bandaging

barb, my therapist started out bandaging only the arm because the swelling was mostly in the upper arm. That pretty promptly made my hand swell, so we went to bandaging the whole thing. So if you notice heaviness, achiness or swelling in your wrist, hand or fingers, remove the wrap right away and let your therapist know what happened so she/he can go back to wrapping the hand as well.

When you're learning to wrap yourself, be sure to include your hand, as that skill will give you confidence in dealing with whatever the stupid LE throws at you down the road. LE--bah!

Gentle hugs,
Binney

Speaking of bandaging. I have been using and washing the same bandages for about 3 months now. How long are they supposed to last and still work well?



Also, there is a new product Coban2 out, it is a 2-layer system, inner soft layer, outer non-stretch layer that has been compared to regular bandaging and found to be as effective for arm LE. It has to be cut off, so I think you put it on and leave it for several days, then cut it off. It is supposed to be much thinner, so would fit in clothes better. DH was doing research on several LE modalities and ran across this study, so ordered some to try. I will keep you posted. I did have questions about using it at night, but it is supposedly a bandaging substitute, so theoretically safe for night use.