ALL THINGS Gloves and sleeves
Comments
-
I have to admit that that is one reason I haven't been wrapping as much as I need to, Denise--it's so conspicuous that random strangers approach me and say, in that horrified-but-I-have-to-ask whisper, "Oh no--what HAPPENED?!" I'm not sensitive at all about the surgery, etc., but I really don't like feeling so conspicuous, or the people who insist that I am "so brave" or "so strong" or that kind of thing. And at work it's a real issue, since it takes attention away from people I am working with so I feel I have to address it to get it out of the way. I told my OT yesterday that I am thinking of making up responses from now on--"Farm accident; so glad they could reattach them both!"/"Changed them out for bionic" etc.
I am so sorry you got trapped today--that is rotten!
0 -
Denise I am honest but I don't get into detail. All I say is my arm can swell due to a condition I have called lymphedema. The sleeve keeps it from swelling. There are times to get into the breast cancer journey and times where there are not. Also if someone kept telling me about people who have died of cancer, and not shut up about it I would cut them off and tell them "It's in-appropriate to tell a breast cancer survivor about all the folks that have died."
0 -
After all these years I continue to find the question "what did you do to your arm" intrusive. I know I would have likely asked the same thing before breast cancer however I gave up long ago giving any explanation unless someone specifically asks if I have lymphedema. My answer now is, "it's a long story" which sometimes I've had to repeat more than once. For the most part, I don't think people really want to know the details anyway. Hahaha, they just think they do at the time.0 -
Or "It holds all my bionics together. I have a great left that I sometimes use when people ask too many personal questions"
I wear my sleeve the left arm
0 -
I asked this on another topic but wanted to ask here too.
Question: I have been diligent using the sleeves for almost 3 years now. Have become bi-lateral, even though I only had one side compromised - I find that if I take a break from the sleeves - my arms instantly ache. My torso, axilla and upper arms are the only swell spot and getting major ingrown hairs on my forearms. I don't want to wear them for a day or two but as I said, I ache .. Am I addicted to wearing the sleeves? What an awful thought..
0 -
GmaFoley my arm definitely feels better when I have it on. I have't swelled since I got the swell down but I wear my sleeve every day. When I take it off it doesn't always ache but feels "funny" at times.
0 -
Just had new sleeves and gauntlets ordered from Lymphedivas by O.T. at my VA Hospital. Very nice that the Program manager had negotiated special pricing for their purchases.
Thankfully haven't had a problem with swelling for a while. I'm flying in July and needed to replace the two year old ones.
0 -
In response to the question by Purple 32 - Do you wear a glove? In Dec., 2004 when I was first diagnosed with lymphedema I purchased a sleeve and glove. I did not like the glove and only wore it when flying (about 2x a year). I did wear the sleeve almost daily and my lymphedema seemed to be "under control." Last month I had a flare up where my hand swelled terribly. I have found an LE therapist in my area and right now I am wrapped in compression bandages. I was told that I must wear a glove from now on. Needless to say, I am not happy about this but I have no choice if I don't want my hand lymphedema to continue to swell and get worse.
0 -
I am getting tired of answering "the question" now that I'm wearing short sleeved shirts. I usually say it's a medical thing. While complaining to my friends, they suggested saying, "it's a sexual thing!" to shut them up. Can't bring myself to say THAT but it did make me laugh. Laughing is good.
0 -
Hi ladies,
Had to laugh out loud telling people your sleeve was a sexual things. I could just see the look on their face imagining just how that would work. LOL I thought I would ask for some help. I injured my rotator cuff during a breast ultra sound back in March when I finally got the cancer diagnosis. I was having surgery very quickly and certainly didn't have any tiime to be dealing with a shoulder issue then. The pain persists and I had my nurse navigator look into therapy for me. She said she wanted me to see the lymphedema specialists which I have for the last several weeks along with radiation. They wanted me to get a compression sleeve and gauntlet for prevention when I exercise and do anything strenuous. My first lymphediva sleeve started unraveling after only a few times of use. I took it back and they said they would replace it since they charged a fortune and my insurance didn't pick up a lot of the cost. I bought a second set and the second time I used it it got a snag in it and I was even using a garden glove to prevent snagging since I have really long fingernails. I feel too weird about it to take this second one back. I know they must think I am an idiot or something but I have been trying to be very careful. My therapists have gone over the technique of putting them on but it is still obviously not working for me very well yet. Anyone go through this or am I just a clutch! I have decided to order 3 sleeves for $169 from Bright lite with no insurance. They have name brands there and lymphdiva brand which is the only kind I have had. Any helpful hints would be much appreciated or maybe sharing some other klutzy stories to not make me feel so bad!
Bandwoman
0 -
bandwoman, you might try a donning aid. Try googling 'easy slide' or 'LYMPHEDEMA donning aid' to see what's available. I've never used one, but perhaps some forum members who have will share their experience.
0 -
bandwoman1234 I use brightlife. My insurance will only let me use certain places to buy my sleeves. The one in the city stopped working with Medi so now I don't know where to go and the insurance keeps giving names of prosthetic places that don't even know what a sleeve is let alone sell them (hat Aetna).
I use a playtex glove to done my sleeve. It has to be an old one. When you first take the playtex glove out of the package it's too smooth. Don't feel bad. I may not have snagged mine but I have punched myself in the face a few times trying to get the damn thing on.
0 -
LOL! I love the idea of saying it's a sexual thing! I'm not sure I could pull it off, but I will definitely be saying it mentally the next time someone asks!
0 -
I have only worn Juzo arm sleeves ( I tried on one of the Brightlife brands (forget the name) But it was too tight & Way to long.I ordered some Lymphediva sleeves last week from brightlife & got them yesterday. Unfortunately they are too small
I went according to their size chart
& I fall easily into a small. But I do see now there is alot of overlap on
their sizes. Like the upper arm Sm=8.5-15.5". The Med is 10 5/8-17 3/4" My
upper arm is 12". I also got the regular length...It is a little to long...it goes over my wrist bone & right up to my arm pit. Unstretched it
is at least 2" longer then my new Juzo sleeve. Short sleeve goes up to 17"
reg length starts at 16.5. I measure 17" . Do you think the Mediums Diva would fit
me?? in a short length?( I wear a Sz II Max reg length Juzo) The chart for that is : Wrist 6-6.5" . Mid arm 8 3/4", upper arm-11 3/4-13 3/4"
My Measurements are: wrist is 6" . Mid arm 9 3/4" (that is my only measurement that was larger then the diva sz small) Upper arm is 12"
Juzo has 6 sleeve sizes & the Divas come in 3...that could be part of the problem
Id really like to try the medium size & have something that is 'pretty' , but not if I will end up having to return them too. (I dont think any sleeve is pretty)
Thanks for your help
0 -
Dejaboo Brightlife sells Juzo too
0 -
Thanks lago- yes I have ordered my Juzo sleeves from Brightlife. But I am trying to figure out if the Medium Lymphediva sleeve will fit- since the sz small LD sleeve was too small.0 -
dejaboo, Lymphedivas has developed a 'fitter's aid' and it's an app for iphone or ipad. Have you tried it? If you don't have an i device, so many people do that you might find a friend who will download it and even help you measure. I think it goes beyond just a few measures, but I haven't used it so I'm not really sure. Maybe someone here has tried it and can tell you if it helped them get a better fit with the Divas sleeve.
0 -
Thanks Carol, I have not seen or tried the app. Sounds interesting though I will have to look at it.I dont know where I came up with the 17" arm lenght measurement though ;o
I talked to someone at brightlife & they recommended the sz M. I also emailed LD & she recommended the M short....I then decided to double check my arm length when I saw how to measure on the LD site ( I feel like there was not a picture on the arm measurement at brightlife- but I could be wrong & just missed it- I did measure my arm)
My arm is 19" long not 17" LOL...but man I really cant say what I was doing or thinking....So I reordered the LD in a M regular & will hope they fit. if not I guess I cant wear their sleeves ; (
0 -
Anyone know how to take care of the axilla part of the swell? If i wear my compression tank and my sleeves - its that little spot between that swells. Any suggestions?
I went to a new LET yesterday and she is talking about wrapping (which I haven't had to do yet) but my swell is up 2-3 cm in my arms.
0 -
need some advise.... I do not have swelling or other symptoms currently but will be flying next month. Doctor said I only need a sleeve if swelling occurs. Should I push for one now or am I ok? Thanks
0 -
trr, if you're at risk of LE --nodes removed, rads to the axilla, and even 'just' a mastectomy because you lose breast lymph nodes--then I think there's probably some protection and no downside to wearing a sleeve and gauntlet while flying. There's no credible research on this question, because it would be unethical to put a group of at-risk women in an airplane and fly them around to find out if they swell up. But I've watched half-filled flimsy water bottles during flight, and seeing how they flex tells me that there's a lack of air pressure while airborne. I have very mild LE, and I wear the sleeve and gauntlet while flying. If I had no diagnosis but was at risk of LE, I'd want that protection.
0 -
trr Wearing sleeves on airplanes for prevention is still controversial but my BS did want me to have one for my 10 nodes side. Eventually got LE in the arm anyway but I wear them on both arms on a plane (4 nodes on the other side). I once didn't wear it on the 4 nodes side for a 2.5 hour trip and my arm did feel a little heavy. Granted I have it in one arm so I know my risk is a bit higher than your average person… but a friend of mine had a ton of nodes removed and Rads. She flies all the time without it and she doesn't have LE.
So it's really your call.
0 -
I think Lago landed squarely on the problem: It's not possible to know if you're really at risk. Forty years ago, my mother had all her axillary nodes removed and had rads well beyond what's delivered today. She's flown quite a bit. Never wore a sleeve. Never had any issue with LE. I had five axillary and one breast node removed, no rads, and got LE. The LE risk statistics are not very helpful and it seems there's work to be done to figure out the individual factors that make some of us more and others less susceptible to LE after BC treatments.
0 -
trr, if you go with compression, be sure the fit is right, because a poorly fitting sleeve can cause more problems than it solves:
http://www.stepup-speakout.org/proper_fitting_of_l...
Also, if you use a sleeve, you'll want to use some hand protection too--either a compression glove or a gauntlet (fingerless glove). Here's why:
http://www.lymphedivas.com/handprotection.asp
Test out your compression garments before you travel so you know they fit well and you can manage them. Leave them on for an hour or so once you've arrived.
Other strategies that help with air travel include being careful with heavy luggage, stay REALLY well hydrated before and during your flight, pause occasionally to take a few deep abdominal breaths, and do some gentle arm and hand stretches throughout the trip.
Happy travels!
Binney0 -
Binney- thanks for the articles!
0 -
I haven't been on BCO for awhile. Thanks for the responses about what to say when asked about your sleeve. HAHAHAHAHAHA, on "it's a sexual thing." Hmm, not sure if I'll be able to say it with a straight face, but it would be fun to try it. Thanks for the laughs! Happy 4th of July!
0 -
How bout saying " its the same problem as your nose....Its out of joint!"
grrr. Sometimes I want to educate and sometimes I want to just steam off at them but I haven't yet. Well.... I came close to venting when a girl at the cash desk asked and all I said was "cancer" then she said," oh sorry", and then I just felt sorry for her that she had to ask. ugh.....it will make you crazy.0 -
Since I wear Lymphediva patterned sleeves, I am asked EVERY DAY about them. They think they are tattoos. "Did that hurt?" "Oh, it's like if I had to wear an eye patch, I would bling it out! Fun!" "Fashion statement?" "Where can I get those?" I usually say it's "a medical thing" but maybe I will just say " cancer." Some strangers actually grab my arms to look at them. NOT cool. I guess this should be on the Grrrrr...thread.
0 -
Strangers grab your arm! What?! That's just creepy
0 -
I guess that's why they call them strangers.
0
