My Search is Over

My search for a compression garment is over.

I haven't yet actually checked out the Spanx garment (I'll do that tomorrow en route to Ottawa) but I've managed to find what I'm told is very comparable.

Remember a while back I posted here about my adventure in Carleton Place when I "needed" that dress in the window of a particular dress shop?

Well, I called that same dress shop on Friday and asked if they carried the Spanx line of women's undergarments.  They don't, but they carry a very similar product, made in Canada, called Body Wrap.

Yesterday, John took me into Carleton Place so I could visit the store and check out the product.

I left the store with one pair of their long-leg panty shapewear.

Once we got home, I of course had to put them on immediately and I wore them for the rest of the day.

Very promising indeed!

They provide exactly the level of compression I need, precisely where I need it.

It didn't take me long to notice that I was able to walk upright without pain, immediately that I got up from a sitting position (that's an even better result than I had enjoyed with the athletic taping!).

And today, I've been putting them to the test, big time!

We again went into Carleton Place this morning, but this time we visited numerous shops, and there was much walking involved at each stop.

Normally, if I do any shopping, I wear my back brace around my hips because it provides the extra compression I need for even the briefest jaunt.

Not this time.

I wore no back brace.

I used no cane.

I limped not.

I walked around like any other normal person.

And I walked quickly, just as I like to walk.

It was fabulous!

And here I sit, after having shopped and walked for nigh onto two hours, and then having been on my feet for almost another hour once we got home as I put stuff away ...

... and I have no pain.  You'd almost think I was a normal human being -- it is truly remarkable.

I'm still going to stop at The Bay tomorrow on my way to my physiotherapy appointment and will probably buy a pair of Spanx so that I can fully test a pair.  Then I will be able to give my therapist the results of my findings, which thus far are:

a)  Flexees won't do because of the leg band issue.

b)  Spanx will probably do (to be confirmed tomorrow).

c)  Body Wrap absolutely does the job, and brilliantly.

Admittedly, I'm not now going to buy a pair of the athletic compression shorts so I won't actually be testing them against the Spanx and the Body Wrap.  Someone else will have to undertake that study.

But I will recommend that my physiotherapist might want to offer the Spanx / Body Wrap solution to her clients rather than the athletic compression shorts because they are made of a fabric that, in my humble opinion, is sooooooo much more comfortable than the athletic shorts.

As for my search, I will certainly be buying more Body Wrap shapewear.  But first, assuming they fit me, I'll try the Spanx to see if one works better than the other in certain conditions (i.e. daytime vs sleeping).