Brace

[rohrer01]

My brace is like Irina's. it has Velcro, so it can pull as tight as you like. The plastic does not cover the incision in the back as it is slightly open there. I wear a tee shirt underneath which gets really sweaty. I actually like my brace as it gives me a feeling of security.

Mine was fitted on day 4 after my surgery as you need to be able to stand for ten minutes while they make a plaster cast of your body that is the pattern for the mold. They returned in 2 days with my brace.

Susan

That seems to make a lot of sense. I know they used to put people in full body braces as standard procedure way back when... Open in the back for ventilation is a great idea. Bracing is probably a moot point for me even IF I have surgery as they will have to fuse into my lower neck. The only thing that would work in that case would be a halo. They didn't even have a corrective brace for me as a teen that would reach the curve otherwise I would probably have had to wear one. Not even the Milwaukee brace would touch my curve. I heard them debating about it in front of me! But, with that said, I can see how nice it would be to have that sense of security, yet miserable at the same time. I hope weaning off of it isn't too difficult. Thanks for sharing.

[Irina]

I hope weaning off of it isn't too difficult. Thanks for sharing.

rohrer01,

Weaning off the brace is not that difficult at all, at least for me. At my last follow up appointment Dr. Hu said that I can take off the brace for as long as tolerated. My immediate response was: "What if I can tolerate to never wear this brace again?" and she told me to go for it. She advised though that my back will get tired and suggested to wear my brace on my walks outside of the house. Yes, my back gets a little tired, but I am so overwhelmed by being around people and looking NORMAL that I don't even pay attention to that little sense of tiredness.

[rohrer01]

Irina,
Thanks for sharing, also. I get that very tired feeling and haven't had surgery. I guess I never imagined that a person would get it after surgery since the hardware is doing the work instead of the muscles. I was expecting that pain would increase without a brace both for post surgical and for kids with braces. I learn a lot here. Even if it's not relevant to me, I have a grandchild and future grandchildren that I need to be informed for. Hopefully all of this "knowledge" will be for naught in the case of my grandchildren.