Shirt design for Lymphedema

cfdr

I don't have 6-pack abs by any stretch, but my belly isn't too huge...just seems to be something about the fabric.

carol57

On another thread, someone told about her great success with biking compression shirts. I tried one once (Zensah brand) and was disappointed to find that it has mesh under the armpits for ventilation, which of course means no compression there. But I just did a search to see what else is out there, and here's something that for whatever reason, is very inexpensive at the moment, on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Orca-Compression-Top-Long-Sleeve-Womens/dp/B006OYIEX6/ref=sr_1_120?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1360073142&sr=1-120&keywords=bike+compression+shirt

I haven't tried this shirt, obviously, but thought I'd share the link.  I will try to find a bike shop that carries compression wear for women and see what I might find to try on.  In my spare time.

Carol

hugz4u

Carol, that looks a lot like my flexees that I bought about 2 years ago, Only mine has a tasteful scoop like v neck. The Seams don't run the same way also. I got about 4 Flexees and they are just the best. Wear them to bed with swell spots. I cut the sleeves to teeshirt length.Next to UNDERARMOUR my Flexees is my fave. It has the compression panel everywhere under the tee except the sleeves. meant to be wore as a standalone shirt.

Been thinking of contacting them and asking about reissuing that product.

If you girls like carols link to that tee and like the description I gave you then I may email Flexees.Let me know. Wish I knew how to post a picture of my Flexees.

Never heard back from UNDERARMOUR, I emailed them. I hope Mods are still in touch with them.

A company can make some serious money off us, may the best man win!

Josh, hope you are reading.

carol57

Has anyone ever compared the size/fit of a boys' size large UnderArmour compression T with the men's size small?  I have been looking for a boys' large to try on, but I am not succeeding in finding one in any store.  I've been in two UA outlet stores in recent weeks, too, along with checking in the sporting goods stores near me.  I've lost some weight in recent months and I would like to try a smaller compression T, which normally would take me from a M to a S in the womens' version.  But as we know, the womens' UA shirts have cap sleeves and cut us under the axilla, ick. I have been very happy with a men's size S, but now I think I need it to be a bit smaller for the compression I'm looking for. To try the fit of a youth version, I'll need to order it online, so I thought I would ask if anyone here has checked it out, before I place an order.

purple32

I was just going to order the Orca but no BLK left.

Can anyone else give me another link to sonething in that $20ish price range ?  For that price, I dont mind trying.

thx

Maxine58

Carol57 - I've had some luck finding Boys Large UA at TjMaxx, Marshall's and Ross stores just last month. I bought 1 large long-sleeved UA Coldgear for $14!!!!! (which I cut off at the elbow since the forearm and wrist were too tight and short for my gorilla length arms ! )..... I found it was a bit to small under the arm... circumfrence from top of shoulder around armpit...and especially at the waistline to be comfortable for long periods of time.  I think if I could find a Boys extra large for a price like that I would give it a try, but will take my tape measure with me!

I have also found men's small from time to time in these stores. Don't know if you have any near you but it's always worth a look before going full retail!!

carol57

Maxine, thank you--good hint on the discounters.  I wonder if the UA folks would tell me by email how the arm cut differs between mens small, youth large, and youth extra large. From your experience, the youth fit may be too snug at the arms for me.  All this trial and error wears me out!

purple32

Check this out :

http://www.onehanesplace.com/outlet/shapewear-13666--1/shaper-camis---slips/bali-comfortshape-everyday-smoothing-light-control-seamless-top

Be sure to click on black and other colors  too/. has ' embroidery' design  at the top.  I have NO CLUE if these are any good or not, but I dont mind spending this amt to find out and they have a staisfaction gurantee return policy!  See the reviews as they claim to run large.

carol57

I just ordered 2 compression T shirts from Go Athletic's website, and the prices are very good. No solution to the too-high neckline problem, but at $10 and $12.50 (shipping totaled $6), I might just take a pair of scissors to one of these to get a less conspicuous neckline.  Here's a link to their site:  https://www.goathleticapparel.com/

 I'm trying the 'compression shirt' and the 'TRUE compression shirt' and will report back when I have them.

cfdr

Carol, did you order one of the men's shirts? I couldn't find compression shirts for women on their website.

carol57

Yes, I did order men's shirts. I'm quite happy with my men's UnderArmour shirts, so with luck these will have a similar fit.  They say many times on their website that their shirts are 'just like' UA, so perhaps they have knocked off the fit, too.  I did order two kinds of sleeves. One of the ones I ordered has a raglan type sleeve, and I've not seen that with UA, so I thought I would give it a try.  The other shirt I ordered has the traditional sleeve, like the UA shirts.  

If these shirts are of good quality, perhaps we can approach this company for help on a design modification to meet our needs.

ccalvin

My name is Corey with Go Athletic Apparel and we would be very excited to help design and produce a garmet that would be of benefit.

We are small Minnesota Company and we manufacture everything right here which makes making custom garmets very doable. 

corey@goathleticapparel.com

612-703-1386

Binney4

Corey, the mind boggles! Thank you!
Binney

carol57

Corey, I was looking at the contact information on your website and Facebook page just today, mulling over when and whom I might call!  You will hear from me and possibly some others who follow this thread.  I have an order from you on the way, very much looking forward to receiving it.  I'm delighted that you and Go Athletic are interested in learning about our needs, and I plan to contact you right away!

Carol

carol57

Ladies, I have emailed Corey and asked to have a telephone chat next week.  My hope is to give Corey some basic information about our compression T wish list, and fill in any knowledge needed about lymphedema. Then we'll see what happens, but optimistically I think we might have a chance to put together a small focus group, to make sure we can get lots of ideas catalogued and present them to Go Athletics. I'll report back, and in the meantime, I'll be doing a thread search to find all the earlier posts where at various times we've outlined what we would like to see in a compression T shirt.  

Let's keep our fingers crossed...!

hugz4u

Thank you so much Carol, I'm willing to participate with who ever comes up with proper compression and design.

Go Athletics should know that this endevor should not be viewed as a fast overnight buck because this Tee shirt has to fit and that takes time to develop. That said, I know we all want one tomorrow.

I never heard back from Underarmours. I wish Josh would jump into the ring but he is no doubt busy with glove.

Carol, Let us know on the fit etc. I am excited, all in all!

Journey

Well Carol it looks like you got the attention we have been needing! I know that no one shirt will make 100% of us happy BUT I know that there are basic design needs we agree on. The right amount of compression (ie UA brand type), unobtrusive neckline sans logo so we can wear under our normal clothes, flat seams to avoid chaffing, and a choice of sleeves - short, long. Isn't that basically it? Oh, and affordable so we can buy several and replace as needed. Nude would be an awesome color choice as well as black and white. Please no pink. Ladies?

cowgal

This is great!  I hope they can get something put together that will work for us.  I agree with carol57's earlier post that we need a moisture wicking fabric.  I am outside a lot and it gets too hot to wear those shapers and I end up wearing Genie bras mostly.  I have LE in my arm and some under it and into my back mostly. 

cfdr

Thank you Corey! I'm going to order a shirt or two from your website. Where in MN are you located?

Maxine58

It is so exciting to think that we may have found someone who may listen and actually design based on our needs! Carol, thanks for being that force that moves this forward. Fingers crossed (on my good hand) that the shipment and the reviews become a great starting point.

KS1

Carol, the suggestions people have given you are great!  If you could relay to Cory to make sure to have petite sizes.  I've found that with athletic compression shirts, even women's extra small are too big to do anything.  

carol57

KS, that's a great addition to my list!  I've been trying to find a youth XL in Under Armour to try on for that reason.  I cannot find one in a store  near me, or even in my travels, and just have not faced up to ordering one online knowing that there's a good chance I'll have to put up with returning it if it doesn't fit well.  It would be so much better to have a source of petite size shirts that are actually designed for us.

Binney4

Oooh! I'll second that! Petite--but maybe not quite so petite around the hips.
Binney

carol57

HA! Binney, that's also on 'the list.'  That to get adequate upper chest compression, we have to buy a shirt that's way too tight at the waist. So we need something that's not designed for max compression at the waist. Hope to share 'the list' here soon. I'm searching through years of posts to make sure I don't miss any of all of our great ideas for shirt design.

purple32

Thanks for all your hard work, Carol.  I'm sure that is no easy task- we appreciate it !

Galsal

I'm excited and waiting on the outcome.  That's what's needed, compression wicking shirt for sleeping.  Perhaps even during the day since I swell visibly during the day which goes down overnight and then starts all over again.

It's gotten difficult to know what is "normal" post-surgical swelling and what is LE after the attempted Diep surgery.  My problem areas are the upper belly and the side breast, not quite under the arm.  I can do parts of MLD like the stroking bit but not the harder strokes that would open up the nodes to be cleared.  The upper abdomen will NOT allow that.

I've posted on that HSN blog also for more than one asking for help with a shirt by Rhonda.

purple32

 but not the harder strokes that would open up the nodes to be cleared.

What do you mean ?  Can't you open the terminus with lt. stroke, then clear the  (opposite) nodes , etc ? Do you have  a therapist ?

carol57

Here is a wish list for compression-fit shirts, drawn from several years of lymphedema-community discussions where compression shirts are a frequent topic of conversation. Certainly no shirt maker will be able to design a garment or a series of garments that can accommodate all of these wish-list ideas. Even so, we hope that a creative garment designer who understands our challenges will design shirts that meet at least some of our needs, in ways that do not exist today.

Seams that are flat and do not irritate, so we do not have to wear the shirts inside out.

Styles that are wardrobe-friendly: (1) A variety of necklines, including scoop and V neck that are deep and wide enough to disappear under a variety of clothing. But women with truncal swelling well above the breast area need a crew-neck option, for compression there. (2) No logo on the exterior of the shirt to signal ‘active wear.’ (3) Seam thread that matches the shirt fabric, so the garment works as a non-sport wardrobe item. (4) Color choices including both nude and darker brown skin shades that can be worn unobtrusively under clothing (but not transparent, and in fabrics thick enough to camouflage breast anatomy when not wearing a bra under the shirt). (5) A range of sleeve options: long, short, or none, with options for petite and extra long arms. Excess sleeve cannot be folded or bunched, for fear of adding compression and causing a tourniquet effect. A too-short sleeve leaves a gap between garment and medical sleeve that also invites trouble.

Sleeves that are cut not to cut: Some women’s short-sleeve compression shirts are too high under the armpit, cutting into us uncomfortably and too short to reach the top of the medical sleeve. A common solution is to purchase men’s short-sleeve garments, but these are sometimes too long, overlapping our medical sleeve, and they may be too wide to give adequate compression at the very top of the arm. We need a sleeve design that enables the shirt to hug the shoulder, arm, and armpit without cutting or binding, which also means not using non-compression mesh for armpit ventilation.

Designed for prosthesis pockets and bra-inserts: Women who did not have breast reconstruction and who use prostheses need a shirt with prosthesis pockets. Many women with truncal lymphedema cannot wear bras, and those who do often find they cannot wear one under a compression shirt. Wearing a prosthesis under a compression garment crushes it and reduces compression because of "bridging" (fabric doesn't connect with the skin because of the lift of the prosthesis). Post-mastectomy compression camisoles usually have inside pockets, causing crushing and bridging, so women wear them inside out. Please offer compression shirts with the option to include an outside pocket, so it’s easy to adjust prostheses and the garment compresses across the chest.

Women who had breast-conserving surgery or reconstruction would like sewn-in bra cups or pockets made for inserts similar to those that go into an Ahh or Genie bra. We need support and lift without a bra band or straps. These can be painful, but wearing a compression shirt without a bra gives us a "loaf of bread" instead of distinct breasts. There is no compression at all in the cleavage, which can be painful to a woman with breast lymphedema.

Sized consistently between colors: Dark fabrics often provide more compression than lighter colors. It’s frustrating to find a black shirt that works, only to order the same size shirt in a lighter color and receive less compression.

Fabric that retains its compression and does not roll or fray when cut: Sometimes we alter off-the-shelf garments to meet individual compression needs, such as trimming below the ribs when compression is needed only at or above breast level. We would like the fabric to stand up to this D-I-Y customization: no rolling or fraying when cut.

Fabric that wicks perspiration and provides UV protection: This one needs no explanation…we wear compression garments in all climates.

Shapes that accommodate our shapes: (1) Some shirts seem designed for only athletic body shapes. Women’s shirts seem to provide the tightest fit around the waist, so to get a shirt that adequately compresses the upper torso means choosing a size that is too tight at the waist. The bottom hem then rolls up and bunches. Men’s shirts typically allow for a bit more girth at the waist, without reducing compression above. (2) We need a range of sizes, including 1x or bigger, but also for the very petite for whom women’s ‘small’ shirts are too loose to provide useful compression. Youth sizes do not offer a shape that is compatible with a woman’s body.

Options for compression where we need it: (1) A common trouble area is the back of the shoulder right behind the axilla, where shirts and other compression garments tend not to fit tightly. The area directly in front of and in back of the axilla is where truncal lymphedema most commonly presents and is difficult to control. We need firm, close coverage in those areas. (2) Some women need compression on the upper sides (although not too high in the underarm) but not as much across the front of the chest. Could there be options to customize a compression shirt with extra-compression panels?

Options for no compression where it’s not needed: (1) Those with both truncal and arm lymphedema would love an option to wear a long-sleeve compression shirt over their medical compression sleeve, to camouflage the medical sleeve. However, we cannot layer compression over compression. A garment that provides compression to the trunk but not in the sleeve would be a wonderful option. (2) Some women prefer no compression below the ribcage and are trimming their shirts to resemble crop-tops.

THANK YOU, garment makers, for considering our special compression-shirt needs!

carol57

So, ladies...we really did have a lot of posted ideas over the last few years!  The only suggestion I found mentioned that is not in the list above is to put pockets for swell spots in the shirt.  I had a few PM chats wtih Binney about the list (thank you, Binney, for your wonderful help as always!), and in the end we agreed that a pocket for swell spots is not very practical. The spots come in all shapes and sizes, we need to be able to move them around as our LE problems change, and the very fabric that might form the pocket would in some cases reduce the effectiveness of the swell spot.  Having said that, if any of you creative types can imagine a way to make a swell spot pocket work, do weigh in here!

And certainly, let's view this as a good start but not the end of compression shirt design wish list suggestions.  If we add more ideas here, I'll keep tabs on them in a separate document so they do not get lost in the thread.

I've not had my conversation with Go Athletics yet, but I will report back when I do!

Finally, Journey--thank you for starting this thread and for managing to keep it going long enough to attract attention to our needs.

Galsal

You ladies never cease to amaze me!