Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Has anyone ever had to completely stop wearing there binder?
I am thinking about stopping wearing mine possibly for good or a long while because the effects it is having on my ribs is to much and uncomfortable. Iv'e always known my body was sensitive but never realized how much until now. I'm trying to come up with other ways that may help me because as much as i don't want to do this its becoming more and more of a thought and as much as i HATE it and feel really emotional over it i have to be safe. And i'm just wondering if anyone else had the same problems and what they ended up doing because i need some advice i really don't want to do this :( but i may. It sucks because when my chest dysphoria hits me it can hit me so hard all i want to do and do often do is sleep or avoid outside and people.
 

I haven't done that, but you could switch to sport bras as they tend to compress. Even if it won't compress fully, it should help!

Yea sadly that method doesn't work for me iv'e worn them all my life before my binder, i don't know if it turns out i can't do anything i'll probably resort to wearing it again after a couple months because i can't image myself going out without it and being okay not feeling like ripping my body apart. :/

I switched from Underworks to gc2b. Wearing the underworks binder for a few hours made my ribs and back ache; plus the material was slightly scratchy. I've had no achyness from wearing my gc2b binder even though I wear it for 10 hours everyday. Plus the material is very soft.

I have a gc2b binder but its creating pain, i'm sensitive apparently i don't know.
I'm thinking about changing it up but everyone says underworks is worse so idk.

Quote from: Midnightstar on April 02, 2016, 10:23:37 AM
I have a gc2b binder but its creating pain, i'm sensitive apparently i don't know.
I'm thinking about changing it up but everyone says underworks is worse so idk.

Oh right :/. Are you sure it's the right size? Maybe you could wear a rash guard or thin tshirt under it to cushion your chest a bit.  Sorry I can't be much help.

You may just need a bigger size...

I had to stop for a few months during college because I had bruised my ribs from wearing it too long for too many days in a row. Luckily it was winter, so I just doubled up on sports bras and wore a hoodie all the time.

If you are having this much pain with binding, you are probably not wearing the correct size or are not binding correctly. The biggest issue would be sizing, but it's also how many hours in a day you're wearing it, whether or not you ever give your body a significant break from binding, and whether or not you're trying to do too much while in it (like exercising - don't do that).

I second (third?  Fourth?) the idea that it may be too small.  I wear GC2B binders every day including while exercising.  I recently got a new one in the same size as my old ones, not taking into account that my shoulders are three inches wider than they were before.  The new binder was extremely uncomfortable and caused pain while the old, stretched out ones caused no pain.  I know the thought is "tighter is better" because you get flatter, but truthfully I have found it better that they be a little loose than a little tight.  I can manage looking like I have pecs.  I can't manage it cutting into my sides and making my ribs ache!  I would definitely try another size.  Also, I have found the half binders to be much less restricting than the tanks.  I can ride horses and exercise in the half binders once they have stretched out a bit, but the tank binders make it too tough to breathe for me to do anything that requires me to take deep breaths.

Quote from: Midnightstar on April 02, 2016, 03:37:26 AM
Has anyone ever had to completely stop wearing there binder?

When I got to a D cup. Thanks, birth control pills I didn't need!!!

I finally got decent bras that fit, thanks to a friend sending me to a better retailer than Sears. They immobilize the unwanted growths so I don't have to think about them. Sadly, what they don't do is minimize appearance. Getting top surgery soon.

To a degree, yes. I don't bind tightly. Never have. I have two binders, primarily. One is an Underworks Cotton Concealer tank, the other is a GC2 binder. I mostly wear the GC2. It still really bothers my ribs - and it's absolutely not too small. Throughout my mid-torso, the fabric is loose around me (and I am small chested so it's not like there's a huge taper or anything). It only does a tiny bit of binding (it's not nearly as strong as the GC2b).  Long story short, I've had to stop 3x (twice due to rib sprains, 3rd due to rib strains), and the last time in the fall last year, I decided I'd have to just simply stop binding as much as possible. Now that the weather is warming up, though... bleh.

I'm going to be seeing a physiotherapist for a leg injury next week, maybe I can sneak in my rib issues as well. Assuming you are binding correctly, that might actually be your best bet if surgery is a long ways off.

I've been binding with two sports bras, and, after two weeks, my spine and ribs were killing me. I'm living in baggy clothes until my proper binder arrives. The sports-bra binding didn't so much as always work.