Is wrapping always life long thing?

Nowords, everyone is different--some people don't swell at night, and have little need to wrap. The key, IMO, is to learn all the tools--wrapping, MLD, exercises, get good compression and then figure out what you need--and those needs will vary.

Personally, I wrap at night and then don't have much need for daytime compression. Sometimes I wonder if I need to wrap every night--and my LE therapist tells me that if I don't wrap and I swell, I'll know right away. Because it's worked so well for me, I keep doing it.

Also, it seems like improvement is possible, and so are flares, so we need our tools and someone to help us figure out when to use them.

It's doable, it really is, it just feels like--and is--a burden and yet another thing to deal with.

Kira

I hope never to experience lymphedema.  I'm only 6 months out from having surgery and only a sentinel node removed; yet I'm still at risk.  A lymphedema specialist will be helpful and the technique for massage I guess is even used by some athletes.  Relatively new research shows that exercise is a really good way to manage and prevent lymphedema.  This makes sense to me as an RN because physiologically lymph movement is aided by muscle contractions. 

Good luck to all of you

Sue

nowords, some women can't tolerate the resistance training--even in the studies. We've had some women on the boards who've worked with trainers and did everything "right" and it still was the trigger to overwhelm the lymphatic system.

But, who knows, we try our best, and with surgery and radiation, the onset can be insidious.

Sue--please know that despite the hype around the Katie Schmitz studies on weight lifting--all they did was prove "non-superiority"--essentially no harm. Weight lifting doesn't cure or prevent lymphedema, no matter what it says on the PAL page at U Penn. I just bumped a good analysis of the weight lifiting issue.

I broke my LE hand and used a Norton trained OT for hand rehab, and she had me do 20 reps with a 1 lb weight, twice a day, and it brought on tennis elbow and a flare. It was like she had "two hats" her LE therapist hat and her hand therapist hat--and until I didn't react well to the weights, she couldn't merge the two.

We all want to be fit, and muscle does pump lymph, but there are other exercises, like Lebed, that actually help lymphedema, without risk:

http://www.gohealthysteps.com/

nowords--you recognized this early, and will get it under control.

Let us know how you're doing. 

Oh, I have a night garment also, but usually wrap as it's more specific for my hand, which is where my swelling is.

Kira

I asked the same question to my LE therapist and she told me a story of how it seems our body has a way of "learning", when it comes to LE.  She had a male patient with LE in his leg.  He did not take good care of himself, yet would come in to intensive therapy initially, but would do none of what was requested in between nor afterward.  The LE therapist was sad to think he'd not do well.  While in intensive, he made very good progress, so after several months, he quit.  She did not see him for about 5 years.  Then, he showed up one day, in bad shape, needing more intensive work.  The therapist was surprised that his initial set was something like 4-5 months long.  After such a long break, she wondered how long it would take him this time.  Amazingly, his body responded very well and he was back on track in no time, not needing  anymore therapy after only 4 or 5 weeks, instead of months.  It was her opinion that the body created some kind of new or alternative system initially which was able to be revived and come into play the second go-round.  It's just one case story, I don't have any details.  She had shared it with me because she was so excited herself to see that kind of progress.  So, our efforts do pay off.  Our work makes a difference.  In this man's case, he used his progress to justify quitting.  For me, it motivates me to keep at it, in hopes of diminishing the need or at least giving myself more predictability when it comes to this very unpredictable condition.

According to my LE therapist, it's just part of keeping it 'manageable', which means I'll be wrapping for a looonnng time, I suppose.

 There are worse things.  I just hate when I have to wear it out in public - I feel like The Mummy.  Thank goodness I only have to do stuff like that when it's flaring.  Like now. 

Nowords: sometimes we all think wrapping is a way to get women to accept the compression garments--because compared the wraps, they're so much smaller and easier.

Wrapping is very technique dependent, and when you get your night garment it takes the place of wrapping. 

I still wrap, because my swelling is in my hand, and I find the Solaris is great for the arm, not so specific for the hand, but SO much easier.

When you get your next compression garments, have the fitter consider garments that can fit the biggest "range"--as some have little leeway and others--like Jobst--run small/med/large and one garment fits a huge range of sizes.

Hang in there. I may wrap at night, but I don't try and function during the day with one. It's hard.

Kira

Kathleen, hello,

The wrapping is a bizarre experience, no doubt about it! Someone earlier suggested that the real purpose of wrapping is to make us happy when we finally get to wear compression garments. <sigh!>

For jobs like painting, where you need the hand protection of your compression glove but you don't want to get goop on your gloves, the cheap cotton gloves work well. I wear them inside out so the seams don't bug me. 

http://www.stepup-speakout.org/How_You_Can_Cope_with_Lymphedema.htm#GLOVES_AND_HYGIENE

If you're handy with a sewing machine you can buy one pair to use as a pattern and whip up a bunch of them really easily.

Just a thought.

Be well!
Binney

Wrapping on a schedule works for me.  I never get my arm completely down but I sure do maintain it better with the wrap.  In all honesty, I should wrap nightly but I can't seem to get my head around that.  I wrap every third day, sleeve it for two days, wear nothing at night.

I've got to echo Suzy on this--wrapping allows me to keep things under control and to minimize the need for compression during the day.

I was very stable until I broke my LE hand in October, and after the cast came off, wrapping early after work brought it down.

I hadn't tried the Solaris until this weekend, and after wearing it, woke with a swollen hand--so I'll be flying wrapped--just spoke to the TSA person at Logan who was very kind (hope the screeners will be...she acknowledged that "they're not medical personnel, dear")

My LE therapist says that you get instant feedback from wrapping--you know if it works--like for Suzy and me, or not--in Cookie's case. 

Maybe at some point in the future I'll get back to where I was before the fracture, but for now, it's worth it for a normal looking hand and arm and symptom control.

Yeah, I resent the time, but I sure don't resent the results. 

Kira

I have been really lucky so far.   I developed stage II lymphedema in my hand after painting on a humid day.  Already had a glove and sleeve but it exacerbated the problem.  So I was wrapped by the therapist to bring down the swelling so she could measure for new compression gear.  I wrapped daily for about 3 months and graduated to wearing the glove and sleeve during the day.  I now wear the glove and sleeve when flying, packing, lifting or exercising (should do more of this) or when my hand feels heavy.  Also, I try to keep my hand and arm elevated at night.  Bottom line is that I have not wrapped in about five years and my hand is fine thanks to excellent p.t.'s and doing m.l.d. at least once a day and more often in humid weather. 

So there is hope.