How do you put on a bra one-handed?

[Fredwina]

When I've had to do i, I put the clasp on the front , and then scooted the garmet around until the cups were at the front.
Breaking your dominat must not be fun! I've only broken my non-dominat hand (so far)

[Veronica]

I was curious, so I tried it.

Cups in back, clasps in front - I found it hard to get the clasp parts lined up correctly for me to close. I don't know how much mobility you have in your arm, but I found looping my "broken" arm into the shoulder strap helped me to steady it as I closed the hook and eye closures. They were tough to do with my non dominant hand. Then you have to unloop the strap and twist the bra around do you have the cups where they should be. Using one hand to get both straps on was pretty doable.

If you decide to get pull over bras - I mainly wear Patagonia's Barely bras. I'm either a 36A or a 30 C, so I have some of each type that TE sells. The ones for C/D cups definitely have more coverage and support. But I still tend to wear the ones for A/Bs 'cause they are just a little more comfy.

Good luck!

Veronica

[jessmarimba]

I just got over a similar problem I could use my right arm only if I kept it bent and at waist height. So I would hook the bra around my waist, in the front, and then use the good arm to turn it around and pull straps up. Not easy, but I couldn't lift the bad arm over my head to put a sports bra on. Also couldn't wear pullover shirts for a couple weeks. Even if I could get them on, taking them off without lifting my arm was impossible.

[Artista]

I would think that clasping the bra around your chest or waist would be the hardest part with limited mobility in your arm. Would it help to clasp the bra while it's off your body and step into it, pulling it over your legs and hips up to your chest, then put your arms through the straps?

[Wahine]

This seems like a clever solution. I don't know if they sell them in the US but I wonder if you could rig something similar up using an old metal coat hanger.

[tulip]

Hook it before you put it on, step into it and wrestle it into place from your feet up.

Bummer about your arm. How hard did you fall??

[Wahine]

Hook it before you put it on, step into it and wrestle it into place from your feet up.

That makes all the sense in the world!

[Catrin]

When I've had to do i, I put the clasp on the front , and then scooted the garmet around until the cups were at the front.
Breaking your dominat must not be fun! I've only broken my non-dominat hand (so far)

This is how I learned as a girl how to put a bra on, it sounds like you are going to have pain regardless how you do it but this might be the most simple approach. I don't think a sports bra would help, those things seem to require contortions to don! I've had both a broken arm and shoulder (same arm, different occasions), it just isn't easy to deal with bras.

I hope the recovery goes well and without hitch - and may the pain management continue to serve you well as long as it is needed.

[GLC1968]

I don't have any helpful advice but I wanted to offer my sympathy. That sounds just dreadful! I'm recovering from foot surgery (damage to my ligaments but required screws into my joint bones) and I now know first hand how incredibly painful bone injuries are... Hang in there!


Oh, and there is ZERO chance that any of my bras (even the sports ones) would pull over my rear/hips from the bottom up. While they stretch, they don't stretch that much (29 rib cage, 39 hip)!

[margo49]

Been in this situation 4 times - road accident, mastectomy, tractor accident and cancer recurrence in chest wall

At first I did the "hooking at waist level and scooting round" thing which I have always done since 13 - never been able to "do it from the back"

Best solution tho' was in 2009 to buy 2 of those sport tops with the built in shelf. Which also had the advantage of being wicking fabric (very important when you have peeling radiation burns on 25% of your upper-chest in 35 -40 deg C temps). It held my silicon prosthesis well so I reckon it would be even better for a Natural Tit. They wash so easily, dry really quickly and don't stain from medical creams

Good luck

[Melalvai]

What an entertaining thread this has been.

[ClockworkOrange]

Oh you poor thing and yes, even more annoying when you were not on your bike!

Wish I could offer some good ideas but never been in that situation.

Personally I would say 'burn your bra', well just for the time being, that's what I did when I broke my back.

Take care and heal quickly.

[owlice]

Many many thanks for the healing wishes; I appreciate them very much.

Below are instructions from the Department of Rehabilitation Services, The Ohio State University Medical Center; my best friend found their PDF, with diagrams (which are very helpful), and sent it to me. Might have been self-preservation on her part, since she was was one who had to help me dress when I left the hospital!

Putting on a Bra with One Hand
If you have an injury or stroke and are not able to use one hand, follow these steps to put on a bra. It is easiest to do this while sitting down.

1. Fasten the ends of the bra.
2. Pick up the bra in your strong hand with the straps at the top and put it over your head. Be sure the straps are at the top or the bra will end up being inside out.
3. Slide your strong hand inside the bra and push your arm up through the bra.
4. With your strong hand, pull the bra down over your weak arm. Lift your weak hand to pull it out of the bra. Your bra will be around your body near your waist.
5. Adjust the bra as needed with your strong hand so the cups are in front of your body and the straps are at the top.
6. Use your strong hand and lift your weak hand into the strap on the weak side.
7. Pull the strap up on that arm.
8. Put your stronger arm into the other strap and pull it up on that arm.
9. Adjust the bra and the straps as needed.

This worked for me. Too bad there weren't instructions for taking the thing off, too, as my usual methods did not work. I cannot, I learned, undo the bra I had on with one hand; just cannot do it, at least while it is still on.

So I had to try something else. I thought I'd pull one strap down (through my shirt sleeve) so I could pull my arm through it. That resulted eventually in my having one girl hanging out and the strap completely entangled with the sleeve, to the point of not being able to move either. So I moved the other side of the bra, which eventually had me bare-chested, still entangled on my dominant side, and wondering whether I was going to have to leave the house like that -- boobs swinging freely in the chill night air -- to find a neighbor to untangle me (and my shirt).

So I started gnawing on the shirt to try to free myself. Had I had the energy for it, there would have been cursing involved, but I didn't so there wasn't.

A brief vision of my half-naked body being found days from then flashed through my head. I gnawed harder, then started pulling at my shirt with my teeth in an attempt to break the tangle... didn't help. Pulled the front of the shirt up and over my head to free my head... didn't help. Pulled the shirt front and back over my head so it was all in front of me and tried to free the broken arm from the stranglehold... didn't help.

I put my head back through neck of shirt and turned my attention again to the sleeve-and-bra-strap knot. Straining my head backwards with the shirt cloth between my teeth and resisting the strong urge to damn the pain and grab something with my broken left arm (not that I could have), I managed to move one bit of tangle with my dominant hand, then a little more. Taking a fresh bite to take advantage of the newly-released fabric, I pulled back with my teeth again and clawed frantically at the knot with my good hand, gradually getting more and more of the tangle to come undone until there was enough room to allow me to free my arm of the shirt-and-bra-strap.

After that, it was relatively short work to get everything off me, finish untangling it, and put my shirt back on.

Next time -- should I ever leave the house again, I mean, while still in a cast -- I will not assume I can take off my bra without exposing myself (as I can normally) and will make sure to close the blinds before I attempt to free the boobies.