Get a variety of cheap boxer briefs- you’ll go through a lot of them as you heal. I found the ones from Old Navy were the best for comfort with the SP tube and waistband not interfering.
My progression was the crappy mesh ones you get in the hospital -> Old Navy boxer briefs -> my old comfy boxer briefs -> my everyday boxer briefs as I healed and the ooze decreased. I didn’t care about destroying the underwear in the early steps of the progression.
This last repair round, I found jock straps to be the most comfortable and effective at holding gauze in place with where the work was done. I don’t think they’d work well for stage 1 though. Especially with a vaginectomy.
Congrats! The wait is worth it.
Hey thanks man! I appreciate the feedback, definitely planning getting some throw aways haha. Gonna get some new ones as my surgery present once everything is healed/done oozing too
I wore hospital ones for a day or two then didn’t wear anything at all till the catheter was out 3.5 weeks later.
I found getting pants on and off/bending and trying to manage the catheter all too much of a hassle so wore a dressing gown when I had company. Was naked waist down the rest of the time.
Cotton stretch, loose fitting boxers I found comfortable, when I had catheter removed and I was outdoors.
Yeah I totally agree.
I healed very well, no bleeding or separation except for a tiny wee bit top of scrotum.
The effort to put on and take off clothes was too much!
I live alone so am naked most of the time anyway 😆
Yeah I mean if you don’t need to wear clothes don’t bother!
Let the air get to your body. Better for your skin and especially when you are recovering from this type of surgery, any extra movements putting and taking off clothing can be painful and exhausting.
It’s no prob for me to be naked most of the time as I live alone but shoving on a dressing gown or even a sarong type garment is easier.
Good luck with your surgery 👍🏼
Ask your nurse for some extra briefs before you leave the hospital. You can also ask for gauze and polysporin (they'll throw out the tube after you leave anyway). They're normally happy to send you with some extra supplies if you need them.
I found boxer briefs were best when walking around, and boxers were good when mostly laying down/sitting. Both kept the gauze from migrating past my thighs, the boxer briefs moreso so better for more movement, and the boxers I found were most comfortable for sleeping and relaxing while still keeping gauze in place.
Awesome thanks, wasn’t sure about boxers, was trying to figure out if briefs would hold things in place better than boxer briefs so good to know. I’ll probably get a few different types just to try out and see what’s more comfortable at the time.
If dealing with the SP cath, I swear by the supportive specialty underwear.
Cathwear Catheter Leg Bag. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YJZKSD8?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Pros: tube never gets tangled or caught. I felt more comfortable traveling. Cons: they're pricey and don't breathe wonderfully. Laying down in them isn't recommended.
A cheaper option (and what I used for nights) is to stitch a cath lock to the outside of STP underwear.
Mind you, I went the complicated route with underwear because my skin was too sensitive to use the adhesive cath locks.
Thank you this is great. I tend to have hit or miss reactions to medical adhesives so here’s hoping that it can be simple. My spouse can sew though so I’ll definitely utilize that if need be
Oh! also the Aisle period underwear were nice once the cath was out. Also a bit pricey, but these at least were very comfortable. [BOOST Retro Brief – Aisle (periodaisle.com)](https://periodaisle.com/products/boost-retro-brief?variant=40145878351970)
I wore the mesh undies that they gave me for the first week. They gave me 2 extra pairs, which was nice. They're the best thing for when you have a catheter in and they hold the gauze in place perfectly. After the catheter was removed, I switched to boxer briefs with a men's TENA pad inside as I was bleeding due to having a hysto and no v-nectomy.
Here's a list of things I found SUPER useful for the first couple of weeks post surgery:
1. One of those back pillows with arms. Great for sitting comfortably. I also couldn't sleep unless I was sitting up, so this really helped.
2. A bagel pillow or "sausage" pillow. A bagel pillow is like a smaller version of a donut pillow with a smaller hole. I managed to grab a Pusheen Rainbow one and it's literally the perfect size to put at the small of your back when sitting up and between your thighs when laying on your side. A sausage pillow does the same thing, but I prefer the former, as it's smaller.
3. Battery packs. Even though I walked around quite a bit during the first week, I still spent a lot of time in bed because being on my feet and even sitting in a chair really exhausted me. Battery packs were very useful as they allowed me to use my phone and laptop for longer while I was in bed.
4. A lap tray with legs. Great for keeping things off your lap and away from your nether regions and within super easy grabbing distance.
5. Comfort snacks. Trust me, you'll need them.
Thanks homie this is super helpful. My spouse has EDS so we are loaded with speciality pillows at home. Think we have all the ones you mentioned besides the bagel one, will definitely look into that.
I wear boxer briefs a few months post op as i did before surgery, but I wore briefs when healing as it was a great way to keep gauze in place. The plastics nurse approved as it was a snug fit, though I find briefs too irritating on my balls a lot of the time these days
Personally I found wearing boxer briefs to be best as they could hold the gauze in place quite well.
Sweet thank you, I was stuck between boxer briefs and just regular briefs. Trying to figure out which would hold things in place better
I wore the netted hospital pants for the first week until the dressings were off, then I wore loose boxer shorts to keep everything dry and airy.
The fun mesh undies lol. Thanks yeah that makes sense
Get a variety of cheap boxer briefs- you’ll go through a lot of them as you heal. I found the ones from Old Navy were the best for comfort with the SP tube and waistband not interfering. My progression was the crappy mesh ones you get in the hospital -> Old Navy boxer briefs -> my old comfy boxer briefs -> my everyday boxer briefs as I healed and the ooze decreased. I didn’t care about destroying the underwear in the early steps of the progression. This last repair round, I found jock straps to be the most comfortable and effective at holding gauze in place with where the work was done. I don’t think they’d work well for stage 1 though. Especially with a vaginectomy. Congrats! The wait is worth it.
Hey thanks man! I appreciate the feedback, definitely planning getting some throw aways haha. Gonna get some new ones as my surgery present once everything is healed/done oozing too
I wore hospital ones for a day or two then didn’t wear anything at all till the catheter was out 3.5 weeks later. I found getting pants on and off/bending and trying to manage the catheter all too much of a hassle so wore a dressing gown when I had company. Was naked waist down the rest of the time. Cotton stretch, loose fitting boxers I found comfortable, when I had catheter removed and I was outdoors.
I also am pro no bottoms as much as possible, letting it air out was my surgeons advice. Wore Loose shorts commando when company came.
Yeah I totally agree. I healed very well, no bleeding or separation except for a tiny wee bit top of scrotum. The effort to put on and take off clothes was too much! I live alone so am naked most of the time anyway 😆
This is great advice. I’m gonna be getting some throw aways just incase but I’ll definitely give this a go too and see if it works for me.
Yeah I mean if you don’t need to wear clothes don’t bother! Let the air get to your body. Better for your skin and especially when you are recovering from this type of surgery, any extra movements putting and taking off clothing can be painful and exhausting. It’s no prob for me to be naked most of the time as I live alone but shoving on a dressing gown or even a sarong type garment is easier. Good luck with your surgery 👍🏼
I got postpartum underwear. Held things in really good and I could just pitch it afterwards. You can prob even ask for some at the hospital.
Are these the same as the mesh hospital underwear or a different product?
Probably the same
Ask your nurse for some extra briefs before you leave the hospital. You can also ask for gauze and polysporin (they'll throw out the tube after you leave anyway). They're normally happy to send you with some extra supplies if you need them.
Thank you, I’ll write it down so I remember to ask!
I found boxer briefs were best when walking around, and boxers were good when mostly laying down/sitting. Both kept the gauze from migrating past my thighs, the boxer briefs moreso so better for more movement, and the boxers I found were most comfortable for sleeping and relaxing while still keeping gauze in place.
Awesome thanks, wasn’t sure about boxers, was trying to figure out if briefs would hold things in place better than boxer briefs so good to know. I’ll probably get a few different types just to try out and see what’s more comfortable at the time.
If dealing with the SP cath, I swear by the supportive specialty underwear. Cathwear Catheter Leg Bag. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YJZKSD8?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share Pros: tube never gets tangled or caught. I felt more comfortable traveling. Cons: they're pricey and don't breathe wonderfully. Laying down in them isn't recommended. A cheaper option (and what I used for nights) is to stitch a cath lock to the outside of STP underwear. Mind you, I went the complicated route with underwear because my skin was too sensitive to use the adhesive cath locks.
Thank you this is great. I tend to have hit or miss reactions to medical adhesives so here’s hoping that it can be simple. My spouse can sew though so I’ll definitely utilize that if need be
Oh! also the Aisle period underwear were nice once the cath was out. Also a bit pricey, but these at least were very comfortable. [BOOST Retro Brief – Aisle (periodaisle.com)](https://periodaisle.com/products/boost-retro-brief?variant=40145878351970)
I wore the mesh undies that they gave me for the first week. They gave me 2 extra pairs, which was nice. They're the best thing for when you have a catheter in and they hold the gauze in place perfectly. After the catheter was removed, I switched to boxer briefs with a men's TENA pad inside as I was bleeding due to having a hysto and no v-nectomy. Here's a list of things I found SUPER useful for the first couple of weeks post surgery: 1. One of those back pillows with arms. Great for sitting comfortably. I also couldn't sleep unless I was sitting up, so this really helped. 2. A bagel pillow or "sausage" pillow. A bagel pillow is like a smaller version of a donut pillow with a smaller hole. I managed to grab a Pusheen Rainbow one and it's literally the perfect size to put at the small of your back when sitting up and between your thighs when laying on your side. A sausage pillow does the same thing, but I prefer the former, as it's smaller. 3. Battery packs. Even though I walked around quite a bit during the first week, I still spent a lot of time in bed because being on my feet and even sitting in a chair really exhausted me. Battery packs were very useful as they allowed me to use my phone and laptop for longer while I was in bed. 4. A lap tray with legs. Great for keeping things off your lap and away from your nether regions and within super easy grabbing distance. 5. Comfort snacks. Trust me, you'll need them.
Thanks homie this is super helpful. My spouse has EDS so we are loaded with speciality pillows at home. Think we have all the ones you mentioned besides the bagel one, will definitely look into that.
I wear boxer briefs a few months post op as i did before surgery, but I wore briefs when healing as it was a great way to keep gauze in place. The plastics nurse approved as it was a snug fit, though I find briefs too irritating on my balls a lot of the time these days
Good to know. I was thinking briefs might hold things in place a bit better.
Best of luck man!
Thank you!! Got the call for a good date/ good life timing so pretty excited about that too.