Question:
Is the staple removing going to be painful?

Hi all, I am just a little over 2 weeks post-op today, and I will be having my staples taken out in the morning.....does this hurt?? I'm not usually a "wuss" with things like this, but.........second, what do you use to put on the scar to minimize it......is Aloe gel good for this or would vit. E be the best to rub on??? Thank you for your help! Love and Light, Lisa    — medium (posted on December 3, 2002)


December 3, 2002
Lisa~I just my staples removed today. I have to admit it was better than i thought. The only ones that hurt were the ones on the very botem and very top. The rest i didnt even feel. Dont worry. I had 46 staples and it took about 5 minutes to remove all the them. Hope it helps! sandra
   — sandrac131

December 3, 2002
Aloha!!! I didn't have staples (surgeon used Dermabond instead) so I can't help you with that question but friends of mine says it doesn't hurt. An occasional slight pinching from the upper and lower staples...but all and all, quite tolerable. As far as ointments you can use on your incision, initially I started to use a cortizone based cream for the incision. Then I found Maderma! This stuff is great!! It was designed to reduce stretch marks and scars. It works!!! It is great stuff.. A little pricey but well worth it! Parts of my incision are barely visible now. You can buy Maderma at a drug store. It is usually behind the counter because it is a high theft sort of item. A large tube costs $24.99 or so. It lasts quite awhile though. I put it on in the morning after I shower and again in the evening. I wish I had known about this stuff while I was pregnant!!! Hope this helps!!! Hugs, Kathie (in Hawaii)... Open RNY / 08-07-02 Down 98 Pounds!!!
   — KathieInHawaii

December 3, 2002
My Dr. removed half of the staples 10 days post op, and used steristrips where the staples were removed, then a week later the other half. I didn't have too much problem, a little itching, and slight sting. I did have an alergic reaction to the staples, and was very red... but like the other poster said, it was those top and bottom ones that got me but it wasn't hurt...just a little pinch. Also the bottom of my incision was open a while and draining... but it healed after a couple of months...
   — MF

December 3, 2002
It pinches some but is'nt to bad. From my experience with stiches AND staples (had many of both) they usually don't hurt to bad unless it is over 10 days. There is something about the two week mark that makes stiches hurt bad. I'm thinking my staples were out in two weeks, and it was'nt bad. Just don't look and think about your favorite vacation (or something very pleasant). Put yourself in another place and it makes the pinching easier. Just be glad the staples are'nt in the private areas. Now that IS pain! ;) Staples on the stomach area is a piece of cake. As far as vitamin E... I waited for around 4 days post op before I put it on. It really helps on pain. Helps some with scaring at times.
   — Danmark

December 3, 2002
The staples removal didn't hurt me a bit (I had an open incision). What was a little uncomfortable was when she removed the drain. But the ouch didn't last long, only a couple of seconds. <p> For my scar, I use cocoa butter that I bought at The Body Shop. I apply the cocoa butter after I have applied regular lotion to the rest of my body. :o)
   — Jennifer A.

December 3, 2002
It took my doc about a minute (if that) to take out my 18 staples. Just a few teeny, tiny pinch-like feelings....really nothing at all. My scar keloided, and I will say that if I threw the $26.99 out the window instead of buying the Mederma, I would have gotten the same result. Don't waste your money on Mederma. I've heard of people using Neosporin on their scar, and it seems to help. I guess I'm just going to have to live with this ugly "earthworm" looking keloided scar. My PCP (after waiting 6 months like she told me to) won't even refer me to the dermatologist for steroid injections (which I had heard may help the keloided part). She said it looks "good", and will lighten up over time. The part that didn't keloid is nearly invisible, but the keloid is still angry, red, and looks like an earthworm. Anyway, the staples don't hurt really at all coming out, and it takes just a minute or two. Not to worry! Hugs, Joy
   — [Deactivated Member]

December 3, 2002
I asked that same question just before my staples came out. It was actually quick and fairly painless. I used neosporin plus everyday for about a month. Now at six months you can barely see the scars. It could even be covered up eith just a little foundation.
   — Linda A.

December 3, 2002
It felt like mosquito bites to me. I know how horrible all those staples look, but taking them out is really no biggie. The ones at the very top stung a tiny bit but nothing to write home about. They put steri strips on me and told me shower as normal. My surgeon said they would start to fall off on their own and what was still on after the end of the week to pull off. I'm 16 1/2 months out and I have a long pinkish line and the holes are really about faded out. It doesn't look too bad at all. I've noticed some tingling in it recently, which is very strange. I haven't felt anything unusual in MONTHS...but I've been using one of those skin firming lotions and I think it may have something to do with it....by the way...the firming lotion smells good and goes on nice and creamy...but believe me...the skin still just hangs...I've been using it about a month now. At anyrate, you'll be fine!! -Kim open RNY 7/17/01 -141 lbs (I'm half the person I used to be!)282/141/125
   — KimBo36

December 3, 2002
to Joy: those steroid shots for keloid scars are PAINFUL. they feel worse than bee-stings. i would rather live with keloids than have to go through those nasty shots. but i'm a wuss. and i've only had those shots on my face and neck after having moles removed... but still.. *shudder*<BR>anyway.. on-topic, i had a Lap RNY with staples in my incision. my staples were removed on day 3, before i went home from hospital. it didn't hurt one bit. just a little "plucking" sensation, and some of them i couldn't even feel at all. (the drain is another story. ohhh boy.)
   — maurer_power

December 3, 2002
I use Mederma on my scars. On previous scars it has helped alot. I am using it 3 times a day now on my tummy and am 6 weeks out.
   — Angie L.

December 4, 2002
I hate to rain on the parade of "it didn't hurt much" as seen below...but mine HURT! It was worse than waking up after surgery. I would have given almost anything to have skipped that portion of the WLS experience! I have 48 tiny staples and the first 10 were the worst ones of all...the ones at the top near the breast. The nurse said it's common for those to hurt the worst because the skin kind of crimps around them as they heal (it's where we bend when we sit, slouch, etc.). The last 38 weren't nearly as bad and I could lamaze breathe thru them, but nearly broke hubby's hand over those first 10. YIKE! I suggest deep breathing and having something to squeeze. Best of luck and hope your experience is tops above my own!
   — [Deactivated Member]

December 4, 2002
Having removed quite a few staples in my day,(post-op open heart patients) everyone is different, so there is no pat answer. The staple remover bends the staple in the middle so the ends come straight out of the skin. I didn't have any staples or sutures removed after my lap RNY, but I did have some removed after my c-sections! One time the nurse in the office cleaned them with alcohol before taking them out. I about hit the ceiling. The second time, the nurse used hydrogen peroxide and it was fine. Please wait until your incision and the places were the staples were are healed before you use anything on them. People use Vitamin E oil, cocoa butter, antibiotic ointment and other new things on the market to reduce the appearance of scarring. (I personally likeD using a little antibiotic ointment with "pain relief" to keep the itching down as the incisions healed.)
   — koogy

December 4, 2002
Mine were left in a little too long due to a miscommunication at the hospital. They were a little green! LOL And they DID hurt coming out and bled a little, too. But I hopped around for a couple minutes and then they felt a BUNCH better than they had when they were in there. They were starting to get uncomfortable!
   — ctyst




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