Better fitting sleeve HURTS

Texas I highly recommend going to the LE specialist at least once to get a good fitting. It's worth the 50 mile trip. You might not have a good fit.

I 1st got my sleeves/gloves as a preventive to wear during flying. My BS sent me to a place in the hospital. Few months later I ended up with LE. If find out that my sleeves are too short AND my glove fingers are too short too. The glove isn't such a bit deal because my fingers don't swell but the sleeve was. I got them to exchange but I will never go back.They also insisted I get the silicon which irritated me. I don't need the silicon. Silicon is good if you have larger arms to prevent rolling. I have very thin arms even with LE.

An LE PE will take measurements and let you know what you should purchase… you may need something custom. My LE MD says he never orders gloves off the shelf for anyone. They never fit right.

Texas--sometimes you have to get used to compression, but hurting isn't a good thing. Do you have hand protection? Does your hand ever swell? Because you don't want to drive the fluid up there.

Here are some self-care videos that are helpful

http://www.nwlymphedemacenter.org/

It sounds like you don't have a huge volume discrepancy between the two arms. It really stinks that you don't have access to a good LE therapist, because it's so necessary. 

JoAnn Rovig sells a DVD--it's old, but it's about self care of the arm. It's a basic overview, I'd watch her on-line videos first and consider the DVD

http://www.nwlymphedemacenter.org/patient.php

Kira

Texas, I'm in Texas, too (N. Dallas).  When I first started wearing a compression sleeve, I was encouraged to wear it only for 2 hours/day for the first couple days, then to increase to 4, then to 6, since our arms are pretty sensitive.  It didn't take too long for me to build up my time with the sleeve on, and it was such a helpful difference.