I bought this Squeem because I have had a digestive illness for the last 13 years and bad, bad, abdominal distention and bloating. I look pregnant  pretty much all the time and there wasn't anything I could do about it, UNTIL SQUEEM.

In two separate surgeries in October and December, I had 2 feet of colon taken out, a temporary ileostomy, and ileostomy reversal. After the surgeries, sadly, I still have the bloating problem and my post-ileostomy reversal incision had trouble healing because of how distended my tummy gets - it kept stretching the incision too much and didn't allow it to properly heal. (The only way to not bloat is to not eat - not an option.) My surgeon suggested I try a post-partum abdominal binder. I did my homework all over the web and settled upon the Squeem.

I have been wearing my Squeem almost daily since I got it - about three weeks. In the evening when the bloating is its worst, I have to take it off, but during the day, the Squeem adds SO MUCH to my comfort level! My belly starts bloating out as soon as I start eating my first meal of the day. When I am bloated, without the Squeem, the distension it is too painful to stand or sit up straight. I have to hunch over to be comfortable, which has ruined my spine and has interfered greatly with my ability to work. With the Squeem, I can stand and sit up straight! It has helped improve my posture and even reduced my neck pain some (which I've also suffered with for the last 8 years). When I'm wearing it, I feel like I can BREATHE. I was worried that squishing everything with the Squeem would make it feel hard to breathe, but that wasn't the case. It's actually easier. I can't explain it. I feel "taller" somehow. It feels like the distance between my pubic bone and sternum has increased and everything is spread out around my abdomen more evenly, instead of sitting like a basketball on my pelvic floor.

When the bloating gets too bad and the Squeem gets too uncomfortable, I take it off -- and I am AMAZED at how my body looks after I take it off. Sans Squeem, I still feel "taller," I still maintain the good posture I had throughout the day, and the bloating appears to be much, much less. Wow. It's like my body is being re-trained for good posture. It feels good and I like it. :) Also, although I've always been skinny, I don't think I have EVER had an hourglass figure, but now I do!!!  And FINALLY -- it feels like the incision in my tummy (including muscle) is FINALLY healing! I can roll over in bed without pain! (I don't go to bed with the Squeem on. I presently wear it 8 - 10 hours per day, at least during working hours.)

My Squeem wrinkles up a little around the middle, but it STAYS PUT! No riding up or down. A few reviewers complained about the odor of the rubber. Mine had a very faint odor of rubber out of the box, but I had to put it right up to my nose to smell it, and now I don't smell it at all.

I didn't follow instructions and started wearing it all day right off the bat. It helped with my comfort level so much! Unfortunately there was a price to pay for not following instructions. After my third day of all-day wear, I was feeling great, but when I took off the Squeem, the incision hurt much, much worse, and so did my lower back. It was literally excruciating and I could not sit for more than a few minutes. So I stopped wearing the Squeem for two days and then went right back to full-time day wear. The incision feels the best it ever has (almost five months after surgery - finally!) and my lower back doesn't hurt anymore, with or without my Squeem. My neck is still troublesome, but that's also due to some severe TMJ issues I have. (Yes, I'm a mess!) I will be medically retiring soon. I don't plan on wearing it daily indefinitely because I know I need to strengthen my core (once I'm healed enough) so that my own body can do some of what the Squeem does for me, but for now, my Squeem has been a life-saver.

Anyway, I knocked 1 point off the rating because my skin tends to pile up around the top of the Squeem, giving me a small "muffin top" roll of skin right below my bra line. It's kinda ugly and silly-looking, which makes me hesitant to go out in public wearing it, and I do get tired of tucking that skin roll back under the Squeem all the time. I'm 5'6" with shortish legs and a very long torso. I don't know if Squeem makes their cinchers in different lengths, but another 2" - 3" of length would have helped out a lot with this problem. I know they make the vest too, but the vest style costs more and I don't want to deal with the straps. :)

I hope you've found this review helpful. I love my Squeem. I hope you'll love yours too.