Why We Broke Up with Safety Pins

The modern safety pin was invented in 1849 by Walter Hunt, who also happened to reject the patent royalties. Big mistake. Huge. But even before that, people had been pinning fabric together since the Bronze Age.

There’s no denying it: safety pins are iconic. They hold diapers. They hold kilts. They’ve held entire outfits together at prom. But they were never meant to manage surgical drains.

Post-operative drains are a reality for many patients after procedures like mastectomies, tummy tucks, or complex reconstructions. The drains serve an important purpose—reducing swelling and fluid buildup. But living with them? That’s a different story.

Each drain comes with tubing and a bulb that fills with fluid. Most people leave the hospital with at least two. Sometimes four. And often, the only tool provided to manage them is a safety pin.

The instructions? Pin the bulb to the inside of a shirt or hospital gown. Let the tubing hang. Try not to catch it on a drawer handle. Try not to roll over on it while sleeping. Try not to scream.

In practice, it’s a mess. The bulbs bounce around. The tubing snags. And yes, people have actually been poked by the pins while trying to rest.

This was the setup handed to thousands of patients—until RecoverEase created a better one.

The RecoverEase garment can be placed around the waist or upper torso, depending on need. It holds all drain bulbs and tubing inside a soft, antimicrobial pocket. Everything stays in place, under clothes, and out of the way. The fabric feels like comfort. The design feels like it was made by someone who actually had drains.

And it was.

RecoverEase was born out of lived experience, frustration, and a refusal to accept a safety pin as the best option modern medicine could offer.

Some things stand the test of time. Others belong in a sewing kit.