Question:
This may seem stupid but here goes...with the icy roads and driving to

work on them, I have a silly fear of hitting something and having the air bag pop out into my newly healed incision! I know in my heart this probably won't happen but was wondering if anyone has actually had this happen. If so, were you OK? I am afraid my incision will come open or something. I am 10 wks postop. My incision is completely closed but I wonder if it is healed inside. Please don't flame me or put me down because this is a real concern of mine. Thanks!    — Marilyn C. (posted on January 7, 2002)

January 7, 2002
hahah thanks for giving me ANOTHER thing to worry about. I am preop with a surgery date of 2/11/02 - my fear is slipping in the snow or on the ice and having my incision bust open. =(
   — Brenda S.

January 7, 2002
Fears may be unfounded, but they are never silly. At 10 weeks post op you are considered fully "healed." There should be little to no greater risk for you to "pop open" in the event of a car accident than it would be for someone who did not have surgery. I would imagine that the most likely, but still highly UNLIKELY, thing would be the development of a hernia, which is the internal opening of the muscle tissue which allows the intestine to bulge up under the skin. All in all, you should be just as safe as you ever were before your surgery. Take care, and drive safely!
   — BethVBG

January 7, 2002
I would add to make sure that you are also wearing your seatbelt. I think used with the air bag, your chances of really 'hitting' your stomach are probably reduced. I also don't think this is a silly fear. We all have some degree of fear about certain things. I keep reading about people who can't wait to get on a roller coaster when they get small enough. That WILL NOT be me. They scare me to death.
   — garw

January 7, 2002
marilyn, my hubby & daughter were involved in rear end collision 3 years ago which resulted in my hubby being pushed into the rear end of the car in front of him. hence the airbags deployed. thank god thank god thank god!!! both suffered injuries but none were from the airbags. & yes they were both wearing their seatbelts which may have reduced the impact of them flying into the airbags. to give u an idea of how hard they were hit from behind...my daughter was in the front passenger seat & her seat broke & hubby was in the drivers seat. his head rest snapped in half at the steel bars & his seat broke too. their injuries, altho serious, were no where near life threatening. thank god for crumple zones, air bags & seat belts.
   — sheryl titone

January 7, 2002
Marilyn, that is certainly not a silly thing to fear! I remember when I was pregnant with my kids, I was afraid to drive in bad weather for fear of hurting my tummy, even with a seatbelt on. Since surgery (12/00), I have had some fears driving, mostly because I feel really vulnerable now. Its weird to have so much space between me and the steering wheel, and I feel less "protected" now. I agree that if you wear a seatbelt and the airbag deploys, you should be ok. If not, you'll be much better off than if you didn't have one! Should something happen, medical personnel would see the scar, and probably check things out at the hospital.
   — Susan S.