Abdominal binder
My elderly Mexican neighbor, Mrs. Zapatero had been complaining of pain in the hip and the lower part of her back for quite some time. The pain would come and go until it became unbearable and her son and a very good friend of mine, Luiz Zapatero decided to take his mother to any of the chiropractors or orthopaedic surgeons around our neighbourhood. Finally, we were able to secure an appointment for Mrs. Zapatero with one of the doctors in an orthopaedic clinic. She was diagnosed to have a slipped spinal disc and would be needing surgery after which she will have to wear an abdominal binder to keep her lumbar and abdominal regions in place. Up till that period, I did not know what a binder was!
While the surgery was going on, Luiz and I had to scout round to get an abdominal binder after interviewing the doctor about the type she would need and we also quizzed her to know if she preferred any particular specification. She wanted one with a Velcro fastener and cream in colour. It must not be too heavy and its must be soft to touch. The store selling the products was not too far from the clinic and off we went.
At the store we went to purchase the abdominal binder. We saw different styles, colours, sizes, prices and other specifications of binders. And they all looked very attractive, I even fleetingly dreamed of using one. We had to stick to the instructions of Mrs. Zapatero and the doctor. However, choosing the ideal one was not an easy task. Eventually, we settled for one that looked closest to the description, paid for it and headed off to the clinic. The operation was still on but was later successfully concluded. Mrs. Zapatero had to stay back at the clinic for 2 days in order for the doctor to observe her response to the surgery before she would be discharged.
Immediately after her discharge, Mrs. Zapatero wasted no time in using her it. Luiz and I hoped that she would get used to and like the stuff. Nervously, we watched her movements and her adaptations with the new product. After two weeks of using the abdomen binder, Mrs. Zapatero said that after the orthopaedic surgeon who did the surgery for her, she would give her thumbs up for the abdomen binder we bought for her. According to her, she not only enjoyed using the binder, she felt far better than without it. Understandably, Luiz and I were happy and relieved at the same time. But, we were really interested in what made Mrs. Zapatero reach such a fantastic conclusion about the product.
She told us that the abdominal binder, apart from the features mentioned earlier has a very strong Velcro fastener of high quality. The product was very easy to wash and it was not too bulky. To her the size was very important because being a fashion-conscious woman; she would not like the idea of the binder bulging under the dress. And we were really happy.