Lymphedema garments & how to care for them

Dawne.Hope

Hello ladies,

Those of you with lymphedema, what are your favorite gloves/sleeves? I ordered my first sleeves this week. With what do you wash them? Do you have two pair if you can afford them so that one can 'rest' for a day. I've heard you should do this with your bras and was wondering if the same were true for the sleeves/gloves/gauntlets.

I need a lymphedema garment 101 class. Any info on garments and how to care for them and your favorites brands would be helpful to me. Thanks.

MNLynn

Lymphedema sleeve care . . .
I have two sleeves - so that I can always have a clean one to wear. I haven't tried different brands - my physical therapist ordered "Juzo" brand sleeves for me. I bought some liquid Dreft and use that to wash the sleeves, then lay them flat to dry.

Do you have insurance that covered your bc medical costs? If you do, your sleeves for lymphedema should also be covered under your insurance, I think (subject to your deductible and out-of-pocket, just like any other medical cost).

Hope your sleeve helps! I've been pretty good at wearing mine (I don't have it on EVERY day - which I probably should!) - but my arm is doing ok - and not getting worse, at least.

Wishing you all the best . . .

♥ Lynn ♥

ladyg

When I got
my sleeve I was told to just rinse it out each night after I wear it. I was also told not to put it in the washing machine. I only have 1 but I do not wear it daily. I only use it if I am going to be doing something physical. I am one of the lucky ones I guess as mine is not very bad at this point. What also helps me a lot is the fact that my husband does the massage for me every night.

Hugs,
Georgia

carkris

ladyg said:

When I got
my sleeve I was told to just rinse it out each night after I wear it. I was also told not to put it in the washing machine. I only have 1 but I do not wear it daily. I only use it if I am going to be doing something physical. I am one of the lucky ones I guess as mine is not very bad at this point. What also helps me a lot is the fact that my husband does the massage for me every night.

Hugs,
Georgia

I just wear mine when
I just wear mine when flying. I have jobst brand. (bilat)

cavediver

LympheDIVA.com
Ira have a custom glove and sleeve, and then some rack ones. The custom is Jobst...find in thick, not attractive material. I have a Medi rack which is more like a think stocking material and more pleasing. But, the most beautiful of all will be the patterned sleeves you find at LympheDiva.com You can get in class I or II...they are beautiful and not near as hot or bulky as the others.... check them out.
I was mine after each use in Woolite and pat dry, then hang to dry. Unfortunately the thick custom JObst takes more than 10 hours to dry! Good luck.....

Rague

I wash mine in the washing
I wash mine in the washing machine with my regular soap. Then if I'm in ahurry for them to get dry, they go in the dryer with a dry clean towel that has never had fabric softener used on it with no heat - just tumbling - will be dry in an hour. I was told not to use bleach, color safe bleach or fabric softner (liquid or dryer sheets) or a soap that contained those. Soaps that do not contain those are fine to use (at least according to my lymphedologist.) No heat in the dryer either. Doing all the 'outside' stuff I do (primarily everything with the horses), I don't think that Woolite would get mine clean - that's just me.

All of my day sleeves and gloves are Juzo. Are there others that I might like better - possibly, but VA gets my stuff and they deal with Juzo so Juzo is what I have. All of my sleeves and gloves are custom as my hand is 'strange' - short fingers compared to length and width of palm - also have some 'webbing' between middle fingers. Currently I have 3 light compression sleeves and 1 medium. Very seldom use the med. as it doesn't work as well aas the light. I have 3 gloves - 2 light and 1 med. (don't like it). I really like the optional Silicon cuff for the top of the sleeve - it keeps it from 'rolling'. My lights all have it but my med doesn't - BIG different in how they stay put and comfort.

My night sleeve is a Tribute (also custom). The only 'problem' I have with it is K. didn't order it with 'fingers' so it ends at knuckles. I use an Isotoner compression glove with it so there is better compression through lower hand into fingers than the sleeve gives alone.

Remember that we are all different and need different compression. My first sleeve and glove were heavy/high compression - they made it much worse! Still deaqling with issues but lower compression (at this time) is better for me.

Just me and my experiences.

Susan