Well, I had my spinal fusion surgery about 8 days ago now and I am learning to live with my brace.  The brace's function is to support my spine at all times and prevent me from bending in a way that would hurt me as I recover.  I need to wear this for 3 months post surgery.  

Putting it on
There are 2 ways, first I place the brace over me while lying on my back (the brace opens in the back) and roll left to tuck the right edge under my back.  Then  I roll all the way onto my right and hook the straps together to tighten it by reaching as far as I can with my left hand.  The second way is to sit up on the edge of the bed, put the brace over my front and reach behind and pull the straps together.  The second is a little easier, but also feels a bit like cheating.  But, my doc said both methods are ok.

Comfort
As you can imagine, it is not the most comfortable thing in the world to wear, but it isn't too bad either.  It is custom fitted to my body.  I bought a set of tall size t-shirts that cover my butt so the brace won't contact bear skin (and incisions, ouch).  One downside to having the surgery done in May, is that the warmer days cause quite a bit of sweat while wearing this thing.  I'm not looking forward to the dog days of summer for this reason.

I even have to wear it in the shower, so the doc was not joking about wearing it at all times.  It is kind of a pain to live with, but seems like a small price to pay for fixing a serious problem I was having.