Clothing & Allodynia Help

My SO has a very painful burning sensation when wearing a shirt and with certain waistbands. We have tried certain fabrics like silk, bamboo and soft cotton but nothing seems to work. The only way he can wear a shirt for short amounts of time is by wrapping his abdomen in Saran Wrap. He has also tried compression shirts but only two brands I believe. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. This really affects his quality of life.

Maybe a compression vest made for burn patients would be smooth enough and feel comfortable under a regular shirt? I’m guessing he wants the garment to have a firm feel but probably does not need the tight compression that burn patients use. Measurements would need to take into consideration the lighter compression.

Or possibly a sleeveless wetsuit vest that scuba divers or surfers wear would have a nice feel? That’s that, usually black, foam feeling material. It has a very smooth surface.

If he wanted to avoid a tight waistband on his pants, using suspenders attached to a very loose pair of pants might work. He would probably want to wear a shirt out over the top of the suspenders to hide the loose waist. I’m not sure if all that loose clothing would trigger neuropathic pain. If so, a compression undergarment might be needed underneath (sorry, lots of layers).

One last idea might be to have a seamstress sew a long cummerbund-like garment using smooth, soft or slick-surface fabric with a Velcro closure. It might need to be a vest style to keep it from rolling down when he leans over or sits.

I have not experienced this type of neuropathy, nor tried on any of these garments. They are just items that seem to be a possible solution.

i don't have Neuropathy in my abdomen. but i have Crohns disease. and i've had about 5 surgeries on mine. and i hate having tight clothes on me. so i wear a 4XL or 5XL tee shirts that way they are big & billowy. not tight on me. i wear them year round. now for pants. i am a size 44. but they have the elastic waist all the way around. no belt. but suspenders. they are not tight. also, year round. these are jeans. easier to find this type. for me. i hope we both have given you some ideas. good luck, d

Hi @irishls2323, I moved your post to this existing discussion:
- Clothing & Allodynia Help: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/clothing-allodynia-help/

I did this so you can read previous posts as well as the helpful responses you received from @triciaot and @danny5

This older, related discussion might also offer some helpful tips:
- Allodynia: Anyone else sensitive to touch?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/alloydinia/

Thank you for posting this. My 12 year old daughter has severe allodynia due to Small Fiber Neuropathy from Lupus. She has been unable to tolerate nearly all fabrics since she was 7 and we can’t find anything that makes it better. The only thing she can tolerate for some time is something smooth like a windbreaker or nylon. That’s all she wears at this point. I hope you can find something that works but I know what a nightmare it is.

Have you tried clothing made for children with autism? They often have sensory issues with clothing. There may be some options your daughter could wear.
Here is a site with a list of options. I have not purchased any so can’t recommend any one company.
https://www.abtaba.com/blog/clothes-for-children-autism
You might also check with the local group of parents of children with autism. They could maybe be of more help!

If “smooth” fabrics are comfortable for your daughter, I would suggest checking out “rash guard” tops. I find that fabric to be smooth, very light weight and cooling. I wear them in summer as regular tops just because they are so comfortable and come in many different prints and colors. And they come in lots of bright colors for a young girl. Lands End has a lot of choices (long and short sleeve t-shirt style, hoodies, zippered lightweight jackets, etc.). Go to landsend.com online and search for rash guards, kids, to see what they have.

There are many other places you can find them, including Amazon.

Good luck to you and especially to your daughter!

Yeah I’ve seen the all in motion ones I don’t like bras that are too tight around my chest. So the all in motion ones are good for that type of fit?

Has anyone else with allodynia been given allocayne by their dermatologist and had good results with it. The only bad thing for me is my dermatologist said not to use it all over my body but I still have a hard time putting it on and rubbing it in. Also, can moisturizers help with the pain from allodynia or a change in diet? Because I also have dry skin? And I’m looking for comfortable clothes to wear that don’t have spandex, elastane, or rough textures like denim in it. I once felt an all in motion workout shorts and they were really soft. Also, do any of you guys get pain when you’re clothes get washed in the washer so many times that they start feeling rough and start ripping apart?

I’ve also seen that old navy has some good athletic clothesI also don’t like pants with tight fits in the waist.