Weird Questions 14 days till surgery :)

Okay so I have started packing and have discovered a few things. First off, I bought rubbing alcohol to take down there to use to get the sticky residue off of your tummy after removing tape and such. Anyhow I found out that this on the list at the airport of things not to pack even in your checked baggage so I guess I will buy some in San diego when we are with bambi.. 2nd. Im wondering if anyone's staples set off the metal detector on the way home or did anyone fly out with their staples still in? I will have all of my staples and my drain tube when I leave and am just wondering what kind of hassles to be prepared for. 3rd Can someone tell me a little about the binder.. Is it large enough to accomidate anyone? I am worried it won't fit me. 4th. The epidural. Does that make you not feel much of the pain?? Can someone explain this part to me? Thanks so much in advance. Cindy

Hey Cindy! Gotta love those last minuet "what if's" huh? For the alcohol...just buy some disposable wipes. I just grabbed a couple little packets from my firstaid kit at home. I never even used them while there. regarding staples...I flew back to Washington state with all mine still intact. It was a non-issue. I did get pulled aside for a nice little "feel up" by a female security gaurd in San Diego but it was just because I walked too slow through the metal detector. The drain was plugged up all day that day and was not a problem. No drain bag to drag around that day! The binder is a great thing. It was definately large enough for me. Almost too large from the get go. One home for about a week I had to take it in on the sides so it would be snug enough. the epidural...it was great. I gave birth to two big babies without one and that's because I was afraid of the needle used to put it in. This also worked out fine eventhough I was somewhat awake during the procedure! Check my profile for some details on that. It was effective pain relief. Some people loved it the whole time they were there. For me, I was a little creeped out by the cold I felt when they put the meds in and so I declined it at 3 or 4 am the day before my release. I was not in much pain at all then. Early on that baby was my friend though! Stay on top of the pain as much as you can. Jody was there while I was and did not get any pain meds until the morning after her surgery. She was in some pretty terrible pain by then and finally thought to ask for something in her epidural. Before that though, her pain was minimal. So, take the meds from when you wake up after surgery and you should be fine. Good luck

You are so cute. Thank you so very much for writing me back. I really enjoyed reading your profile molly it was very funny and yet real. I love that you went into detail on your experience . Us newbies really appreciate knowing what to expect when we get there. I like to hear the different experiences. Thanks so much for all your helpful information. How are you doing now? How's your weight loss??I know your still pretty newly recovered but how are you feeling? I am going back to work 2 weeks after surgery so I sure hope I can do it lol Cindy

Hey Pal... I love reading your post as you are getting Closer. Your Surgery Buddy Tracy

Hi Cindy! Molly answered your questions quite thoroughly, so I won't address everything. I packed alcohol in my luggage, I guess that's why we had a hazardeous materials note in out luggage when we arrived. You can buy alcohol in San Diego or Ensenada. We used a lot of it trying to remove the residue. The binder will be your best friend! Since I'm older, Dr. Aguirre had me wear it for 6 weeks. When I took it off to wa**** I was afraid to move very much because I was afraid I'd mess something up. They will give you a binder that fits you. I've never heard of them not having one to fit someone. I had never had an epidural so I was really concerned about it going in. I have to admit I worried needlessly. It was put in place after I had gone to sleep so I never felt a thing. I normally puke my guts out after surgery but I didn't have any nausea with the epidural. It made a believer of me. When they put medication in the cold would make me feel panicky (sp) at first but I got used to it. I didn't need any medication after the first 18 hours. I just didn't have that much pain. I hope it goes that well for you! Hang in there, 14 days will pass before you know it! Cheri

Hey Cindy, Your date is getting close - yeah!! On the alcohol, I took alcohol swaps and had no problem. But in all honesty they didn't help that much. When I came home, I think it was a combination of the alcohol and vitamin E oil that seemed to work best. BTW, I recommend the vitamin E oil to help with scar healing. My scar is almost invisible now!! No problem with the staples, I came home with all of mine in!! Good luck with your surgery and don't hesitate to email me if I can help at all!! Kat 334/186/160