I got a GC2B binder this week and have been using it during most daytime hours, though not at night or when working out. I have preexisting chronic back pain from an injury when I was twelve. And just last night, after binding probably longer than I should have (12+ hours) I was in a lot of pain trying to go to sleep. During the day, the binder really helps with dysphoria. But with just one week of use I'm already getting (a) more back pain and (b) constrained breathing. They're mild but still noticeable. It is very disheartening... Anyone else have experience with this? What should I do?
I have the same problem with my gc2b half binder. After only an hour of use I get extreme sharp pains and it's so uncomfortable I've had to take it off during the day when I'm out back when I used to actually wear it. My Underworks half binder is a lot more comfortable and although still painful it's bareable. All I can recommend if you're gonna stick with your gc2b is to do stretches after you take it off and to wear it for the least amount of time possible. Other than that it's a case of dealing with the pain and using painkillers is necessary.
If you have pre-existing back pain, it might be a good idea to try binding for fewer hours or getting a larger binder. It might not give you as much compression, but it'd hopefully reduce your pain. You could save your current binder for days where dysphoria is especially bad. Where possible, see if you can avoid wearing your binder at all for a day every few days (once a week at an absolute minimum, preferably twice) since this will give your body a chance to relax and stretch out and be free. In general, if you can, try to avoid wearing your binder for longer than 8 hours. Since you just got it, you should be aiming for about 4-5 hours until you get more used to it and then steadily increasing the amount. Binding for longer than 10 hours or so can cause severe rib and back injuries (or, in severe cases, death), and since you have a pre-existing condition I'd reckon you might be at higher risk for that. If you end up with a binding injury you may need to boycott your binder for six weeks or more while you recover... not a fun time. It's better to deal with a little bit of dysphoria now than have to deal with six weeks of continuous dysphoria after an injury caused by bad binding habits. Shallower breathing is something that happens with binding I'm afraid. You shouldn't be actually suffocating or gasping for breath, but a slight level of restriction is to be expected. Your body gets used to having less room for inhaling, and the more frequently and longer that you wear your binder the more likely it is to have a more "permanent" effect that lasts when you aren't in your binder. I say "permanent" because it is possible to fix your breathing back into a normal rhythm by consciously relearning it (for example, like how singers learn to most efficiently and correctly breathe), but doing so whilst still binding frequently is a little pointless. The best way to decrease the effect that I know of is to bind for short amounts of time and to have periods during those times where you remove your binder for a few minutes, stretch, and breathe deep/cough. If you're unable to remove your binder, stretching and coughing/breathing deep still helps. I'd honestly recommend not binding again until the pain goes away (or at least, returns to the levels you're used to with your regular back pain) just to let your chest recover. It's always better to be safe than sorry. If you do end up with a stronger than normal pain that doesn't fade, see a doctor ASAP. A level of discomfort is expected from binding since you are compressing your chest pretty strongly, but actual pain that doesn't go away is not good and could be a sign of fractured ribs. ---------- Post added 26th Sep 2016 at 09:39 PM ---------- If you're getting extreme sharp pains after such a short time, I think your binder might be too small. Binders aren't exactly fun, but the discomfort should only be slight. Severe pain is a major cause for concern cause it could mean you're doing huge damage to your chest/ribs. Are you sure that the size you have is correct for you?
I would also suggest getting a larger size. I forget if you've mentioned in the past if you have a sizable chest or not. I would be like a 34B/C probably and I wear a size small binder (underworks and Gc2b) and I don't experience any pain from it at all. It's not much more uncomfortable than a sports bra. I feel like you shouldn't be having that sort of pain unless it's too tight, which I understand if you are larger chested because you'd need more compression to get flat enough, but if you don't have a larger chest, it definitely shouldn't restrict your breathing significantly, though I can imagine it might worsen preexisting back pain.
