An A to Z of all things Breast Cancer
Girdle
Noun: girdle; plural noun: girdles
A woman's elasticated corset extending from waist to thigh.
When you think of a woman wearing a girdle, it conjures up images of Marilyn Monroe looking all sexy and sultry. However, in the context of post DIEP flap surgery, the girdle is more likely to send your partner running away in fear rather than hoping they can unhook it and get a sneaky peek at what lays beneath.
When you wake up from surgery, one of these over-sized tubi-grips will be around your middle and it will feel like that is all that is holding you together.
DIEP flap surgery involves a hip to hip cut to remove the tummy fat from which the surgeon will model your new breast. The girdle compresses the wound and surrounding muscles. At first it is really bloody uncomfortable as it will be holding you in really tightly. But even when wearing it, the first few times you have to cough or sneeze are terrifying as you feel like you will be reenacting the scene from Alien when the creature bursts out of John Hurt’s stomach.
Over the next few days, as the pain lessens and as you get used to it, the girdle becomes a bit of a comfort. In fact, when you take it off to shower you might find yourself holding onto your scar in case the stitches give way without it. (They won’t).
You will wear the girdle for 6 weeks, day and night, like a giant nappy under your jogging bottoms. What with that and the post-surgery zip-up sports bra with the Velcro shoulder straps, you will be SMOKIN’!
Top tip! Cut up or fold a clean, soft pillowcase and wrap it around your tummy underneath the girdle. It stops it rubbing and itching, and saves you having to wash it every day when your wound is new and still weeping.
After wearing the girdle for so long, it feels very strange the first time you go commando. Day time isn’t too bad as you’re likely to be wearing clothes that will still compress the scar and hold your tummy a bit. But night time feels very odd. I confess I carried on wearing mine for another couple of weeks at night, just in case I woke up to find my intestines spread over the duvet.