Brace undergarments?

[Cimbom]

Hi all,

Just wondering what undergarments are worn with the post-op brace? Is a bra comfortable? I was thinking to get one of those front closing ones but not sure how it'd feel underneath. Or one of those ones with no underwire but that close at the back? Or is it better to get just a fitted camisole? How does the brace feel if what you wear underneath doesn't cover the entire torso?

I'm having anterior approach surgery and will be fused from T12 - L4. The brace will be worn for three months.

Thanks

[Geish]

I guess it would depend on which type of brace you are given. I wore mine over my clothes. Mine looked kind of like one of those contraptions for holding a bass drum! LOL To be honest I didn't wear a regularly for almost 3 months post op. I just layered t-shirts and tank tops so I didn't scare small children until I could wear a bra comfortably again.

[Susie*Bee]

As Geish said, there are different types of braces... and if you want to see what she's talking about-- and the kind I wore (you wear it under your clothes unless you want to look extremely weird) you can go to this link and look at the pics in posts 10 and 11: http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...8&page=1&pp=15

I didn't wear a bra except when I was going somewhere where I would feel funny. Otherwise I wore men's white undershirts (with sleeves) under the brace, then my clothing over. The brace that I had kind of held "you" up. The undershirts were to fit snugly, with no wrinkles, to prevent chafing or irritation from bunched up material. I basically went bra-less for 5 months... then had to deal with fastening my bra again. I found it fairly easy to resort to the method used in my earliest bra wearing days-- fastening it in front and then shifting it around. My range of motion didn't allow me to try to fasten it in back at that time. (I CAN do it now, though.) I don't know that a front fastening bra would have been any different from that, but maybe it would be. Good luck!

[Singer]

I didn't wear a bra for about six months, but then again I'm hopelessly flat-chested, so -- no big deal. I layered a couple of cotton tanks and T's under the brace to make it more comfortable. The brace really does make you feel more secure until you start to get tired of it...by the time 3 months had passed I was ready to wean off of it.

[CHRIS WBS]

My brace was custom molded for me. I remember when the brace maker came to see me in the hospital. It was the second day after surgery and I was in so much pain and drugged out of my mind and the last thing I wanted was to be measured for a brace. I asked the nurse to pick a pattern for me. It really looked like a bustier with a cinched in waist and built-in bra. In my case it was more like a training bra. I lived in cotton t-shirts and shorts under my brace and would have to change my t-shirts throughout the day after coming in from a walk in the hot and humid summer weather of July and August.

[emwonderfull]

WOW, I never go braless, I even sleep in a sports bra. The thought of having to go braless after my surgery has brought on a whole new set of concerns. I was planning on buy several front fastening sports bras for post-op. Did anyone else do something different.

[Cimbom]

I'll be doing the same plus getting some camis with in-built shelf bras in case. My brace doesn't go over my breasts though so it seems more necessary.

[naptown78]

Brace Underclothing

I wore long camisoles with the built in bra. My brace was the kind with the holes in front for the boobs to stick out of! An attractive look for sure! At first I tried to find loose fitting shirts to pull over the brace but that was difficult so after a month or so, I became so that I did not care what I looked like and wore the brace over my clothes even though people looked at me funny!

[fierceliketiger]

I NEVER go braless...and I did for about a week or two..then I switched to sports bras. REALLY soft ones with no clasps, they werent great (I have a fairly large chest), but it helped. When I went out I wore 2, otherwise I wore one.I tried a front fastening bra, but I didn't like the way the elastic felt near my incision...the sports bras didnt hurt so much. I also wore a tight fitting t shirt with short sleeves under the brace