GRRRRRRRRR I HATE LE..........

LindaKR

Jerusha - thanks!

Does anyone have to wear one piece sleeve w/glove?  I can't wear two piece as they make my hand swell more, I was able to get away with sleeve w/attached gaunlet until recently.  They are custom, and made by Juzo, I find them very comfortable.  Looking for suggestions on the one piece with a glove though, I'll probably go with Juzo since I"m happy with that brand.

Thanks!

Estel

Jerusha - So HAPPY that you continue to do well.  

You've been such an encouragement to me all along this journey.  Love to you!  

nibbana

Well, hell! 

So, I'm doing my workout, and I'm admiring my muscles when I notice the left tricep area looks flabbier than normal. I get a metrical measuring tape and my left upper arm measures 31 cm. My right arm measured 28 cm. A three centimeter difference. So, now I'm starting to panic, and I make markings and measure both arms from wrist to bicep. 

Right side 

wrist-15

forearm-23

bicep-28

Left side 

wrist-15

forearm-23

bicep-31

Ok, anybody got any suggestions on what is causing my upper arm to balloon like this? I have been doing good on my MLD, I do not slack on that.

GmaFoley

Nibbana - sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to what swells ... did you have something salty,  heat or barameter change, did you bump that side or get a bite you can't see?? If not just keep up with the MLD, sleeve, and water... I found the propel I like swells me up too... Don't panic just treat it and breathe!!!

GmaFoley

Oh BTW - I'm home from my son's place - long but good trip... now to empty my drain, sponge bath and a little sleep are in order..

hugz4u

GMA, Sounds like you are over the hump. Did you try the CPAP yet?

GmaFoley

Hugz, CPAP is being shipped from PA, so it should be here sometime this next week.



I've been crying all day.. Post-surgery blues? My breast has gotten so small. I wanted him to take all of it, a little smaller I wouldn't think it affect me like this.

KS1

LindaKR - I use different glove/sleeve combos for different activities/time of the day.  One is a class 1 juzo expert silver glove/sleeve combo.  My therapist ordered the silver version of the juzo expert by mistake.  That said, it's cooler and easier on the skin than a regular juzo expert.  The down sides are 1) it is more expensive than the regular juzo expert, 2) more fragile than the regular juzo expert, and 3) it stretches out more than the regular juzo expert both over the course of the day and over time. My impression is that it doesn't give as much compression to my hand as a regular juzo 1 expert (non-silver) glove, which could be good or bad depending on your situation..                                                                              

I find it a bit of a struggle to get the sleeve/glove combo on, and it slips down over the course of the day.  KS1

LindaKR

Thanks KS1!!! 

Gma - ((((((hugs))))))) Did you have your surgery in Roseburg?

GmaFoley

Linda, yes my surgeon here has done all 4 of my surgeries.

purple32

 I wanted him to take all of it, a little smaller I wouldn't think it affect me like this.

gma

Why wouldn't it ?

Why shouldn't it ?

Only natural. You are  a strong woman, and I am quite certain you will adjust, but you have been through quite an ordeal.

Give yourself time. I know you will be fine .

Take Care

((HUGS))

chrissyb

Gma this is a major change to your body so of course it is going to effect you. The whole process is very traumatizing both mentally and physically so please give yourself time to grieve for what was and accept what is.



Love n hugs. Chrissy

hugz4u

GMA, Ah Hon. I am sending you one of my big sloppy kisses that I reserve for those having troubles. Here it is......SMOOOO....ch! Try to get your hands on some chocolate to. It is good you are crying or possibly even grieving. Best to get those feelings out and also to post here so we can support you. Treat yourself well tonight.



KS1 Have you tried the glue at the top of the sleeve? If you do, be careful peeling your sleeve off as you could rip your fragile skin. Also if you have silicone dots or strips, I toothbrush them with some special cleaner to get the silicon back to sticking better. Our skin oils build up on the silicon making our sleeves slip faster. Still after doing all this our sleeves can slip and give us grief especially in The crease of the elbow. Dang sleeves!

Oh, I cut off the top portion of an extra donning glove so it is easier to slip on and keep it In my purse for those times I gotta hike my sleeve up. I like the fact my rubber glove takes up less room in my purse too.
I also find that if I don't get my sleeve on straight as a pin then It wants to slip down easier.

LindaKR

hugz4u - what a great idea, I usually tear my sleeve off at that point. 

My sleeve seems to bind at my inner elbow and feels like it's pinching a lot - any ideas?

hugz4u

Linda, I must be the most elbow sensitive person in the world next to you! When I first started Wearing the sleeve my inner elbow would get binding, grinding and pinching after 10 ,20 min. If your sleeve slips you will feel it there for sure.



Sweetheart Binney came to the rescue with a product suggestion called GLIDE anti chafing salve type stuff.Try any Walmart type store. I had to get mine at a runner's shop in Canada.

Glide goes on your inner elbow like a deodorant stick. Works pretty good.



Also Binney suggested a piece of cotton pad in elbow area, It is a LE wrapping supply called Artiflex, I think?



I haven't tried Binney's trick yet of putting cornstarch in a stocking toe yet and patting the area.

Binney or others ,is it a pantyhose toe or cotton sock?



Linda, I see that you wore your sleeve for six hours, that is a long time if you get irritation. I could only stand about 1 hour at a time until that Glide came along but it still was sore but not as bad. I think I actually kinda got sensitized eventually by building up my wearing time slowly. Still it is not the best but is almost tolerable.


This would be my definite grrrrrr for me as I always wanted to be compliant with my garments but yet I just wanted to rip them off due to binding. I haven't found a custom garment fitter yet that can solve my problem in the inner elbow so I stick with a couple off shelf brands such as Juzo 3512. Ultimately I want a custom garment.

BeckySharp

Happy healing to Maggie, GMA, and momto7. 

chrissyb

Well I had my second treatment today and already my arm and my 'pouch' under the arm feel waaaaay better. I am going back again tomorrow!

mags20487

Hello ladies...

Gma--tight hugs to you lady...you are a tough cookie!!  Keep up that amazing spirit

healing well at home...no pain meds for 3 days now.  waiting for the emotional toll to come...ready for it and reserving my right to cry!!  My LE side the left is the side that failed..of course...but so far the arm and hand still look great!  Hoping it stays that way with the clean up of scar tissue that the doc did.  The right side is a beauty!  looks and feels like a real breast.  Starting hyperbaric wound care for left to keep it from opening up. Doc had to pull it really tight when she took the failed flap off.  Will need that for when I go back in March for a redo!

Maggie

Rockym

I haven't posted for a bit because I wanted to have LE off my mind.  I do have to say, I FINALLY got my sleeve.  The fitter wanted to give me a skin colored thick medical looking sleeve and I told her that wouldn't do :-).  Fortunately, my insurance pays for the thing so I requested the tie dye graphite color from Juzo.  It is very comfortable!  It is also very attractive.  I wore it to archery last week (my family shoots for fun) and someone asked me where they could get one :-).  It acted as an arm guard so the string wouldn't flick me and also helped me keep my arm stiff for shooting.

I told the lady it was medical so no go on getting one for her kid.  My husband said if I had one on each arm it would look like a cool long sleeve shirt.  Anyway, I recommend the Juzo 20mg-30mg for newbies like me.

LindaKR

Hugs - thanks for the info on Glide - I'll have to get some this week!

Rocky - I got colored Juzo's, but didn't know they had tie dye - will have to check that out. 

I found that I can't wear of the shelf compression garments, so get the custom.  I've been happiest with the Juzo, hated my Elvarex!

purple32

sounds good Rocky...I need the encouragement on that , but I have to say adding my glove ( JUZO beige ) will cramp the style I am sure !

Rockym

purple, they have matching gloves and gauntlets :-).  My gauntlet is solid grey to match.

Cindyl

You might also look for tops with thumbholes if you are interested in camouflage.

LindaKR

Cindy that is sooo cool!

proudtospin

I just saw a photo of a basketball player on aol. (don't ask who but..)

anyhow he had a sleeve on his arm, would it have been a compression sleeve for a past injury?

me dumb but just wondering

Cindyl

Under Armour, Nike and the like have lots of the thumbhole shirts in their winter gear...

LympheDIVAs

@proudtospin : Most of the athletic compression is singular and not graduated; however, some 'recovery' compression has a gradation to it, but they won't say what it is. 

Many wear the sleeves for what they believe will prevent injury or help improve performance or recovery. No studies showing that, nor are they any real studies showing graduated compression garments work for lymphedema, but many athletes across any sports are wearing compression. 

In fact, when Rachel, my sister, started LympheDIVAs, she designed the feel and construction of our sleeves on the sports compression she was wearing for triathalons.

proudtospin

Hmmm, interesting, I saw commericals with Monteil Williams for some sort of copper compression garments, so they are the same sort of thing?  

are they in any way helpful or perhaps harmful for lymphedema?

LympheDIVAs

Proudtospin...,

If they don't tell you that they are graduated then they would potentially be harmful to lymphedema; it is the graduated compression that helps move the fluid. If it's singular compression it's at best doing nothing and at worst could create a tourniquet effect at your wrist putting your hand at risk. Sports compression is generally cheaper than medical grade graduated compression because the cost to create graduated compression is high in terms of manufacturing as well as testing to verify that it is correct.

Binney4

Hugz, I hear you on the elbow problem. I use Gottfried sleeves. They have a dart on the inside aspect of the elbow that takes up all that gathering that happens there, and the entire elbow section is lined with a thin silky fabric that really eases both the inner part of the elbow and that "drag" that happens on the outside of the elbow when you bend it. I've been wearing them for a couple of years, and my skin there is soft and comfortable, where before the material bunched and irritated in the crease and made the outside of my elbow rough.

The thing I've noted with the inside elbow dart is that the resting compression with this sleeve is not when my arm is fully extended, but when it's slightly bent, so "exercising" compression happens when I straighten my arm or bend it further. Don't know if that made sense (and it doesn't much matter to wearing it unless you're an exercise nut, which I'm obviously not--I count corks for exercise, for Pete's sake!)

Just a thought if you're looking at custom. Hugs!
Binney