ALL THINGS Gloves and sleeves
Comments
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Dawne-Hope, I have both the Juvo soft for flights and several Lymphediva sleeves for every day. The Lymphedivas roll a little at the top with the silicone top but I can take that in order to have tattoo sleeves, flower sleeves, etc. my Juvo soft is black as well as one set of Lymphediva garments. Fierce! Leopard print is next. My insurance covers a couple garments every six months or so if my LE therapist orders them through a specialty store or if I bring an Rx from her to one of those stores. They are so expensive, especially since I need them for both arms. Good luck!
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Jeannie - Thank you. I need them for both arms as well. The Lymphediva sleeves, the non patterned ones, are not that much more expensive. I really want a black sleeve and they are the only ones to have black..that I can find anyway. Thank you!
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Dawne, Juzo Soft comes in black:
http://www.juzousa.com/Product.aspx?menu1=Lymphedema Garments&menu2=Sleeves&product_class=SG&group_model=2000My black garments (sleeves, gloves, camis) all run slightly smaller in black. That's not all bad--I use them when I'm needing some extra compression. I do love the look of black sleeves, and get compliments on them (!?)
Be well!
Binney0 -
Yes, my Juvo soft sleeves are black. They are comfortable and like you said, Binney, good for extra compression. It is a different knit than Lymphediva sleeves.
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Wow! Thank you! I was looking for the black juzo soft on bright life direct and they didn't have black. Glad to know they do exist. THANK YOU!
I ordered the soft pewter. The last set of sleeves I ordered were too big (and they were exactly same brand and size that I already had. They were looser than my old worn out sleeves)
and I couldn't return them so I'm going to order from brightlife this time and if they fit I'm going all out in color! 
Thank you! Can't wait to get black...0 -
Well...ordered the pewter and received an email a couple hours later that they are back ordered.
I'm starting with a new trainer next Tuesday and I must have them by then. I've been experimenting with these too big sleeves...putting them over my bilateral silverwave...but my arm hurts where there is a cuff and the little wiggles begin so I can't do that anymore. They offered to send me several other colors...one is "blueberry" ...it looks like a navy blue from the picture...will the navy blue be like the black in terms of tighter? I told him via email to send me that color but now having second thoughts...0 -
Proudtospin, thanks! Very relieved to be off this nasty pill. It also means I am officially done with active CA treatment. It is also a year since I got LE in my hand. The PT said I am doing very well and both hands actually measured the same today, and that is (I admit) with taking off the glove a lot when at home, and skipping MLD lots of times. I do wrap at night and during the day I watch my hand carefully to see if the swelling increases. (glove to rescue...)
So all with all, I am doing a lot better than last summer, and I can only hope it will continue. Wishing the same to all of you!
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Dassi, wonderful news! Hope you have some brownies handy to celebrate!
Hugs,
Binney0 -
and my big news is that I passed my mamo this past week!
yahoo, it is 5 years, still got time on the dang PILL but one thing at a time
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Just got my new custom-made Juzo sleeve & glove. Within the time it took to drive home, about 2 hours, my hand balloned up worse than before any treatments started, deep indentations at wrist. Am at my wit's end. I don't know how to continue - I would rather do chemo again than go through this. Way too much pain, way too much time, absolutely no return on investment so far with any of the treatments or garments. I HATE HATE HATE this. I have less than no hope at this point. My skin is raw from bandaging and trying on garments. Thanks for listening - any suggestions would be appreciated.
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Linda-N3, that stinks. I gotta say that nothing gets me in a bigger funk about LE than when I get garments that don't work! Did your LE therapist look at the fit of the garment? I've occasionally had trouble with custom garments not being made correctly.
Another thought is that maybe you are responding to double compression where the glove overlaps with the sleeve. How big is the overlap between the sleeve and the glove? The standard wrist length for a Juzo custom is 6 cm, but I find that when the overlap is that great, my hand swells, so my therapist tells them to make the glove with a 3 cm wrist length. If they did a 6 cm wrist length, you could ask them to cut the length down. (Juzo will alter the length of garments, but if the problem is circumference, they remake the whole garment.)
You could also ask your therapist to add a cm or two to the circumference of either the cuff of the glove or the sleeve so you don't get as much compression at the wrist.
If your arm LE isn't too bad, maybe you can try just wearing the glove and see how it goes. If your hand does ok, it suggests that double compression might be the culprit
You might also try wearing the glove UNDER the sleeve. Not sure why, but I get less prominent indentations when I wear the glove under the sleeve instead of the more standard over the sleeve.
A final option is to ask your therapist for an all-in-one sleeve/glove combo. That eliminates the double compression completely, but the all-in-one glove/sleeve combo can be a bear to get on! If your problem is mainly your hand and forearm, you might be able to get away with an opera-length glove (that ends at the elbow). I have had finger tip-to-axilla sleeve/glove combo and an opera-length glove, and the opera-length glove is MUCH easier to get on..
KS1
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KS1, thank you so much for your suggestions. Will give it another try.
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Yesterday a cashier asked if I was wearing my garments to keep warm. I answered politely but do get tired of the questions. On the other hand, if someone is staring I want to explain it to them.
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KS1, I tried the glove only today for a few hours, and hand was somewhat better. Am back in bandages for hand only right now to try to reduce swelling more. Had a rough day yesterday and today as I got zometa infusion just before meeting the fitter and getting the new garments, today was feeling pretty comatose until a couple hours ago, so dealing with the LE issues almost beyond my poor brain, but DH helped a lot.
My new night garment may be my friend, although my hand is not protected well. I woke up with swollen hand & fingers, but not really any worse than when I put it on. I tried to work it so that the wrist felt very comfortable and non-constricted. In fact, it felt so good I was wondering why I couldn't just use it all day as well????0 -
I recently found out a doc at my cancer center does lymph node transfer and something else a little less invasive. I'm looking forward to learning more about it at some point.
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With this heat - I can't get into my jovipak night garments - I give up - just elevate all my limbs wear a compression shirt and hope... :-P
Edit: - we don't have air conditioning in Oregon! Never needed it.
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Oh, GmaF, so sorry you are having a heat wave up there in the NW - I know the heat and changes in barometric pressure can wreak havoc with the LE. Ugh.
So many of you here have posted so much information on different garments, it is a bit overwhelming. Locally I only have access to a fitter that uses only Juzo and Jobst; my LE therapist works with a company that has several brands, but the therapist will only measure for sleeves, not gloves, and I apparently need custom-made and am still in the trial-and-error phase of finding the right garments. It has been over 2 months since this flared up - is this the usual course for getting the right garments? Do you need to have the doc fax in a prescription to each and every company that you want to try for grade II compression or can you just try the off-the-shelf in different brands until you find the right combination? I feel so uninformed, feel sort of abandoned by the therapist. I called with a few questions as she had told me I could do that even after I was discharged from therapy, but she was rather cool and unhelpful. I seem to have more confusion after talking with her.0 -
Hi Linda-n3,
Are you sure you need class 2 garments? My very first LE therapist put me in class 2 Jobst garments ... I could barely move my fingers they were so stiff, and when I switched LE therapists, she immediately switched me to class 1. When I was making the initial transition from wrapping to garments after a bad flare (lasted months), my new LE therapist initially put me in class 2 garments because I was stage 3 LE at that point, but I pleaded to be allowed to try class 1 again, and she said ok and I have been wearing class 1 since then. Frankly, I swelled LESS wearing class 1 than clas2, and have been wearing class 1 since. Binney says that this is not uncommon and is called "rebound swelling."
Gloves are really tricky, and I think many people go through a long period of trial and error before they get a glove that "works". Of the custom gloves, I have tried Jobst Elvarex "classic" (the worst), Jobst "seamless" (bad), Mediven (ok, but not fantastic), Barton Carey (not enough compression), Juzo silver expert (second favorite) and Juzo regular expert (my favorite). I have been using the same Juzo measurements since Sept 2012, and am very happy with my Juzo class 1 expert glove (at least when it is manufactured correctly ... there have been a few I had to send back because of manufacturing glitches).
With respect to wearing a night garment during the day, if you are talking about the Solaris Tribute, I think the problem is three fold. First, you don't have much use of the hand, second, the hand isn't protected enough, and third, it's very hot! I took the finger "spacers" out of my Solaris Tribute and wear it with my fingers gauze wrapped every night. It works like a charm and it's much easier to just wrap the hand than to do the whole mummy treatment! When I was making the transition from wrapping to day garments, I would often wear the Tribute with gauze wrapped fingers during the day. I still sometimes wear Tribute/wrapped fingers during the day for long drives, plane rides.
I've never tried it, but Jovipak makes a "combi" garment. The combi is kind of like a night garment, but it can be worn during the daytime. It's on page 7 of the following pdf:
http://www.jovipak.com/2012_JoViPak_Product_Guide.pdf
KS1
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KS1, you are great! Thanks! I was thinking of bandaging fingers with the Tribute, but not sure I can get it on with any additional width to my hand - it is a VERY tight fit to get hand through the wrist part, but I may try. I washed the garment and it seems to take several HOURS to dry in the dryer ... is there some helpful hint to make it dry faster? I may not be laundering it very often, LOL!
Also, thanks for the info on the class I vs. class II compression. I think if I can get this flare under control I will try to go back to class I. Glad to know about the rebound phenomenon. Interestingly, I was using a simple double Isotoner arthritis glove and got good finger swelling control until I could get my custom glove.
My Juzo custom glove (which will be going back due to thumb length not right) got my finger swelling down but not the hand over a couple of hours tetst; my off-the-shelf Medi gauntlet helps with hand swelling, but not fingers over another couple hours test following the glove experiment. I am amazed at how quickly the hand and fingers respond! If I could just find the right combination .... am considering putting the gauntlet over the glove for a bit just to test ... I am getting a little braver about trying something for a short time, watching closely, stopping immediately if anything is worse or hurts. Basically am trying to work my way UP the arm for control, focusing on hand/fingers first, then forearm/elbow. Upper arm doesn't seem to be much of a problem (yet) - I figure it will worsen as I get the fluid pushed up from the distal arm.0 -
My therapist told me to concentrate on getting the fingers under control, then worry about the dorsum, then the wrist & forearm. For about 2 months when my hand was really bad, I wore NOTHING from the elbow up to the axilla. My upper arm swelled slightly (< 2cm), but went right back down once I was able to wear a day sleeve/Tribute night sleeve.
For the dorsum of your hand, have you tried extra dorsal compression either built into the glove or maybe a Farrow gauntlet that you wear over a glove?
http://www.brightlifedirect.com/farrowwrap-lite-hand-gauntlet.asp
http://www.brightlifedirect.com/farrow-basic-hand-wrap.asp
(If you haven't already tried it, you might consider a Farrow off-the-shelf glove with the Farrow gauntlet to give you a couple of hours off a day from bandaging. The Farrow doesn't give a lot of compression, but it is ultra-comfortable if your skin is a mess from bandaging for so long.)
http://www.brightlifedirect.com/farrow-microfine-compression-glove-20-30mmhg.asp
Here's some suggestions on gauze wrapping under the Tribute. Wait until your Tribute is a bit stretched out (maybe 3-4 days post washing). Use 4 cm gauze, rather than 6 cm gauze. Tuck each piece under where it ends (almost looks like "basket weaving). Most people probably use 2 rolls of gauze on their hand, but I use 3 rolls of gauze: 1 roll for thumb & index finger, one for middle and ring finger, and one for pinky and a loop around the base of each of the 4 fingers. The extra roll give a tad of extra, gentle, dorsal compression, but I also sneak a custom dorsal swell spot in after I put the Tribute on. Gently ease the Tribute on using a donning glove. Sneak your finger in to smooth out any bunching that might have occurred.
With respect to drying the Tribute, it takes forever. I dry my on low/gentle setting using the timer: usually takes 240 minutes for it to be really dry on the inside. KS1
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Linda, I know little about sleeves as I only wear one when flying, but I wear a Farrow glove. This is compression I. It is great fabric and feels fine even in the heat. It is nothing like med95 which is like a vice. If you can get to class I, I recommend Farrow. It is also loose at the wrist so you won't get double compression if you wear a sleeve with it. Hope you will find a good solution very soon!
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Anyone heard from 'purple'? I'm a little worried about her.
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so.frustrated.
The last batch of sleeves I ordered more than six months ago
were bigger than my old ones. I've made due the best I could.Ordered some juzo soft and received them today! They're huge! I put them on, raised my arms over my head and they slipped down my arm to just above the elbow!
I've ordered the smallest size available and they're too big! The very first sleeves I ordered almost 2 years ago they are still by far the tightest of any sleeves I have. How is that possible after 2 years of wearing them? Frustrated!0 -
Linda, we've written to Solaris and posted about the hand issues with the tribute. They are aware and want to make it work.
I'd really suggest you call Solaris and let them know that the hand portion isn't working for you.
They've let me know that due to our concerns they changed construction of the garment and want them to work.
Unfortunately I've had two tributes with finger spacers and the hand portion, my major issue isn't controlled well by them and they bury my hand and it chafes.
If I don't wrap, I use a Caresia MCP to axilla, left, small, wrap my fingers under and use two short stretches over
Solaris is aware and care and will work to make it right0 -
I bumped two threads on Solaris and hand issues for Linda, and all us hand swellers
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Linda - I had so much finger swelling and hand swelling - I did alot of kinesio taping. That stuff was miracles for me. My LE Therapist made it so when you move your fingers it was like a pump. It worked after 6 months of trying! Now it rarely goes to those areas and I can see my knuckles. I am just so sorry for all the trouble you are having.
KS1 - thanks for telling us about "rebound swelling" - I never read Binney's writings on this but I have been finding this to be true since quit wrapping and switching to a Mediven 95 sleeve. I was wrapping quite tight - probably like a class 2. Now with my class 1 sleeve my swelling has been so much better even with heat and humidity. I couldn't figure it out, but "rebound swelling" makes sense!
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Dawne-Hope, I had to send some Juzo sleeves back because they were huge compared to the same-size Juzo's I'd been wearing. I had ordered a Varin instead of my regular Dream Sleeve, but the size charts are identical so there's no reason that one should be so different in size from the other. It's incredibly frustrating. I sent Juzo an email asking about it, and no one even had the courtesy of answering. I returned them to Brightlife without issue, but still, what a waste of my time when I really wanted those sleeves. So I feel for you!
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carol57 - Thank you for your reply. Makes me beyond crazy! Glad to know it's not just me although I regret you had to go through same issue. I called brightlife to inquire if they could give me some opinions on sleeves that might run small and all the lady told me was to check my wrist, elbow and upper arm measurements with the charts. Was not helpful at all.
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I know this isn't a glove or a sleeve - but how in the HELL do you put on a compression stocking!!!! They won't go on the same way I put on my sleeves - I just got some allegro stockings - I actually think my leg is too short for them but can't seem to get them on to see. So Frustrated right now.... Oh my, I said the word Hell - not like me... sorry...
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gma, there are some donning aids meant for putting on leg stockings. I'm not able to spend time searching for a link, but check the usual online LE vendors and search for donning aid and see what you find. I saw one demonstrated at the NLN conference last fall that was amazing; made putting on a leg garment a simple, speedy affair.
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