So, I'm pretty new to the whole binding thing. I'm not in an accepting household, so a friend of mine gave me one of his older binders so that I could wear it at school. I wore it for about an hour at first (about a week ago), I even timed it because I know you're supposed to start off small. It seemed okay, if not a little uncomfortable because I wasn't used to it. We had a half day at school today, so I figured it'd be a good time to try to wear it again. I had a slight suspicion that it was too small, but I was dumb and wore it anyway for some reason? I don't know. I regret it now, because it's been about 12 hours since I took it off and I still have the lingering feeling of a sore chest. I have little random sharp pains here and there, and it's a little uncomfortable to breathe deeply. I only wore it for about two hours before I started to feel a bit lightheaded and took it off. I'm honestly not sure if I was an actual physical problem or just my anxiety, since I was really nervous about the whole situation. Now I'm just kind of freaking out, and the mild panic isn't really helping with the chest pain that's already there. So does anyone have any advice, or even just some reassuring words?
Do you think you were feeling anxiety over the binder or something else? Like most things, you have to to do them slowly. One step at a time, You wouldn't do 100 situps every day when you haven't done one in years. So you should definitely not wear a binder for that many hours when you aren't use to it. Start off small, maybe 1 week. Wear it for 1 hour a day. Then 2 hours the next week, and increase the number of hours depending on how comfortable you start to feel. It does take a lot to get use to.
It was definitely just anxiety from the binder, nothing else was bothering me. I think it was just the combination of 'wow are people going to notice' and 'this may be too small' that was really getting to me. I also tend to worry way too much about my health in general, so. Yeah. And I didn't think just one more hour than the first time would make such a big difference, but I guess it did. Either way, if I do try again, it's not going to be until I can try a size bigger, I think :/ Thank you for you advice! I'm just gonna try to chill out and not think about it so much, ah.
It definitely sounds like it's too small. Don't bind until the pain is gone. It will probably go away on its own but if it gets worse or if it hurts significantly when you breathe, go get it checked out ASAP. It doesn't sound like you have a broken rib (it sounds like anxiety or a bruised / mildly hurt rib a most), but if it does get worse, it's important that you get it treated. The best thing to remember is that a) you're probably completely fine; mild rib pain after using a too small binder usually isn't a big deal at all and will go away in about a day and b) even if it is a bit hurt, you're still going to be okay; it'll hurt a bit longer and you'll have to be a bit more careful with it, but you'll still be fine regardless.
Using someone else's binder might not be the best idea because you'll likely be a different size from them. Take a break from binding for now. Only start again when you feel 100% ok and comfortable with it. Don't push it. Listen to your body, most importantly. Have you ever tried the two sports bras method? Binders are usually the most recommended way to bind, but the sports bras method can work as well, especially since your binder probably doesn't fit. How well the sports bras method really depends on your chest size however. keep in mind like with any form of binding, stop once it feels uncomfortable. And don't start so soon like doing it tomorrow. Is there a way to get a proper binder for yourself? That friend that lender you the current binder. You could order it and have it be shipped to his house instead of yours. There are also cards that are basically prepaid credit cards which you can get at convenience stores and places that sell gift cards. Hope this helps.
Thanks, guys, I'm definitely less panicky in general now. I think anxiety was really a big part of it at this point, so the reassurance really helped. I do have a friend who's willing to have one shipped to their house, I just have to figure out what I want and get the money for it. Admittedly, though, I'm a little hesitant about binding in general after that incident ;; I definitely won't be using that one again, I learned my lesson. But I have a pretty small chest, and my dysphoria hasn't been too bad lately, so I should be okay for a while.
