Solaris Tribute in the freezer?

I will check that out post haste!!

Suzy, who knew??? You've helped a lot of women today.

Kira

Anna, my first Tribute was black and I agree with you that the inside seemed very scratchy, especially when compared to a Solaris glove.   When it needed to be completely remade, I chose a different color and even asked Solaris if they could use the same fabric on the inside as what is used "on the outside.  The fabric used is moisture wicking type and with washings, it does get softer.  

I remember reading that the Tribute should be washed before wearing and when I asked the reps about this, they told me it was because of the cornstarch that is used when the garment is made.  Can't imagine why cornstarch would make the fabric scratchier, though so I think it may just have to do with it being new material or possibly with the dyes.

Anna, when I first got the Solaris, it felt like burlap. I have the black with silver lining.

My first Solaris needed to be completely redone: my LE is in my hand, and it's a one piece with finger spacers--and they really don't sew the hand well, as compared to their gloves--and the hand didn't fit at all.

The re-do isn't perfect--for some reason they think a hand is a straight line, so my pinkie is hidden, but I had them make it longer as the first one barely came to my first knuckle. 

I found that it wasn't doing a good job on my hand, and I met the president, Kathy Weatherly, at a conference with Binney, and she told me to stick a swell spot in the palm and it helps a lot.

They will work with you until it's right. 

Unfortunately, for me, I just don't find it does as good a job on my hand as wrapping, so I just use it about once a week, and for flying. If I got another one, I'd get it redone until the hand fit was really right. It's too expensive to hang out in the closet most of the time.

The company really is customer friendly, but this is such a hassle.

 Suzy had hers completely redone. So, quite often it takes a few attempts until they get it right. Binney had them do a chest garment over several times.

Hang in there.

They're nice people in Wisconsin, and will do the right thing--sometimes, as a patient, it's hard to know what the right thing is, so a good fitter can be invaluable. I had the fitter tell them how to redo the hand. And now, I'd weigh in as well.

Kira

Anna, hello!

I have the over-jackets for my Solaris sleeves/gloves. I use them for flares, and they're good for traveling too. When I fly I wrap over my Solaris (just the short stretch bandages, not the stockinette or foam pieces) and that works well too. I also use the Solaris for trips to the ER or other medical procedures. They have never seen such a thing and they're awed and impressed and much more ready to listen to me. When I just wear my day garments they want me to take them off so they can use my arm (!), but the Solaris gives them pause. So, very useful item.

Hang in there!
Binney

Anna, I never got the jacket. but do put a short stretch over it when I fly--I didn't on the flight home this weekend, and it didn't work as well.

I've flown wrapped--when I had a long flight, and when the flight is shorter, I use the Solaris for the ease of putting it on and taking it off.

It has gotten softer. Mine doesn't have the nice thumb like Sher's--and I still wonder about the curve of the finger tips--but I do know Solaris will work with you to make it right.

How could the fitter NOT know that the over jacket is for OVER??? I also have a jovipak and I went to the NLN conference and got their brochure, and it says that the jovi is meant to be worn with the jovi jacket or short stretch bandage. When I asked the fitter about the Solaris, she said it didn't need it, but for flares or flights, to use a 6 cm short stretch over it. 

I find the jovi is sewn nicer, but they put so little padding in the fingers, that it just wasn't helpful for me, but it sure is a nice piece of sewing, and has a palmar swell spot sewn right in, and the fabric is soft. The Solaris looked crude in comparison, but worked better. 

I wonder, if you called over there, if they would see you? It would be very helpful for them to understand first hand (literally) what your issues are.

When I told Kathy Weatherly about how it wasn't doing the trick for my hand, she suggested either a dorsal swell spot on the top of my hand (way too big) or the palmar one for the palm--works very well, I just slip it into the palm, silver side in, and put it on.

I hope they see you in person.

Kira 

Suzy, I don't mind the wraps at night--I just hate taking the time to take them off in the morning.

I got the jovipak and wore it like twice.

I did have a to the elbow jovipak open fingered glove that I kind of ordered myself, the month I got LE, as I was winging it without any therapist input, and I called the company and JoAnn Rovig sent me to this fitter who just mailed it to me, without ever checking the fit. My fingers got worse with it, and when I saw this LE PT at Mass General, she told me to "put it in my sock drawer" and wrap to the elbow. And, Binney called this PT "bizzaro" because she's very smart and well trained but things just got totally weird between us: she had me wrap to the elbow and when I got a pocket of fluid above the elbow, she told me it was swelling but not LE! So, in an effort to get rid of me, she had me get a Solaris and told me how proud she was that I would finally "accept" a night garment! Um, I came to her with a night garment.....Bizarro. 

So, in my quest for a night garment I did get another fitter to get me a full arm jovipak and I really should give it another chance. It has the jacket.

I got a lot of expensive oven mitts in my sock drawer....

Kira

Suzy, you don't put your Tribute in the dryer? 

On low heat, I run mine with dryer balls for 2 hours, but noticed that it was still damp inside right above the wrist - probably because of the digit spacers.  Anyway, I came up with a brainstorm to after the 2 hours in the dryer, I use my hair dryer set on cool or low heat to blow air the inside the sleeve top.  Works like a charm to dry those inside spots while not over drying the outside!

Ideally, I would ask my therapist these questions, but her next available opening is in November, but since the Tribute thread is active, I thought I could get advice from the group about some "issues" I'm having with my new Tribute tip-of-finger to axilla night garment.

First, let me reiterate how fantastically responsive the Solaris folk are. I had to return the first one because the thumb was bizarrely short. The Solaris people were, as always, great and remade it from scratch and sent me a new Tribute in less than 2 weeks! In the replacement Tribute, the thumb is long enough, but the index finger is really tight (my index finger hurts and is bright red after wearing it for an hour) and the pinky finger is really loose (my pinky swells).

The other thing is that, compared to my 1.5 year old Tribute, the new one has much less fill. The new one feels snug enough, but when I take it off, there are very few wrinkly indentations on my arm skin (as opposed to my old Tribute which leaves lots of marks). (There is one spot with virtually no fill (unfortunately a place with fibrosis), but I suspect I could push some fill into the bare spot.)

How important is amount of fill for LE control? How do you know if your Tribute is adequately full? When I send the new Tribute back to have the fingers fixed, should I also ask them to fill it up more?

The people at Solaris are SOOO nice I don't want to ask them to remake it a second time, but the Tribute is so expensive, I want it to be "just right." -- KS1

Suzy,

I put my Tribute in the dryer on low, but always along with the last dryer load that already been dried.  That seems to help it dry faster, having the other dry stuff to flop around with.  Takes two times through, so about 1-1/2 hours.