“Is it normal?” The binding edition

Yes:

• Getting winded after walking quickly/upstairs with binder on, but able to catch breath
• Chafing in the underarm areas (You may want to get a larger binder size so it doesn’t chafe, but in the meantime try lotion or baby powder and see which helps more)
• Soreness (during or after) in arms, shoulders, or back
• Increased acne on chest or back (You may want to wash your binder more frequently, shower after wearing it, and get an over the counter acne cream.)
• Mild anxiety about tightness
• Chest sagging

No, take it off and rest, see a doctor if problem gets worse or doesn’t go away after taking the binder off (or after one week):

• Nausea during or after binding, including nausea caused by pain
• Bruising
• Out of breath/can’t catch breath when not wearing binder
• Skin rash (other than heat rash)
• Sharp pains in ribs
• Not able to cough or sneeze
• Numbness in arms
• Feeling too tired/sore to do everyday activities
• Suddenly having any of the above symptoms even if you’ve been binding for years 

No, see a doctor ASAP, could be a sign of serious injury:

• Anything from the above category if you can just tell/feel something is wrong, better safe than sorry
• Extreme claustrophobia/panic attacks 
• Sharp pain in chest/heart skipping beats or beating very fast
• Not able to breathe  
• Dizziness
• Blueness in lips or fingertips
• Change in shape of ribcage
• Fainting