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/