LE question RE: hand therapist

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purple32
purple32 Member Posts: 3,188
edited June 2014 in Lymphedema

Hope someone reads this as I had no clue where to post it Yell

I  am thinking of looking into this for my hand LE :

http://www.attaintherapyfitness.com/about/staff/caryn-salwen-med-otrl/

I'm a little afraid to since I highly doubt they will do MLD, but my INS will cover and  I am wondering if they can help.  Naturally, I am also concerned it might make things worse.

Any opinion on going this route ?  I could really use some feedback.

Thanks  very much for  any of your thoughts on this.

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited February 2013

    Purple, why? A hand therapist is not a lymphedema therapist. (My lymphedema therapist does happen to be a hand therapist, but those are two entirely different certifications, with entirely different training courses.) I don't quite get your question.
    Binney

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  • purple32
    purple32 Member Posts: 3,188
    edited February 2013

    Well Binney, the part I hate most is having to wear the glove. I dont mind so much now, but summer is coming.  Everything I have read makes me feel like the hand LE is really hard to manage .  I just thought this might be another option, and as I explored this site , it looked like one of the key ppl was adept at kinesio taping - not that I necessarily want my hand taped ! Yell

    I have been thinking a lot lately about the possibility of having the sleeve and glove for exercise only ( trial and error) 
    My first LEist <who was not good> suggested a sleeve for exercise ONLY.

    The 2nd LEist told me I would need a sleeve and glove all the time; over the phone- before seeing me.  She was very inept. I am not saying these things to insult, just the facts as I now I see them.  As you know, neither LEist did hands-on with me etc etc ..  My new LEist has convinced me that the 2nd girl most likely did not know how to do it.(she knows the first LEist who is more likely burned out )

    In any case, nobody credible ever told me I had to wear the sleeve/glove all the time.  I am betting that if I were a sleeve/gauntlet person this would be just fine for exercise only.

    The hand seems like it would be more problematic because although it's not exercise perse', I am on the pC  a lot.  ( Half of which I do not have to be Wink)  so...there is my thought process.  Just musing as to what if someone could do a little ' more' for my hand- another alternative perhaps ?

    I dunno'.

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited February 2013

    Purple, I did see her mention of taping, but it's not the same as LE taping. Sports and orthopedic taping is for stability and to increase muscle function and protect joints. LE taping is for promoting lymph flow, so the basic education needed to manage that is a good foundation in lymphatic function. Taping an area with LE for any other purpose is asking for trouble. You definitely don't want to confuse an already sluggish lymph system! I didn't see anything in the woman's credentials that suggested she'd had the requisite training in LE to manage LE taping, but you could always call and ask.

    If you do, let us know what she has to say!
    Binney

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  • purple32
    purple32 Member Posts: 3,188
    edited February 2013

    Nah!

    You're post was really all I needed  to kind of talk me out of it, Binney.  The last thing I want to do is confuse my hand.Wink

    I am scheduled to see my LE'ist this week.  I will ask her what she thinks about backing off the sleeve and glove a little .  I believe if I am 100%  she will say trial and error.  If there are any subtle changes at all, I suppose she would notice, in which case, that question would be answered for me.Sealed

    Thanks for taking the time to reply.

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  • carol57
    carol57 Member Posts: 3,567
    edited February 2013

    Purple, I think that (good!) therapists suggest experimenting with LE care elements, such as the amount of time we should wear our garments, only after our LE has become stable.  Before you start backing off from the glove and sleeve, or trying non-compression alternatives, ask yourself: is my LE stable?  I am just surmising here, because truly I am not an expert, but I would hate to see you allow your LE to become more advanced, especially in the hard-to-treat hand, if you aren't getting the extended compression you need.  

    Another thought is that perhaps the glove is so odious because you haven't found the right glove?  I know that I have just typed a sentence that will just make you crazy, because you have gone through a lot to find a glove that works for you. Could the fit be better?  Sighhhhhhhhhhh....this trial-and-error condition we call lymphedema purely and simply rots.  That's Binney's word for it, and I'm borrowing it now!

    Carol

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  • purple32
    purple32 Member Posts: 3,188
    edited February 2013

    Thanks, Carol.

    You make a  good point- and it is well taken.

    I will speak to the therapist abuit this . Yes, we will want it 100% stable, as I said. As for the glove, I just love my Farrow and when I take it off, I can put my size 4 1/4 wedding ring on  ( but I suspect as time went on it would get tighter so I dont dare *keep* it on)  it's just a  little test of mine.

    Having said that , there are  areas on the  underside of my hand that are not very snug- my IMAK otc fits better in that sense ( but doesnt work as well).  I did show Kathy and she showed me some fof the foam  chips , but we both agreed that the glove really was doing  an excellent job and these were cumbersome in an area where LE did not swell up soooo...........back to the drawing board , I guess.

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  • carol57
    carol57 Member Posts: 3,567
    edited February 2013

    Purple, I truly hope that you reach a point where you can at least move from glove to gauntlet, and for me, it's all about the ring.  My amazing DH has been my steadfast terra firma through so much, and wearing my rings brings me a strong, tangible connection to him when we're apart, which is quite often due to both of our work requirements. So many women in this forum have had to put their rings away, and of course, it's just a ring and the emotional connection does not waver but still, for me...that would be very, very hard.  So I'm cheering for you and everyone else who might have a shot at getting those rings back on!  You have a great therapist, so let's hold a good thought that with time and patient attention to LE care, you'll get out of your glove and be wearing that ring for more than just a test-drive.

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