How to don a compression sleeve when the other arm is in a sling

carol57

I'm posting this as a new topic, just in case anyone in similar circumstances ever does a search. I had shoulder surgery a few weeks ago, on my right side, which is my dominant side and my non-LE side. I'm in a sling for quite a while. I'm allowed to use my hand and wrist, and I can bend the surgery-side arm at the elbow, but I cannot and should not move my right shoulder. That puts a serious crimp in the art of putting a compression sleeve on my left arm.

For the first week, I did not dare even try, and DH was home to help, so I was ok (but I will not comment here on his technique!). Then I missed a few days when I really should have been in the sleeve, because he was away for work. But finally I figured it out, and here's how:

Equipment needed: a silicone tongs doo-dad that's meant for pulling stuck toast out of a toaster; a Dycem pad, a Juzo Slippie, and a rubber glove. I don the Slippie and place the Dycem pad on the kitchen counter. Then I put my right, surgery elbow on the counter to the right of the pad, planting it firmly to make sure that my shoulder remains immobile. I bring my left, LE forearm to the center of my body and use my right hand to slide the sleeve, which I bunched up a bit, over the Slippie. Then I can use my right hand to pull the sleeve to just above my left elbow. Next, I use the Dycem. Laying my left arm on the pad, I push my arm so that friction on the Dycem moves the sleeve up, also inserting the toast tongs to help guide the cuff up, and to adjust the cuff, which tends to fold over on the way up. With the rubber glove on my right hand, I hold the sleeve in place as I remove the Slippie, which is easy to do by hooking the Slippie's loop on a door knob and then stepping backward. Later, the toast tongs can catch the cuff and fold a tiny bit of it, then grab it to start it down my arm for removal. The Dycem pad helps the tongs get the sleeve to the elbow, where I can safely reach and finish the job with my right hand alone.

The hardest part is getting the folded cuff straight where it's on the back of my arm, and I find the Dycem helps a bit there. It's also not so easy to get under the cuff to start pulling the sleeve off. Binney suggested to me that I might sew a loop of ribbon to the cuff, to help with removal, and I think I'll give that a try, too, when I can ask a friend to sew with a machine so there's a sturdy attachment.

And I hope nobody ever needs to find this topic.

Moderators

Wow! Creative solution for a difficult situation. Thanks for posting, Carol!

--The Mods

carol57

I don't know if it's creativity or desperation!

doxie

Reads like a good act for a "I Love Lucy" episode if she had LE and shoulder surgery. I cannot imagine being in your situation, Carol!

carol57

Doxie, I'm chuckling more than you know, because of your comparison to I Love Lucy. This past spring I had the amazing fortune to see a pair of pileated woodpeckers make a nest and raise their young right outside my window, literally. I caught the whole process on video, from mid-April through the fledge in mid-June. Friends and I named the female Lucy, because of her stunning red crest, and the male was Ricky, of course. So Lucy has been on my mind recently and I agree, what I describe does sound like a bit of comedy, toaster tongs and all.

I had some wonderful fortune come in the mail today: A zippered compression shirt from GO Travelwear, the wonderful company that designed a compression tee shirt with help from you and several others in our forum who tested design and sizing. For a very moderate cost, and in just about a week's time, they altered the pattern in my size to put a velcro closure at the bottom and a zipper with a protective placket underneath. I can use my hands together in front, if close to the body (saving my sanity, because I can type on my dinky iPad bluetooth keyboard which is not possible on a regular keyboard). So I can hook the velcro and start the zipper with both hands, and then pull the zipper up with my mobile hand. It's heavenly and timely, because earlier this week the shoulder surgery domino LE effect kicked in, and I now have significant edema in both of my (diep) breasts. Feels much better in compression, and I had no way to don any of my compression shirts as arms may absolutely not go over my head. I even tried the Wear Ease tee, which is designed to step into, but I could not get the arm safely over my shoulder. Thank you, GO Travelwear!

I'm feeling much better about this crazy surgery mess. All I can say is that I sure darn well better be able to paddle my kayak next year, because pain with the paddling is what drove me to have my shoulder checked out in the first place.

glennie19

Carol, great job in figuring this out!! I know you will be happy to be able to use your arm again.

crystalphm

Oh my gosh! I hope by now things are getting easier for you....

carol57

It has been a journey, that's for sure I do feel much more positive today. That's progress!

cookiegal

I don't know if I should laugh or cry at this.

People have no idea what a giant f-ing pain in the ass f-lymphedema is.

I am hyper-emotional from working graveyard shift this week.

I am so sorry you have to deal with this and we all have to deal with this.

sorry for ranting on your thread

hugz4u

Carol, Whoooo hoo! Well that's quite the moves you got there to deal with the dang sleeve problem. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself thinking you probably could apply for the circus as a contortionist. I am still shaking my head on why they can fly to the moon but can't figure out our LE 's daily problems.

Will Margaret have that cool zip on the market with her awesome compression tees?

Thanks for posting your experiences Carol

carol57

Cookie, no worries about a rant, which is entirely understandable.

Hugz, I don't think Margaret plans to make the zipper version a standard product, but if enough people are interested, we can ask. I had the standard tee modified to reduce the sleeve size, in addition to putting in the zipper. If anyone contacts her about the zipper shirt, I'm pretty sure she would make one as a custom shirt, which understandably she charges more for than the stock item. Be careful about just asking for one like she made for me, because you'd want to clarify whether you're interested in the shorter sleeves or the original, longer sleeves.

glennie19

I think it is great that she will do a custom shirt if requested,, and naturally it would cost more, since it is a single production.