CompreSleeve

Binney... I am not sure how to answer your question...the sleeve is flexible in that I can straighten and bend (not completely, but I can do the 'flex my muscle' pose with it on).  I personally think my sleeve may be a just a smidge too big (medium, should have went with the small but figured it out too late and am stuck).  It was a bit stiff at first but is more flexible with wear.   

It is not too hard to put on (altough I have punched myself in the nose/jaw a few times when tired and in a hurry) plus you can 'adjust' the fit to a point once you have it on.  For example, the velcro only allows you to tighten up the fit to a point, once you overlap the velcro catch you cannot tighten it up any further. 

I think if you have help with fitting it would be a good investment. 

I hope this information helps...

I recommend Compresleeve often, as it is adjustable and affordable.  For those with hand difficulty, yes I recommend hand compression bandaging in conjunction with it, NOT AN ELASTIC GLOVE. IF the fingers are a problem, BiaCare also carries a medifit glove that can be worn with it.  But as I always tell my patients, compression bandaging is the gold standard.  Once you master that and understand the idiosyncrasies of your swelling, then you can look into inelastic nighttime compression.

Hi Sher--

So sorry to be so delayed in answering.  I was a away and came back to a huge storm which

left us without cable or internet.  It just came back up this after noon.

I love my CompreSleeve!  Indeed, size small regular is the one for me.  It packs well, it

bends well, and it is quite comfortable on. 

It does nothing for your fingers, period.  It gives the same type of compression on your

hand as it would get from a gauntlet--Soon as I get some batteries, will take pictures and

post them.  I will definitely be ordering another for my right arm.

The  CompreSleeve is lightly foam padded, and it has channels, so when you take it off in

the morning, you have "road maps" which Linda Lou has kindly posted pictures of on another

thread.

As far as donning it, the website shows that you should put the velcro on the loosest on the

entire sleeve and put your arm in and pull it up with the "velcro tool" that is supplied.  I

found this very frustrting, since no matter how I tried, I could not get the thumb in

properly so it did not rub, and I simply could not get the sleeve high enough to reach my

axilla.

So, I  totally took apart all the velcro tabs, put the sleeve on starting with my hand and

gave it gentle pulls up as I attached each velcro tab to the other side of the velcro. (I

hope thats makes sense.)

Then I would gentle pull the sleeve a bit higher and adjust the next velcro tab, until I was

all the way to the top, the sleeve was right under my axilla, and then I would go back down

starting at my wrist, and re-tightened each velcro closure.  For me, this worked much better

and actually took less time than trying to pull up the sleeve that already had the velcro

tabs attached, allbeit they were loose.

Kira--it definitely needs something on your fingers/hand if that is where you have a

problem.  No at all effective on fingers as-is.

Binney:  It bends enough to go into the fridge and you can easily exercise with it on.  It

bent beautifully to fit into my carryon when I was travelling.

Sisterinspirit:  No, I do not think you could fit a swell spot or chocolate bar in it, but

remember, it has foam channels so you will be getting the benefit of differnt densities of

foam compression.

OB and 32 Elliemae--which part of the thumb hole is irritating you?  The top or the bottom? 

I think that could have something to do with length or just how you are donning the sleeve? 

Since I started taking it apart to don it, I have no thumb problem--when I was pulling it up

already with velcro attached, I did not get it high enough and I had an irriration at the

bottom of my thumb.

OBHealtlhly:  my first sleeve (I too ordered a medium) did not have enough velcro to tighten it properly and I promptly returned for a size small.  If you are stuck with the medium and need extra velcro to tighten it properly, may I suggest you get some two inch wide velcro and "tack" it down the length of the sleeve, right next to where the present velcro ends.  That will give you extra room to properly tighten the sleeve.  If you cannot find two inch velcro, let me know since I have reels of it in black (I think it is only sold in large reels) let me know how many inches you need and PM that to me and your address and I can drop some in the  mail to you.  I think it would be very easy to tack on by hand--I would not try a sewing machine because of the thickness of the foam channels, and you don't want to mess that up--lightly tacking it to the sleeve fabric should do the trick and give you a good fit.

Just a remember:  Make sure the sleeve is returnable!  And if the fit is not right, return it for another sleeve of the correct size before wearing it.

And when measuring for long or regular, measure axilla to wrist, not to knucle like I did!!

I will be posting pictures, and please let me know if I can answer any other questions.

Total thumbs up from me!  With something for your fingers/hands if you need compression there.

Jane, that's downright exciting! I think I'll ask my fitter to order me one to try next time I go in to see her. She loves finding new solutions to this stupid problem, and this one is cheaper than the custom deals.

Lymphtherapist, I'm not sure why you're saying no elastic glove? Farrow (which is a similar product to the CompreSleeve) sells their Microfine Glove as a complement to their FarrowWrap armpiece, to be worn with it. What's with that?

Kira, thanks for posting the pictures -- I love the line about "each finger will be individially wrapped..." It always reminds me of pears or peaches at a really nice produce store!

Be well,
Binney

Which glove does Biacare offer? I've seen their large compression glove.

As someone who has primarily hand issues, I find the custom night garments to not be ideal--I've used the Jovi open fingered glove and the Solaris Tribute with finger spacers. 

This compresleeve sounds as though it would not be a garment that would fit my needs at all. Unless it easily fit a finger wrap underneath it.

I got the jovipak very shortly after developing hand LE, which occured very shortly after surgery, and after about 4 months, saw a PT who told me to "put it in my sock drawer" and wrap.

Ultimately she advised the Solaris, but most nights, wrapping is just more effective. Just more time consuming.

My LE therapist who is a LMT who is LANA certified, Klose and Vodder trained and worked with the in patient group in NYC--with Robert Lerner MD-- (and calls Guenter Klose and the head of Vodder for questions) she says wrapping is the ideal, and the custom night garments are good for a break. She's mostly speaking about hand LE and leg LE that causes bad toe edema. 

It's good to know about products and to be able to hear how they work for different people, IMO.

Kira

Lymphtherapist--here's my question: if the compresleeve has a sort of fitted hand piece with a thumb hole and a bit that covers the dorsum of the hand, how could you use a padded biacare glove with it? Over it?

That's why I was thinking that a gauze hand wrap would work better as you could wrap your hand, put the sleeve over, and get hand compression.

What do you think?

Kira

It is my responsibility to offer options: The gold standard is to wrap, but the medafit glove does fit under or over  the compresleeve depending on comfort.  There is no one answer. As a therapist, I must be familiar with all that is out there and make recommendations based on the patient need. What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for someone else because of tissue texture, volume and speed of refill.  That is where clinical judgment comes into play.  When patients call me on the phone and ask which garment to buy, I cannot give an answer without palpating the limb or at least know their history.   Sometimes, a daytime garment isn't need but nighttime bandaging  maybe all somene needs to contain swelling. Again, recommendations are all personalized.

Jane, you are amazing: a finger wrap would work really well with this, as long as the thumb hole is accomodating. If you have finger swelling, do the gauze wrap first, and then put on the hand piece.

Let us know how it's working for you.

Kira

(a certain aussie/shepherd mix was jealous of seeing the gorgeous cocker, so I put her up as an avatar.Can you tell she wants me to throw the ball?)

Sher, I am still loving my CompreSleeve and plan on ordering another one for my right arm this week.

I must admit I have not washed it yet.  I have just been washing the stockinette that I wear under it, but it says to machine wash it on gentle and dry on low, so that will be my next experiement.

Glad you have found a sleeve and glove combo that works!  That in and of itself is quite an accomplishment.

I must admit I love not wrapping and having the wrap fall on the floor and my dog run with it. . .and shake it and dry to break its neck!

The CompreSleeve packs well!

Be sure and make sure it is returnable in case the sizing is wrong for for whatever reason it just does not work for you--

With my insurance, BC-related equipment (mastectomy bras, LE stuff) falls under its own category ("mastectomy supplies"), not under DME.  That said, I haven't had much luck with insurance coverage.  The only within-network place within 100 miles is so incompetent (the first custom gauntlet they made went 1 inch beyond the END of my fingers and they denied it was wrong, the second was the wrong compression), I don't use them.  KS1

My insurance company (Healthnet) is so bad I only fight them on the big stuff--scans, MRI's, etc.  They supposedly cover DME at 50% but I felt it was not worth the trouble.  And they don't cover anything off the shelf, only custom, so, even having them pay for 50% of custom, I come out ahead just paying myself for off the shelf.

I believe wearing stockinette under the Compresleeve is optional, but I figure that way I have to wash it less.  The sleeves each came with a stockinette.

Yup, I am still loving it, and I have today received a Compresleeve for my right arm also.

I would rate it as equivalent to wrapping, with so much less time and energy involved!

It may not be the "gold standard" but for me, it works!

I will defer to  Binney to answer this question, but the CompreSleeve DOES NOT cover the shoulder, and it only goes right up to the axilla, and there really is not a lot of room for any padding, swell spots or chocolate bars if the CompreSleeve is properly fitted, so I am sure Binney will have other suggestions for you regarding this.

p.s.  Slept with CompreSleeve on both arms last night--no problem getting them on, and they did not wake me up once! 

Just wondering, do all sleeve modelers actually HAVE LE?