Decorative Sleeves

kane744

Decorative Sleeves

kane744

I am newly diagnosed with lymphedema.  Am in the bandage stage but the fluid measurements have dropped in just a few days.  I have to start thinking about compression sleeves because I'm told I'll have to wear one every day forever.  I figure I may as well make the most of this horrid turn of events by getting loud.  Has anyone out there gone beyond the so-called "natural " skin-toned sleeve?  I'm an old fart but I refuse to give in.  I'd love to have a tattoo look cause I never had a real one.  Is there such a thing?  Because I'm petite my therapist recommended I have my sleeves custom made.  Is that really necessary cause it sure is expensive?  She says I'll need two.  What happens when I lose weight?  Two more?  Believe me, I'm not making light of this.  Just trying to keep up my sense of humor and not sit around crying in my rootbeer.    

lvtwoqlt

I am somewhat petite and am able to wear the juzo small gauntlet for my hand swelling, therapist said that most women need the med but was surprised that the small fits me. You can check out the lympheDIVAS web site to see the fancy sleeves that they have, they aren't custom but very colorful. http://lymphedivas.com/

Sheila

Member_of_the_Club

I'm jealous because I wear a lighter compression level on my arm (and a heavy glove) and they don't make the decorative ones in that level so I'm stuck with the ugly flesh-colored ones.  I e-mailed the lymphadiva folks and asked them if they could make my compression level, but no go.  I dream of polka dots (always loved polka dots.).

 I think one of the other companies makes solid color sleeves that are less expensive than lymphadivas.  Try chopping at http://www.brightlifedirect.com. 

She

I get my sleeves from LympheDivas.  In fact my new ones arrived today!  They now make 2 compression weights and have redesigned the gauntlet to get rid of that nasty seam between the thumb and forefinger.  They bent over backwards to resolve a couple of issues I had.  I'm totally impressed with their products and their services, I've been getting sleeves from them for 3 (or 4) years now.

Cheers, She

inspiewriter

I recently started ordering the same Juzo sleeves but in black, and like them much better. They are slimming, and with a lot of outfits look like they are part of my regular clothing.

I have considered the patterned ones, but fear they will add width (like wearing patterened tights) and most don't have the silicone border to hold them up.

kane744

Thanks for the info.  Looked 'em up and by darned if some of 'em don't look sorta like tattoos.  That's what I'm aiming for.  If I'm gonna look wierd, then I want to look REALLY wierd!

Binney4

Gottfried has lots of colors (so does Bio-concepts and Barton-Carey), including a nice rich purple. In fact, Bio-concepts says purple is their most popular color. (?!)

Inspie, LympheDivas fairly recently added silicone bands at the top of the sleeves so they stay up better. The trouble with Divas for me is they offer only gauntlets, and I need gloves. I wear black too -- love it. Actually looks very sharp.

Kane, go for it! We do definitely need the sense of humor -- no point in diluting the root beer!

Be well!
Binney

smithlme

I wear a pink sleeve, and on more than one occasion, someone has asked me if I've just had a tattoo done. I have no idea why they'd ask that, other than my arm is pink?! I wish someone would make the gloves in colors. The gauntlets make my hand swell worse, so I have colorful sleeves and beige gloves. Yep, if I have to wear these things, then I want to be fashionable!

inspiewriter

I agree--where are the colored gloves??

buddy1

Whoo hoo....So glad I found you girls.  Binney posted on a site I frequent and I followed her here.  She had so much knowledge on LE I had to find her.  I want the disigner sleeves.  I had my custom made also.  I didnt know you could buy them  off the shelf.  How do you glas handle the pain?  How do you work?  My pain gets terrible sometimes I think I would be better off if they took the arm off.  It burns and stings and is painfull   But you all know this.  Thanks for the sleeve info

kane744

Well, guess what I found?  Pull up tattoo sleeves you can wear over bandages or le sleeves!  I asked my le therapist if I could wear one over my bandages and she about jumped with glee.  "Yes, yes,yes!"  Found these at a hospital fundraiser today but found that they are for sale online as well and some are sized especially for women.  These pull ups raised my spirits significantly!    

Del11

Here's a link to the tattoo sleeves you can wear over other sleeves

http://mysassysleeve.com/

buddy1

So Coooool!  I love them  Thanks so much for sharing that.  Dog gone it..I cant decide which one I like the best.  I like them all but I am partial to the Orchids and the Heart one.

Binney4

WarriorWear also offers sleeve covers, but in solid colors, some with lace trim. They're here:
http://www.warriorwear4u.com/id31.html

My feeling is that unless you're careful with the fit these can add compression (despite their disclaimer), and not necessarily in the places you want it (especially over sleeves rather than bandages). It would be wise to check out the fit with your therapist before wearing them around, as you for sure don't want any constrictions that could make swelling worse. (When you measure to order for over bandages, be sure to measure the bandaged arm for correct sizing.)

The tattoos are a hoot!
Binney

lvtwoqlt

I love the tattoo sleeves, even though I don't wear full sleeves. I tried at Halloween 2008 to wear a tattoo sleeve to be a 'biker chick' - cheaply made for costume and it was so tight in the upper arm I had to cut the elastic and then it still wasn't comfortable. I think it was sized more for children even though it was in the adult section. I may try some of these sassy sleeves or warrior wear sleeves. 

kane744

The Sassy Sleeves are gorgeous.  Thanks for the link.  And I'll be careful, Binney.  I've written to this site to ask specific questions such as their sending me the specific measurements so that I can run them by my therapist for her size recommendation once I'm measured for my sleeve. 

unlimited

Just ordered my sassy tattoo sleeve tonight  ... will be anxious to receive it.... will let you gals know how it fits and feels ...... and how great it will look

chat soon

3jaysmom

i cant afford the lypha divas, so i went online to leg warmers.i get to choose every day, just like my scarves. sox work, too i just cut the foot off, and hem them they all go over my arm sleeve, im still trying to figure out the hand. for now,its warm spa gloves.. they come in 3 colors in the grocery.  cherie1

buddy1

Chere1  Thats a really great idea.  How creative?  If you have any more ideas  please share with us...

Its been awfully quiet around here the last few days.  I sure hope everyone is doing good.  Love Buddy

Sher

I was checking out leg warmers after reading Chere 1's post and decided to also google arm warmers.  Found this site which also has tattoo sleeves www.goodgoth.com/armwarmers.htm

lvtwoqlt

Sher, looking at that site reminded me that about 25 yrs ago, my sister made stretch lace mitts for a wedding to match the bridesmaid dresses. I could borrow her pattern and try making these mitts to cover my gauntlet and start a new fashion statement . Although one friend at church has asked about my gauntlet, she injured her wrist and was needing support for the wrist. I told her that a gauntlet like mine required doctor's approval and wasn't for support but compression.

Sheila

Member_of_the_Club

I just e-mailed the Lymphediva folks and ended up having a lovely exchange with the man who runs it, who I believe is that father of the woman who started it and died of bc.  He said that my situation with the hand involvement and the light sleeve is unusual and they just don't make the full gloves or lighter sleeves.  Which I knew, but I was hoping to plant an idea.  I realize that my form of LE is not the most common but I've seen enough women on these boards with primarily hand involvement that I don't think its that rare.  Anyway it was nice of him to take the time to reply but I guess I'm stuck with my flesh colored garments.

kira66715

MOTC, it is Dr. Levin who runs it, who is the father of the founder. We've emailed him--concern about their ads showing women not wearing hand protection while weight lifting, and he checked with Andrea Cheville MD (Mayo), their medical advisor and is making the changes! So, he's responsive. Plant the seed about need for gloves...And lower compression arm sleeves. You never know.

Kira 

CarolyniNewman

Hope you are doing well.  I have to say that since getting lymphedema the only thing that makes it more tolerable is changing the sleeve color.  When that got too expensive.. I started www.warriorwear4u.com.  Now I am happy.  Hope this helps

CarolyniNewman

you are not stuck.  Check out www.warriorwear4u.com

CarolyniNewman

try us  at www.warriorwear4u.com

Binney4

Carolyn, wow! One post about your product probably would have done it!

We've actually mentioned your product before on this thread, Carolyn, along with the tatto-pattern oversleeves from www.mysassysleeve.com. Take a look a little higher up on the thread and you'll see it there.

Adding an elastic-type oversleeve runs the possibility of increasing the compression of the sleeve, without increasing the compression of the glove -- NOT a good combination. Constriction danger would also exist if they were tighter at one place along your arm than at another (which of course depends on the shape of our individual arms), or if you bought a size that was tight all up your arm and added compression. Checking the fit with your therapist before wearing them is the best bet for safety, and that's especially true if you're wearing garments to prevent lymphedema, because extra compression at one place along your arm could have the same nasty effect as a blood pressure cuff.

As we've mentioned elsewhere, Carolyn, LympheDivas had pictures of women wearing sleeves without any hand protection -- a very risky image to use in advertising any lymphedema product. When we approached them about it they put into action a plan to reverse that image, including an excellent article on their site about hand protection and a promise to change their advertising with the next season's pictures to assure that they do not encourage any woman to neglect hand protection. The SassySleeve site is not trying to be a fashion statement and they do not sell their oversleeves specifically for lymphedema, so they're not the same kind of problem. But the picture on your site, like that at LympheDivas, is not medically correct. Have you thought about correcting that impression for the safety of women at risk for lymphedema?

Be well,
Binney

kitty61

If you want a lymphedema sleeve that looks like a real tattoo...look at lymphediva.com and check out the Lotus Dragon compression sleeve. I have this along with 3 other women on our Dragon boat team. Moore than a few times people have asked where I got my tattoo done! And it goes along with out Dragon Boat Team...we are all breast cancer survivors!

Dragon Dream Team is our name...beating breast cancer is our game!

Paddles up!

DianeKS

I had a sassy sleeve for about 2 years. That was when I wore a 'flesh tone' colour sleeve custom fit. I did not fit the diva sleeve and was tired of the questions. Thought it would be fun.. Boy was it ever! People were no longer asking what happened? ,but saying "cool! ......I thought that was a real tattoo!" Even got compliments from people covered in tattoos. You know....a nod ,or a smile, really fun. The moment I put it on it changed my mood...I hadn't felt that good about my sleeve in a long time. The sizing chart was good, it did not feel too tight, and loosened over time. I identified with the 'koi fish swimming upstream against adversity' turquoise image on my sassy sleeve. Just keep swimming.

Now I'm rockin a black all in one sleeve and glove. I haven't had nearly as many questions and it appears WAY cleaner! Even wore it with a little black dress off the shoulder outfit.



P.s. when wrapping in the winter here. I would wear leg warmer's as mittens. And fold the ends over to protect my fingers.



Hoping everyone finds their way in these fashion challenging compression sleeves,



Diane

CarolyniNewman

we have no elastic on our outer garment to compromise compression at all. I hope that helps.