Hats off to any that wrap

Musical, I always howl in delight at your lyrics!  It's never lucky to have LE, but I do know we're lucky in the US to have access to so many products at prices that are highway robbery, but so much less than what people pay elsewhere. Well, if we have insurance coverage, that is. The bandage blues apply to everyone, I guess. I'm so sorry that it's hard to find LE products at realistic prices down your way on this planet.

Thanks for taking the time to compose the lyrics. Now if only we had audio, so we could hear you sing this blues tune!

Hopefully Binney won't mind if I rewrite her post here as it has some great tips and I kinda see this as the wrapping thread.  

Sep 27, 2013 09:29pm Binney4 wrote:

Musical, I'll start off with some wrapping strategies that work for me and hopefully others will join in too. This is a tough skill to learn, but it yields to practice, so don't give up!

When I wash bandages (in a lingerie bag, water temperature set at warm or cool, gentle soap like Dreft or Ivory Snow), I take them out of the washer and carefully roll them up immediately, leave them that way for 15 minutes or so, then unroll them over the shower bar so they can hang down straight to dry. Roll them carefully when they're dry. Some of us use a bandage roller, but if you don't have one use a table or other flat surface to roll it slowly, keeping it flat and straight. Don't pull it as you roll, just roll it snugly but with the stretch relaxed.

If you're using finger wrap gauze and want to re-use it, wash it as above, then smooth it out with your fingers over a drying rack or the back of a chair. You can press the gauze with a coolish iron, but don't iron the bandages.

Getting ready to wrap, first choose a quiet place where you won't be interrupted. Some of us arrange all the supplies on our bed and kneel beside it, others sit at a table, but I personally prefer to sit in the middle of my bed so when I drop a bandage it doesn't roll all over the floor gathering dog hair.

Cut a few lengths of tape and stick them by one end to the edge of a table or dresser near you so you can reach them easily with your working hand. Lay out all the rest of your supplies in the order you'll need them, so you don't have to fuss around grabbing the wrong thing and getting it all out of order. Keep the instructions handy so you can refer to them as needed.

Quiet music's nice, if that helps relax you. Whatever works to give you a calm shot at this.

Take each step slowly. There's a two-fold process to keep in mind. First, the gradient compression: make sure you're not wrapping too tightly in frustration, or too loosely as you reach the top of your arm. The gradient thing is subtle, not huge--it should still pretty much conform to the contours of your hand and arm. The second is (unfortunately) neatness. Each rotation of the bandage around your arm should overlap the last one by half its width. That is not just so it looks pretty (though it IS sorta satisfying!), but so that there's enough coverage in each wrap-around to keep it from separating as you use your arm. (Some therapists teach you to tug gently on either side of your arm with each turn--if you were taught to do it that way only tug on the lower and upper arm and DON'T tug around your elbow).

While you're learning, plan to stop whatever you're doing and rewrap if:

anything hurts, or

it gets loose over time (hey, that's a good thing because your arm is getting smaller!), or

it starts to unravel (usually happens around the wrist or elbow).

When you've manage to do a good job, congratulate yourself for a job well done, because this is NOT an easy thing, and it has huge emotional aspects as well. I suggest a Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino from Starbucks, but anything richly chocolate will do.

Keep us posted on your progress--we're all here cheering for you!

Gentle hugs,
Binney

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Thanks for the tips Binney and Hugz. I especially like the one about rolling up bandages wet. YES!! Excellent. Ive been very slightly stretching as I roll bandage up on my leg. Is that a no no? It sort of helps to iron out those pesky wrinkles. Hugz I have a rack and thats a perfect idea.

OK so when I said practical tips I also meant (lol, don't laugh OK?) whether you hold your bandage in your mouth at any time. (No kidding) Only caveat, mustnt eat any choccy just before hand. Im looking for ANY detail at all. Feet? any use? lol!  How you single handedly put sticky tape onto bandage endings, how you start your bandage off without it doiing you know what... (grr)  Im serious about all this,  so any piks of your position would be helpful.

OK so heres the good part. This is what I discovered last night AFTER I got furious with the wrinkles...

Ive found I absolutely HAVE TO KEEP MY ARM STRAIGHT. If I bend it at all then its wrinkles galore.  Sooo, if I put my arm on a table and when I get to the elbow part and above, I can pass the bandage far enough over to sorta roll my arm onto it and pin it down to HOPEFULLY keep the (right) tension on and so I can then grab it from underneath from the "inside". Hope that makes sense but its working for me.

My LEist does a "diagonal" wrap which is said to 1/ help keep bandage in place better and 2/ give better movement around the elbow. Mmmm me thinks this would be so IF you do it right. If you don't then its worse than the purely circular wrap. Anyway Ive been doing the diagonal, and its harder to get the right overlap you are talking about Binney.  What do you girls do circular or diagonal. Obviously the gradient pressure thing WILL be very much based on experience. Im prepared to put up with that.... but awwww those wrinkles, nah.

What a sweet picture Dawn. Ha, at least SOMEONE is enjoying the wraps.

Linda-n3 - I've had trouble getting back to see my LE OT because of money/insurance reasons. I was able to get back to see her this fall (after only meeting with her about 5x 2 years ago). Come to find out, I was probably the only person in LE world who was doing my MLD too gently. It was good to get back to see her so I could 're-learn' some of the core practices in caring for LE. She also experimented with the kinesio tape on my hand and wraps on my fingers. Conventional finger wraps don't work for me because the fluid pools between the webs in my fingers … anyway … all this to say … if you can get to see a trained, certified LE therapist, do it. I know it can be difficult to find one and get in to see one … but she was able to help me get things under control again.

If not done properly, all these 'tools' can hinder, not help our LE. The kinesio tape does more to help me than anything else. But I needed someone to show me how to do it and where to place it.

When done properly, the finger wraps and the kineso tape help my swelling quickly … wraps in less than an hour, tape within hours.

Hi! I have a couple of questions.

1. For those who wrap, typically how often do you have to do it? Is it only when you have severe flare ups and your sleeve and glove and exercises and manual drainage aren't helping? My therapist has suggested it to me but I can't get my head around it. I can't get my head around the fact that I have to wear and sleeve and glove the rest of my life!! How do you go about your daily routine with your hand all wrapped up?? Do you just do it at night? Do you sleep with it and then not have to wear it throughout the day? Have you been diagnosed mild, moderate, severe?

2. And for those who had radiation did it make your lymphedema worse?

Thanks!!

mcgis - I had RT and it was directly after that I developed LE. I was told it posed NO risk, to find later that it indeed DOES pose a risk. At the very least I believe it was the final straw that tipped me into LE. Ive found others on this forum have said the same thing.

Wrapping has a steep learning curve and you need to be shown by a qualified person. Then after that you need refreshers and it takes practise. SOme people seem to "get it" much easier than others... I fall into the latter category :-/ . I've had a lot of disasters and moments of utter frustration. Ive cried, biffed bandages, yelled and had other deal breaker moments. Nevertheless I plug on with it but not as often as I should. Now, with that said, heres the part that makes it worth all the trouble. It is the gold standard for controlling and alleviating LE and done correctly will yield the best results. This may take a longer time or not, it depends on a lot of individual things like your own physical disposition. Theres no two people alike and so the best thing is to have a good LEist who can monitor you and teach you the right way to do things.

Theres lots of little tips and tricks you pick up along the way. Heres one that made a world of difference to me. I was finding my arm was too stiff and it caused quite a lot of discomfort to bend my arm. THAT really cheesed me off. My LEist put a little piece of foam in the crook of my elbow and WOW what a difference. The difference is night and day. So much so that I have almost full mobility and my arm feels really comfy when its wrapped, especially when LEist does it. I have it done on each visit.

Hang in there, with time it does get better.

I've become good at wrapping my fingers and hand … not so good at my entire arm.  

Paula, brava for you! Keep working on your wrapping technique so you can use it as needed and can take control of your life again. I also always wrap my arm once a month, whether it needs it or not, just to keep in practice. Nothing quite so frustrating as being upset over a flare and then having to re-learn how to do the stupid wrapping! Grrrr!

Do something chocolate to celebrate your great adjustment to this--really, you're doing great!
Binney

hey I was told to have the stockinette go over the completed gauze wrap! But yes, it has to be put onto the arm first, ot's difficult to slide over the gauze wraps without measing them up (BTDT)