Hallalujah! I’m getting my staples out on Monday and can’t wait I just want my hair and scalp to be free of dried blood and scabs but am afraid it’s really going to hurt. my plan is to take as many meds as allowed plus some anti-anxiety meds and just breathe. I’ve got approximately50 staples up there. Does anyone have any ideas on how long the removal will take or how badly it will hurt - say a scale o 1-10? Frankly I know I can deal with it because it’s (hopefully) the end of the bad pain and I can get more normalized. Any info/ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much. Love. --Jen
Jennifer, What progress! Remember it was just a few weeks ago that you were stressing over having the surgery. Don’t stress over getting the staples out, just be glad they are finally coming out. I had lots of staples from the middle of forehead and scalp line down to my ear. I don’t remember the amount of pain when my primary took them out so it couldn’t be so bad that it left a searing memory! You’ll get through this just as you have gotten through the symptoms, diagnosis, surgery plannning, tests, surgery day etc., etc. Before you know it they will be out and you’ll be home shampooing! Just remember the scar area will be alittle tender and not totally healed so remember: don’t pick at those scabs! 
Barbara
Hey Jennifer, I had my staples removed in March, and it wasn’t pleasant, however, I didn’t take any pain meds. I went in stone sober (because I wanted to be able to ask questions of the neurosurgeon and I didn’t have anyone to take me). About half way through I had to lay down (more from the anxiety, than the pain). I don’t want to scare you or anything, but do want to be honest (in my experience) and let you know ahead of time what it’s like. If you are going to be able to take a pain pill, then you should be fine. I would say, w/o pain or anxiety meds, it registered at about a 6.5 on a 1-10 scale (didn’t start that high, just after the first 20 staples, it take a toll, started out at about 2 or 3). Again, if you have someone there with you to be able to let you take meds, you should be good. The pain for me only lasted about 10 minutes after they were done even w/o pain meds (though Barbara is right, that area will be very tender for months after - I’m 7 months out and the tenderness has mostly gone away now). Congratulations on your success and healing.
Jen.
I was so happy as well to have them taken out and worried, some hurt and i did drop the F bomb a couple of time. However they do have a spray that makes the area numb and that helped so much…
Hang in there you have been through worse.
jane
****ask for the spray
Well Jen…how did it go and how was the first shower and shampoo???
jane
Yes Jennifer, as Jane asked…How did it go?
I had my staples removed last Tuesday and I was feeling the anxiety and scared of the pain too, but when i got in there and the dr. was like just breath it will be ok. She showed me the tool used to remove the staples and said it might sting toward the forhead on some but it is quick. And trust me it is a quick process and on scale of 1-10 and I am a big kid on pain it was a 1 for me and I only took 2 tynoles before I went to Mayo to have the staples removed. Then I came home and washed my hair. You will be fine and it feels alot better after they are out.
Hang in there i
Margaret
What an anticlimax. The only real pain was the first staple which hurt like a bitch b/c it my scalp had grown around the staple and it had to be almost yanked out. Ouuuchhh. Other than that it was pretty benign and God did it feel good to really shampoo my hair. I do have one fairly large bald spot but that feels like a VERY small price to pay compared to what could have happened in this journey…
Jennifer, so glad the staple removal went good for you! I think most of us tried to tell you it would be fine. Hope your recovery it going well. Take care, Barbara