Mild Arm LE - Sleeve Question

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Dejaboo
Dejaboo Member Posts: 2,916
edited June 2014 in Lymphedema

Those of you that have mild arm LE...And others with opinions : )

Do you wear your sleeve 'forever'  Or at some point can we go without a sleeve?

What does one base the sleeveless decision on?

If your LE is under control-(what is your definition of under control?)

Do you experiment & go without a sleeve & see how you do?

Or do you just keep wearing a sleeve & not take any chances of things getting bad again

Comments

  • AmyQ
    AmyQ Member Posts: 2,182
    edited July 2013

    I wear my sleeve daily but not all day. I definitely feel less pain and pressure with it on.  I am still receiving active physical therapy and my PT suggests daily use, all day but it does get annoying after several hours and in the summer heat.

    I too have mild LE and am still of the mind (hope) that it is reversible. 

  • Dejaboo
    Dejaboo Member Posts: 2,916
    edited July 2013

    Thank you AmyQ...Ah- You are in Mpls!  ...Can you tell me who your PT is- You can pm...I am still looking for a good one : )

    Yes, my arm is feeling so much better with the sleeve...and it would be nice to think someday I can go without...

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2013

    Dejaboo these are excellent questions. It would be (REALLY) nice to pin down everything to an exact cause for action. In reality aside from the fact that anyone whose had nodes out will have to be proactive and mindful that we will be at risk for the rest of our lives, we have also have to navigate the system. So often it is woefully inadequate with misinformation or it's difficult to find a competent LEist, or you will get someone in the med team who is great and does their part, then others let you down.

    In a lot of cases a lot of our actions will be based around trial and error, but theres some things we can do to prevent further issues, like using compression when we fly, keeping our skin clean and moisturised, not overdoing things like lifting what we're not used to.

    Sometimes what worked yesterday doesnt necessarily work today. I recently got annoyed with all my sleeves and just ditched the lot for the day, and I paid for that, something I had previously got away with.

    Hope this helps.

  • kira66715
    kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
    edited July 2013

    Musical, well said!



    My LE therapist will say to try and see what you can get away with, and as Musical said some times we can, and sometimes we can't.



    But when you're stable, experiment with the least you can do and still avoid symptoms and swelling.

  • Thrive55
    Thrive55 Member Posts: 4
    edited July 2013

    Hi, I too have mild LE.  I wear a level II sleeve and gauntlet all day (the extra compression feels better to me), and take it off in the evening while I sleep.  The exception is when I'm traveling in a high altitude, I wear a sleeve & glove during the day, and then a level I sleeve and glove when I sleep.  That has worked well for me, and I've been able to maintain with this regimen.  I definitely find I need to wear the gear longer during hot days - in the winter I can often take off the compression in the early evening.  I found there are some brands that are definitely much more comfortable than others, so it's a matter of trial and error.  Hope this helps!

  • Dejaboo
    Dejaboo Member Posts: 2,916
    edited July 2013

    Thank you Ladies...So a trial & see what happens sort of thing :)

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