When did anyone wear a girdle?

I have been contemplating wearing some sort of girlde to help train my somach muscles. This Friday I'll be 4 weeks post op. anyone started this soon?

Roberta
TAH LSO Feb 7, 2003

I have worn a bodysuit or a girdle or corset for the past year due to an incisional hernia from my hysterectomy. It was repaired just over two weeks ago and the bodysuit is great for support. However, you said you wanted to 'train' your abdominal muscles. What a girdle will do is train them to be weak. What did you have in mind?

Joselle

Long time ago, old folks took a sheet and wrapped it around the abdominal as tight as possibly comfortable. When I asked my freind's mother why, she said it was to hold things in place while healing. She's 86.

So I thought that I could start wearing a control top panty or girdle at 4 weeks.

Why do you say it will train them to be weak?

Roberta

Roberta,
I was given a corset upon discharge from the hospital. I wore it 24/7 for about 2 weeks, then started taking it off for 4 hours increments, on 4 hours, then got it so I could be without it during the day. I did so because I was afraid my stomach muscles would rely too much on the girdle for support and lose strength. Until recently, I also wore it at night as my skin is still very tender and the corset has a nice soft pad in front that kept my sheets and nightgown from rubbing against it. This is my 8th week and I haven't worn it at night for 3 nights now.

My Dr. prescribed a Tummy Binder while I was in the hospital - which is like a giant elastic bandage that you wrap tightly across your tummy. I think it helped a lot and at about 4 weeks I started wearing Hanes cotton support panties which have extra support across the tummy. I can definitely tell a difference when I don't wear them - my back muscles ache a lot more!


TAH BSO - vertical incision for solid ovarian mass and uterine hyperplasia w/ atypia. Benign Pathology report - YEA!

The reason I said a binder or girdle would train your muscles to be weak is because when you wear a support your muscles don't need to work very hard. We wear these things when our muscles are NOT strong. And if we wear them when we don't need them our muscles get weak. As some of the previous posters have mentioned, they wean themselves off the binder gradually. That's to give the muscles a chance to strengthen before the support is completely taken away. At four weeks you might feel good if you wear some support, but it would not strengthen your muscles. Now that I have worn one for so long to help support my hernia and my back I will have to work hard to strengthen my muscles so that I can (hopefully) again walk pain free.

Does this make sense?

Joselle

I understand. I have not worn anything and I'm ok with not having anything. I very much into quality nutritional supplements and I have taken a lot of them as I recover from this major surgery.

My swelly belly is starting to go down and I'm excited about that. I can sleep on it with no problem and it is only slightly tender.

My nutritionist told me the path I'm on it will get better sooner than normal but I just wanted to see if I wanted to wear some sort of support when would I be likely to do it, 4, 6, 8 weeks or never.

Thanks for the input, it really is helping me to sort out what I want to do. I really can't see wearing a girdle but if it would help I would. I know it will be a while before I get back into my pre-op exercise routine.

I walk a couple times a day but today it is raining so I plan to take a break as I don't want to get on the treadmill just yet.