I've been away from this forum for a long time but a friend on another unrelated forum pointed me here. Good points, all, I've thanked him for bringing me back to the fold and I'm grateful for the ideas here.
My lumbar surgery failed, no need to get into why. After almost three years of this and that, I'm in a brace with a rigid back and belly and side stays, and most methods of carrying serious iron just went out the window ... or did it? It's time to get inventive.
I've found that the brace (it's an LSO-L0631 if you want the Medicare code) has a ton of places from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock to fasten multiple pocket pistols in simple sheath/clip type IWB holsters. But, I want to carry a 1911, and the crank-down straps only go from my nine to my three, which leaves me out on a good, concealable strongside carry in hot weather - kinda, sorta. I think I can tinker with one of the simple IWB holsters enough to get the angle right (basically, throw away the holster, save the clip, and make a holster using the saved part so I can set the clip at the angle it ought to be), and in winter my favorite crossdraw position can be done. Of course, I could always slap a belt over the whole mess, but the brace needs to be adjusted often throughout the day for comfort's sake and that complicates things a lot. It has plenty of perfectly good stout belt-like straps, they're just not quite in the right places.
I'm not quarreling, though, if it weren't for the brace I'd spend most of my day in the recliner. Like the O.P., though, even though I'm in this situation for keeps and he's hopefully in the situation temporarily, I'm not ready to give up.
I'm very glad I found this place again, I can't imagine why I let it fade from my attention, especially given the answers to this thread.