Dear Bizette. Becoming light-headed or even fainting after removing an elastic abdominal binder is fairly common if proper instructions are not given to patients before surgery. Two things may be causing the symptoms. First, a tight binder compresses the large vein in the back of the abdomen called the Inferior Vena Cava. When a patient releases the pressure, the vein swells and temporary reduces the return of blood to the heart. This leads to adrop in blood pressure which in turn leads to changes in consciousness. Second, when the binder is released, some patients feel pain because of the stretching of tissues. This can lead to a "vaso-vagal" reaction in which the brain causes a drop in blood pressure. It's the same type reaction experienced when people hear emotionally disturbing news and faint.
Therefore, we always advise patients to be seated when they remove their binder and have an adult next to them at least for the first few times until they see how their body reacts to the release of the binder. Hope this helps.