Getting a night garment

I don't know what a night garment is for LE.  But I do know now I buytops that have a flared sleeve or dolman for somethin similiar- my ine arm is quite different when I have something on that is reg, sleeves it's always titghter (like crazy) on one side more that the other so those tops are gone. And in the summer I go for shear fluff sleeves so my arms are covered but not warm.So u adjust. that's all.

Still not sure what you're asking. - Night garment vs 'pump'?



I use my FlexiTouch for an hour every morning. I wear my Solaris Tribute night sleeve every night. Under it I wear a finger tip to above elbow Isotoner glove. I have 2 'over sleeves' I can add if I feel I need a little more compression some night.

Allison, I agree with Becky. You might want to look for a second opinion from another LE therapist. Here's how to find a well-qualified one near you:
http://www.stepup-speakout.org/Finding_a_Qualified_Lymphedema_Therapist.htm

At any rate, you don't want to order a night garment yet until you've had someone else look at your situation. There's a difference among therapists, sometimes because of training or experience, other times simplyd because they don't ordinarily have knowledgeable supervision and may be taking short-cuts. 

Let me see if I can explain the different options you've mentioned. First, wrapping is the gold standard for reducing swelling. The therapist should have been doing complete MLD (which takes most of an hour if she does it right), then wrapping with layered short-stretch bandages. These stay on for 23 hours, then you shower and re-wrap. During the therapy period you're never without wrapping except for showering. 

Every day while you're wrapped, you do several simple, slow exercises your therapist has taught you that help move lymph fluid. The action of the muscles working against the bandages is what stimulates the lymph system and moves the fluid out. 

Once the arm is as reduced as it can be, you can be measured for day garments: a sleeve and glove (or sometimes a gauntlet instead). The day garment will not reduce the swelling, but it will help maintain the reduced size of your arm. At night, you continue to wrap your arm (or, once your arm is reduced, you can substitude night garments), because day garments can actually cause swelling if you sleep in them. The night-time wrapping (or the night garment) helps you maintain the loss and also works while you sleep to reduce any swelling that happened during the day.

Sometime during every day, you do your own self-MLD massage and continue with the LE exercises. You also lotion your skin well so it doesn't dry and create tiny, nasty cracks that can allow bacteria to enter and kick off an infection.

The pump is NOT a part of this routine. It's a substitute for daily self-MLD that is useful for women who can't do it themselves (in my case I have a Flexitouch because my LE is bilateral, and when it flares I can't do both sides myself). Other women use it if they have arthritis or fibromyalgia or something else that makes using their hands difficult. Sadly, some therapists use it IN PLACE OF the hands-on full MLD they should be doing, because it saves them time and effort. That's unfortunate, and not nearly as effective as the actual hands of a well-trained LE therapist.

I hope some of that helps. And I hope you get a second opinion and better news.

Gentle hugs,
Binney