Susan's Place Transgender Resources

When I'm gonna be able to have top surgery, I will have been binding for 5 or possibly even 6 years. And I'm kinda worried what that will do to my ribs and stuff. Right now I've been binding for over a year. (holy cow, didn't realize it had been that long!) And I'm already starting to have some back problems, and neck problems.

Does anybody have any advice? Because, I don't wanna break my ribs, or anything else. And also, I have asthma. :icon_help:?

same here when i get top surgery ill be binding for 4 to 5 years. my back hurts a good amount even now.

I've been binding for over four years at this point, and by the time I have surgery it'll probably be about five years. I haven't noticed any serious health effects, though sometimes I have a harder time breathing or catching my breath. But I wear my binder way longer than I should, 16 to 18 hours on an average day, and that only happens toward the end of a long day of binding. Oh, and my back muscles are always really tense, but I've just gotten used to that.

I've been binding with an ACE bandage for 2 years and I don't have any pains or anything unless I sleep with it on then it kinda hurts to breathe when I wake up for about 5 minutes and then it goes back to normal.

Yes, it can mess with your breathing, back, neck, cause over heating, etc.  It also will make your breasts flatten out considerably over the years.  What can happen is what some will call "pancaking"   Some may think, Oh YAY, they will be flat as pancakes. What I've seen is that they will flatten out and elongate a bit. So they will kind of look like an old ladies breasts.  Again, flatten is what we want right?  But if you're thinking you want top surgery down the line, the surgeon will have more skin to deal with because of the stretched and elongated boobs that long term binding produces.  Depending on the surgeon, the more skin, perhaps more revisions down the line with dog ears, etc.   Perhaps this wont happen to you, it just what I've seen in a few and what perhaps COULD happen. 

Take precautions.  Bind as little as possible when home (maybe wear a sports bra at the house, that's what I do).  Wear a binder that is the correct size for you, not one that is too tight.  Cough deep after binding to clear you lungs of any possible fluid buildup.  Don't use ACE bandages or any other types of materials that are frowned upon. 

I've been binding for 5 years now, and top surgery is nowhere in sight as yet. I have very little strength with my left arm now, bursitis in both shoulders (a swelling of the fluid sac within the shoulder joint that causes incredible pain), and no force whatsoever in my left arm (have to play basketball one-handed to be able to shoot the ball at all). This is all due to binding. I never used an ace bandage; really, never used anything but Underworks binders. I never wear my binder overnight; typically, I'm wearing it for 8-12 hours a day. But it happened regardless.

Try to get surgery as soon as you can. I certainly would if I could.