Swelly Belly Band questions (TAH women please help)

Hiya,

I am considering purchasing the swelly belly band - but I have some questions for other women who have had a TAH.

For women using the swelly-belly band - how do you like it and how often and when you where it?

How does it differ from the tummy band they put on in the hospital? Does it hurt (put pressure) on the incision? If so - doesn't that hurt? (My tummy stabilizer from the hospital hurts for me to wear it.)

Where do I measure on my body to know which size to purchase?

Thanks,

Noni

I got the abdominal binder in the hospital, but it lies directly on my horizontal bikini incision, so I don't like it!!! I bought some SPANX and love them!! They are a lightweight girdle like thing. They sell them online and in some women's stores. spanx.com I find that more comfortable personally because it doens't rest on my incision, it holds everything up and in, which I personally find more comfortable. You will have to wait for somebody from here that has the swelly belly band to hear more about that. good luck!

They didn't give me a tummy band at the hospital and, at the risk of sounding dumb, how do you know if you have swelly belly? My belly is flubby, but I am a uhhhh "chunky" gal and my uterus was so large I looked pregnant so I figured that's why I'm out of shape. Just curious, because if you say it brings comfort to support the area, I'll give it a try. Been feeling really good and wouldn't mind feeling even better.

i used the tummy support undies and it seemed to help and it didn't lie on my incision line

Thanks everyone! For those of you who don't use the swelly belly band here - are you putting anything else cold on your belly to help with pain and swelling?

aymster - I am a "fluffy" girl, too. I realized I had swelly belly after I slept on side one night and woke up in the morning with one side of my belly more swollen than the other.

I started to pay closer attention to my belly after that and found that in the mornings I have little to no swelling, but by evening - LOOK OUT - I am carrying a bowling ball in my abdomen.

Hiya Noni,
I purchased my belly band 2 weeks after my surgery because nothing else i tried seemed comfortable, so i figured it couldn't hurt. I must say, it helps me quite a bit! I actually wore it the first day without activating the gel because the support felt great. I now keep it in the freezer and put it on when i feel more "swelly!" It's great after shopping when my belly feels like it's trying to pop out of my skin. I have a horizontal incision, which is still numb, and it doesn't bother me at all. I didn't have any binder at the castle, don't think I would have been able to tolerate one. I measured myself around the widest part of my hips aacross the front of my incision. I was right at the cut off for the princess and the larger size, opted for the princess, which was perfect, there is alot of give to the elastic so it can be adjusted, I like to wear mine as tight as i can, that way i can walk without holding my belly in place! Hope you find something that is comfortable for you, and good luck to you in your recovery.

Hi girls,
I haven't used this site very much but it has helped me during this time
off.
I started feeling pretty good 1 week after surgery.
I'm 5 weeks post-op today.
I can definately relate to the swelly belly by the end of the day!
Lately my incision has been causing me more discomfort than I have
had to experience yet.
I find that wearing girdle underware does help or the spandex underware. I prefer that to any type of belly band myself.
take care, clab

HI,
I'm almost four months post op. I wore the "girdle" thing the hospital gave me of a couple days but had to remove it every time I went to the bathroom; just seem more trouble than help. I just wore larger underwear so they didn't hit my incision and didn't wear anything else.
good luck.

I bought a swellybelly band but only used it once - after that I just used ice packs, which felt a lot better for me, and aren't so drippy. The first few weeks I would ice my incision area anytime I'd been up for a while; it really made things feel better. I can't imagine using a girdle thing, since even my loose jeans hurt for several weeks. I suppose it might be different for those "fluffy" sisters, having more to bounce around, but for me it was better without any constriction.