New Barton-Carey, Juzo, and Juxta-fit!

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cookiegal
cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
edited June 2014 in Lymphedema

OK...so after a 4 month wait I finally got my garments and not a moment too soon.

They had been at the fitter, who knows how long, she was on vacation, and I insisted they go on the hunt.

First up..... LOVE the Barton-Carey custon glove. LOVE IT!!! It makes my old medi glove look like a rag.

It is sheer, and breathable and the fingers do not do that silly flare.

My hairdresser said it looked "mysterious" which I guess is preferable to "burn victim".

I wish I had gone with the beige, since it is now summer, but at least the black will stay clean. In the winter it could almost look like an intentional fashion choice, like I am perpetually mourning Michael Jackson.

(I do really like the Jackson Five)

Stop the glove you save may be your own??? (that's a J-5 song lyric pun)

Moving on.... the sleeve is Juzo custom.

It fits.

I am not used to having a band at the top, since I have been wearing the silver wave bi-lat, so I hope it is not too tight. If it is I would probably stretch it out instead of sending it back.

It is so odd to look at the shape....it is much shorter and more triangular than I thought. Most of my edema is above my elbow, and I have a very skinny wrist to start out.

My arm kinda looks like those Elizabethan sleeves that are puffy at the top and then straight.

I have lots of questions about the Juxta-Fit.

A.The hand piece really is akward. I have trouble with gauntlets becaus of my finger shape, and this one squeezes me in the wrong spot. Can I wear a glove instead? I guess wrapping my hand is another option.

But is seems like overkill since my hand realy does not swell.

B. My private-pay LE thinks that the juxta-fit is bad for the lymphatic system and puts too much pressure on it?

Still Kathleen Francis prescribed it for me.

FINALLY...(thanks for sticking with this)

I get to order one more sleeve and glove.

The plan was to get me the same stuff in beige, but I am really tempted to get a Barton-Carey sleeve.

The fitter says they are not as medically effective, but they are sheer and breathable, and if I end up having to work outside in the heat, at least I could keep it on. Also since it is sheer, it would look more normal.

I still have the Juzo Sleeve, and the Juxta-fit, and I am considered mild to moderate, so this seems like a decent compromise.

Anyway those of you on the Grrrr thread know it's been a tough week, and I feel like I have caught something of a break here!

Cheers to all....

Comments

  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited June 2011

    Cookie, what a break it is!Cool Don't wear them for long periods right at first, though, without checking to see how your arm and hand are doing. New garments always have to be watched until you're used to them.

    YES, you can wear your B-C glove with the Juxta-fit. And I'm so glad to hear your report on it, because I just got my first Juxta-fit on Monday too. Here's my take on it: The gloves are a bomb -- sent mine back, period. As my fitter said, "These won't even benefit from a remake -- they're just no good for hands!" (This was the first time she'd used Circaid, so we were discovering it together.) The fabric of the gloves is thick and rubbery -- can't imagine wearing them in the heat for even a minute. The fingers are flat on the palm side and curved on the back, so they look like five little train tunnels.Frown (My fitter: "Nobody's hand is shaped like that!") The whole thing is so stiff that my fitter stood it up on the table and it stood alone -- cracked us both up.

    The sleeves, though, look to me like a real possibility. I ordered them instead of one pair of my two-pairs-every-six-months insurance allowance. What I like about them is that they're adjustable, so when my upper arm can't stand regular compression (it gets fussy like that sometimes, depending on the weather), I can loosen it. BUT, that adjustability is also one of it's biggest drawbacks, and probably why your therapist doesn't like the idea. It would be very easy to get the compression wrong. Like bandaging, we have to make sure it's gradually looser going up. That takes some concentration, so it's not just a matter of tugging a sleeve on, you actually have to stop and think about it. If you're having trouble at the elbow you'll also really have to watch carefully if you opt to remove the elbow velcro. So, lots to be careful of, but I still think it has its place.

    If the top on the Juzo custom is too tight, do send it back -- you can't count on "stretching" to work for you, because it tightens back up again. Nasty!

    As for the B-C sleeve, shoot, it's worth a try!

    Cheers right back at ya'!Laughing
    Binney

  • cookiegal
    cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
    edited June 2011

    Actually the private pay LE feels it's too much compression.

    She feels 20-30 should be for flying, and I should be wearing something lighter for everyday.

    But the silverwave bi lat has not enough compression. She feels it's so loose at the top it could be making my upper sweeling worse.

    I have a (hospital) LE appointment a week from tomorrow, so we can do measurments and see how it's working.

    I have a gauntlet with my juxta-fit....it's not that it makes my fingers swell perse...but it's just an akward shoving of finger flesh.

    Again my real fitter wasn't there.....so I got very little instruction. I may wait of to wear the J-F, so we can see what the effect of the new sleeve is seperately.

    I've been doing one hour off one hour on with the new sleeve.

    The best part is it just looks so much better. I think I could wear a cute black dress and makeup and people in NYC may think it's just a misguided fashion statement.

  • KS1
    KS1 Member Posts: 632
    edited June 2011

    Hi Cookiegal,

    I had a Barton-Carey sleeve and glove made at the same time.  I wore the glove (rotating it with other brands) for about 5 months before my recent flare..  I had problems with it (the bulk created by seams make it difficult to hold a pen or pencil or do other fine work), but I wore it and was glad that I had it.

     On the other hand (bad pun!), I hated the Barton-Carey sleeve, and wore it for 2 days.  It FIT, but it just wasn't right.  Because the material isn't elastic-y, in order to get it to stay up, the top band was tight feeling, especially when I flexed my biceps and triceps.  Instead of the silicon dot band, the top banding is three or 4 wavy bands of silicon that go all the way around the sleeve.  For me, these bands acted like having 3 or 4 rubber bands -- creating a very impressive tourniquet.  Also because the material doesn't stretch, I found it someway difficult to bend my elbow fully, and I got huge, dark creases.  It was also much uglier than the juzo with this huge seam running the length of it.  I ended up putting the B-C sleeves in a drawer and buying another Juzo sleeve.

    So, my advice is that if you like the Juzo sleeve, stick with it.  -  KS1

    PS A warning about the colors of the Baron-Carey beige.  The person who fit me warned me that the lightest beige borders on pink, so I got the second from the lightest.  It originally was ever so slightly darker than my skin, but the material faded very quickly with washing and soon was lighter than my skin.  Bizarrely, the material faded, but the stitching did not, so the glove's seams became more obvious withe time and, well uglier.  

  • SleeveNinja
    SleeveNinja Member Posts: 178
    edited June 2011

    Cookie -  I had 2 Juzo custom sleeves (I know what you mean by the triagular thing).   I found the top band intolerable.  I had them remove it and I used their roll-on body glue.  I had other issues with the sleeves but the glue was far, far better than the top band for me.   Also, I found the sleeves stretched (a little and in a good way) with some use.

     

  • cookiegal
    cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
    edited June 2011

    KS One...you are breaking my heart!

    But thank you for the information.

    So it seems like the BC is really for "dress up"...I hope the black does not fade!

    The juzo band is definately a band!

  • kane744
    kane744 Member Posts: 461
    edited June 2011

    My experience with my new black sleeve/glove by Juzo is, it will fade.  Every time I handwash them, the water turns black.  Just finished my 4th wash.  Still looks black though, but how much more of the color can wash down the drain before it looks bad.

  • KS1
    KS1 Member Posts: 632
    edited June 2011
    I'm sorry, Cookiegal. Didn't mean to break your heart.

    I second kane744's comment about the black juzo. I don't have a black juzo sleeve (just boring beige), but I do have black Juzo soft 20-30 knee highs. After 30 washings, the wash water is still grey/black, but the stockings still LOOK black. A word to the wise - the black run off from Juzo soft stains clothing. My black juzo stockings dripped onto a pristine beige custom Juzo sleeve and ruined it. KS1

  • cookiegal
    cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
    edited June 2011

    hey all...the garments have so far really helped a lot.

  • Sher
    Sher Member Posts: 540
    edited June 2011

    Does anyone have a link or a picture they could post of the Barton-Carey glove?  I searched a bit, but couldn't find anything.

  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited June 2011

    Sher, even their website doesn't have pictures on it, though it has a color wheel of their color choices.Undecided

    You could email them and ask for picture/samples:

    http://www.bartoncarey.com/Contact_us.htm

    Let us know what you discover!
    Binney

  • cookiegal
    cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
    edited June 2011

    So I am not so impressed with the juxta-fit. It appears to have the same effects as wrapping. Upper arm a little smaller, lower arm perhaps a bit bigger with odd ridges.

    Hmmmmmm

  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited June 2011

    Cookie, I think the Juxta-fit is difficult. I have to be really careful how I distribute the compression up and down the arm, and it's so easy to get it wrong. I imagine it does have the same effect as wrapping, since you have to adjust the compression yourself. Tempting to make it too tight where I'm swelling and looser where I'm not, and that's just asking for trouble.Frown

    On the other hand, I can see it'll be useful for days when I can't stand much compression and can let up on it a bit. Did you know it's for day use also? Not real attractive, but not as bulky as a Solaris or Jovi. Odd thing, actually. Undecided

    Be well,
    Binney

  • cookiegal
    cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
    edited June 2011

    It was suggested to me that I use it when I fly and possible for activity. Oddly one of my LE's is opposed to it.

    Are night sleeves supposed to be more compression than day sleeves?

  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited June 2011

    Cookie, night sleeves are just a different sort of compression. It works whether you're still or moving, and it has channels that direct the flow as well as a composition of chipped foam that exerts a pressure that most people find more comfortable (I do, for sure.) They provide more support, like wrapping does, but they're way easier to get into.

    Doggone, I wish we could all try these things out before we have to commit to ordering!Yell It's not like they're cheap (or even reasonable), but we don't even get to see them, much less get an idea how they feel.

    Maybe we need a Sisterhood of the Traveling Sleeve to ship around to those considering night garments!Laughing
    Binney

  • cookiegal
    cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
    edited June 2011

    Thanks for the advice. my computer is a basket case... took me an hour to read this

  • KS1
    KS1 Member Posts: 632
    edited June 2011

    Hi Cookiegal,  I don't know about the Jovipak, but the Tribute provides 20-30 mm Hg on its own (i.e., class 1 compression).  You can also buy an outer jacket for the Tribute.  According to Solaris, when the Tribute and its outer jacket are worn together, they provide 30-40 mm Hg compression (i.e., class 2).  I wear class 1 during the day, but I wear the Tribute + outer jacket at night.  I don't like the way daytime garments feel (sleeves are ok, but I don't like the glove) -- at best they are neutral and are sometimes I just want to rip the things off.  But I actually look forward to putting on the Tribute -- my arm feels better when I am wearing it than when I am wearing nothing.   Its provides a kind of soothing, massaging feeling.  I am very sensitive about daytime compression and often feel like 20-30 is too much (translation, my fingers turn funky colors), but I prefer the snugger feeling of the Tribute + outer jacket to just the Tribute by itself.  Two things about the Tribute outer jacket that I was unaware of until recently.   First, you are supposed to replace it every 6 months, not every 12 months like the Tribute garment itself.  Second, the Tribute garment can be machine washed and dried (low heat), but the outer jacket is supposed to only be washed by hand and air dried.  KS1

  • cookiegal
    cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
    edited June 2011

    The juxta has a little cover as well. I had to move today so my arm is extra puffy...but I am still not sure it's helping more than harming.

  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited June 2011

    The juxta cover doesn't add compression -- it's just to keep all the Velcro from coming loose or catching on stuff. Well, and if you wear it during the day it covers up the strange looking tabs all up your arm.

    Jovi provides the covers too (they call them "jackets"), and they consider it an essential part of the garment. Solaris doesn't consider it essential, and I don't wear mine except when there's a flare.

    Cookie, why not wait and try the juxta when you're not doing anything unusual so you can get a better idea of whether it's helping or hurting things? Are you finding it reasonably comfortable? Are you using the elbow strap or not? Mine's kinda stiff, but it's not as bulky as a Solaris or Jovi.

    Hugs,
    Binney

  • cookiegal
    cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
    edited June 2011

    I wore it looser last night, it was kind of ok. The NYC LE suggested I reverse the elbow since the back of my elbow is the worst spot.

     As always thanks...my computer is officially dead...so I have to post at work.

  • kane744
    kane744 Member Posts: 461
    edited June 2011

    Wow.  Missed a lot just the few days I was away!  FYI, my LE therapist has samples of every garment they recommend, thus you get to at least see them if not try them on.  That would be a bit too  much, I guess. 

    Question.  My LE doc recommended I get a custom glove because the ready made small size are too large, causing problems.  She told me where to go for a fitting.  I called and they said they would call me back in four days to SET UP an appt.  Geez.  They did call back and from our discussion, I could tell the fitter knew her stuff.  She told me the price, that I'd have to pay for it upfront since it was custom.  Then she asked if I had a doctor's prescription.  I didn't but told her exactly what I needed.  She said since it was custom, they had to have a prescription.  My response was that since I am paying for it upfront, what difference did it make.  "Well, it's custom."  We went round and round and finally I gave in, hung up and called my doctor's office.  Have heard nothing since.  Oh yeah, the question.  Why this need for a prescription since I'm paying for it upfront?  I don't get it.  Why does everything with LE have to be such a damned challenge????

  • kira66715
    kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
    edited June 2011

    Kane, I guess they may try and run it through insurance, and they need a prescription for that. 

    A participating provider can not request that you pay up front if a service/garment is covered, but if it's not covered under your insurance they can, and it seems like this person is just being rigid.

    Kira 

  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited June 2011

    Kane, my understanding is that having a prescription allows you to purchase it without paying tax which, considering the prices of these things, can be a major savings. Might be the fitter doesn't want to get into the business of charging tax either. Or maybe it's the manufacturers who don't want to deal with taxable items. Still, wouldn't you think they could just tell you that?Undecided

    Hope it's a great fit!Kiss
    Binney

  • cookiegal
    cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
    edited June 2011

    I did use the juxta last night, and my arm looked pretty darn good this morning. (Loose seems to be the key)

    I had a very short appointment today with a very scattered assistant LE at the hospital.

    So here is the thing...my upper arm measurments are significantly better, but there is no denying it, my hand measurment has been slowly creeping up.

    I just wonder if that's a good trade-off.

    I am very self conscious of my upper arm, and don't really worry so much about my hand...but I realize it's the wrong direction.

    It just seems like a see-saw.

    Have a great weekend all!!!

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