New type of LE Garment

Oh my, I am so glad to find this thread. I have really long arms so am currently wearing a Juzo when I do weight training or cardio. 

I was made aware of this "Silver Weave" fabric on the "breast LE" thread by cookiegal and others on that thread (thank you!) 

I have most of my issues in my breast and side of chest -- any updates on getting a T-shirt in this fabric? I was thinking of getting the "Belly" one and trying it on my upper body, but I am reading here that this may not work because of the "band"?? Is that correct? 

I am thinking of ordering the Bilateral for biking, weight training, exercise as you are all saying it is "lighter" and more comfortable, and Nordy even remarked it seemed "Cool"!! Which would be really good for exercise (my current gets very hot, tight blech).

Cookie - I am so used to my Wave but when I first got it I remember thinking that it made my LE arm feel totally normal and my normal arm feel like it had LE (a little bit tingly and achey.)  By now of course, my normal arm just feels normal and my LE arm feels like my LE arm in a sleeve (funky but supported) . . . . 

Binney - I have never had a problem with the cuff/wrist area of the Wave - but I wondered if it might be an issue for people with swelling in that area.  And yeah - I'd pretty much sell my soul to get rid of LE and, short of that, for a Wave tee shirt!!!!  

Spring - I believe with enough interest and positive feedback the manufacturer will indeed make a tee one of these days.  It can't be soon enough for me.  I can't use the band because my swelling is in my axilla, around front up to my collar bone, around back of shoulder blade (down to I can't quite tell where) and the  band would "cut" it in the middle of the swelling.  (It's an impossible area to apply compression and I can tell something bad is gradually happening to my tissue )  Let us know how it works for you.

Binney...Dr. Francis suggestion was to wear an extra compression device...(juxt-a-fit) over the silverwave...is that any help?

for me the long cuff has been great...I have such a small wrist and lower arm it actually fits...everything else has been too lose there...and again since my lower doesn't have much le...the above area had been ok.

Right now it's the only sleeve that fits....however more compression would be great!

But the healthy arm pain is real...the pressure exacerbates some pain and inflamation from using the mouse...so I am now walking around with the left arm off and just hanging around!!!! I feel like a dainty elephant with a trunk!!

DiamondGirl, do you have a lymphedema therapist? If so a lunchtime drop-in just to check the fit would be helpful. If not, then it seems to me you'd be better off without it. Can you get a long-sleeved sportshirt like an UnderArmor before you fly? If so, get it snug but not irritatingly so, and turn it inside out so the seams don't irritate. Isotoner therapeutic gloves can also be helpful so that fluid doesn't end up in your hand.

Before and throughout your trip stay VERY WELL hydrated. At intervals do some deep abdominal breathing and exercise your arms with gentle stretches. Cat-clawing over your head (or make a fist and release it slowly and steadily while holding your arm above your head) is good. Also holding your arms straight out in front of you and bending at the elbows to touch your finger to your nose. Will your fellow-travelers think you're nuts? Possibly, but you'll never see them again, so ignore!

While packing and at the airports, be careful about jerking suitcases around. Get somebody else to lift them in and out of the overhead bins and off the carousels.

Whenever possible, elevate your arm -- on pillows at night too. 

When boarding, I stop and tell the smiley flight attendants that I have a medical condition that requires that I drink a lot of water, and they've always been good about making sure I stay well supplied. Don't be bashful, because you want to be in great shape when you arrive, since you'll be in a stressful situation. Continue to wear the UnderArmor if you're going to be doing any heavy lifting while caring for your mom.

I'm so very sorry about the reason for your flight. Prayers for a really precious time with your mom and family. Please keep us posted!
Binney

My trunk and arm LE have both been flaring and while wrapping is helping my arm, the trunk LE was giving me fits. I have a champagne wave sleeve that was too big when it arrived and now doesn't give me enough compression in my arm. So, last night I tried Cookiegals method. I put the wave sleeve inside my compression bra and after 12 hours there was a huge decrease in my breast and trunk swelling. I'm going to order a band and try to sew it inside one of my wear ease compression cami's to see if I can wear it during the day too.The compression bra is just too bulky for daytime wearing. Anyway, thank you COOKIEGAL, the wave worked like magic!

I am still in the process of taking twice a day measurements of both my arms while wearing the ArmCare sleeve but thought I would make a few comments today about the SilverWave garment.  I was interested in trying it out just to see the fit and whether or not I could find a way to use it along with my other compression garments.  My thinking was I knew it would not provide enough compression for my left LE arm but wondered if the wave pattern might have an impact on my fibrotic areas in addition to providing some mild support to my right At-Risk arm. 

As others have mentioned I found the garment to be very comfortable to wear.  I was a little suprised at the long wrist cuffs and "gathered" construction in the forearm area as Binney noted, however, found that the design seemed to fit my arm shape without any loose or too tight areas.  

In spite of my long arms the sleeves fit comfortably and had plenty of stretch.  I did note that the band going across my back shoulders seemed a little loose but I definitely felt it was comfortable and no areas digging into my shoulders or axilla area.

 

I decided that in order to test the impact of the SilverWave fabric without compromising my needed compression levels for my LE arm, I would need to wear it underneath my current Mediven 550 Custom sleeve along with my Mediven 550 custom glove.  I did wear this combination as seen in the picture for a couple days. 

 

It was comfortable, no unusual binding or irritations noted.  I did find that after removing the SilverWave garment I had a "roadmap"  of ridges left behind, similar to what I see after wearing my JoviPak nighttime garment.

As others have mentioned, I found that my right Non-LE but at risk arm was more stimulated than usual with new sensations but that could be just the initial adjustment to wearing a garment.  I did not have any achyness or irritation noted on the right arm while wearing the SilverWave like I did when wearing the first ArmCare sleeve I tried.

Because my current project is determining whether the Class II ArmCare sleeve can provide adequate compression, I stopped wearing the SilverWave for now and am strictly wearing the ArmCare during the day, sometimes alternating days with my regular Mediven sleeve.  I always wear my Medi glove no matter which sleeve I am wearing.  I am keeping track of circumference measurements twice a day at 6 points on each arm.  3 points below the elbow and 3 points above.  Now that I have replaced my original ArmCare sleeve with the non-defective black original version, I have been tracking my measurements for 9 days straight.

I know Sue Callison was in Italy a week ago and hopefully she will have some news soon regarding garment revisions and future plans for expanding garment selections.  I will let both her and all of you know the results of my little experiment with the ArmCare Sleeve as soon as I feel I have enough data to share my opinion.  

I too tried Cookiegal's trick on my truncal LE last night and...amazing!  My Trunc is probably down the most it has ever been and the funky bulge that I thought was my implant bottoming out is gone!  Apparently my implant was fine, the bulge was LE! 

Bless you Cookie!!!

Edited to add:  We should have the Lymphedemasleeve people look at this thread, maybe they will be encouraged to jump on the T-shirt/Cammi idea seeing as how just cutting the silverwave and lining a compression garment does wonders...

Binney,  I used my trusty Easy Slide over the SilverWave to pull on my MediVen sleeve over top it.  Works flawlessly, smooth and easy!

O2be, can you cut the band that used to go across the back to make a couple of straps for it to help hold it in place? Also, a question: if you stitched the two ends together instead of pinning, do you think you could get it over your head (or hips) to get it on? Do the cut edges roll?

Thanks!
Binney

O2B, isn't that great! Cookie should get a medal!!!  I ordered the sleeves and a trunc one that I am going to try around my breast, side, back area. Can't wait to see if it works well for me too...

Linda Lou, how fascinating your experiments!!!  

Springtime - Please post back how the band works, I bought one and it was just too tight and the top and bottom band cut into me too much. 

Binney - I'll have to see how the band works when I get home - I do notice slippage in my bra but not so much in the compression vest... I will report back on all questions once I have more time to observe

O2B - I will report back on how the band works for the upper chest and back. I measured my boob area and looked at the wave size chart and ordered an XL - we'll see...

Binney....what I did was chop the top band off and left the bottom band on..but I cut it up the middle, and just cut out a boob size chunk. I just stick it in a stretchy bra with the bottom band lined up with the bottom of the bra.

If I sewed I would try to line one side of a stretchy bra with the fabric. BTW after buying DOZENS of sports bra the Sears "Leisure" bra works well for me. And they just made it in BLACK!

Oh Linda Lou, we have the exact same discoloration on the fingers with the mediven glove. It makes me feel better somehow! Is that a one piece?