would lower the instances of having to relocate the battery. In other words, if the patient were to tell the Dr that he/she has gained 'umteen' pounds due to being inactive because of the pain condition and/OR (as in my case) certain meds had the side-effect of weight gain - it should be duly noted what the patient's 'ideal' weight should/could be.
If the Dr were to take this into account, then perhaps the battery would be implanted deeper into the fat tissue to compensate for the potential loss of weight which would occur once the patient were able to resume normal activities. Make sense? Then, by losing the weight, the battery wouldn't end up so close to the surface.

But in retrospect, if the patient GAINS weight.....would the battery be 'too far' into the tissue, making it difficult to charge the battery?

Well, either way, I strongly believe that weight gain/loss is something that should be discussed with Dr BEFORE the implant is done. This is an important aspect in deciding the location of the battery placement.

Hopefully others will put in their 2 1/2 cents here.......