My new compression stockings-question for ya

Sallysblooms

P.O.T.S. now SO MUCH BETTER!
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My hubby took me to get measured for compression hose today.:victory: My doctor said I could get any length I wanted.

I got the least strong 15-20, but still plenty of strength. I had hoped they would help, but they really DID seem to, shocked me. Kept my heart rate around 108 standing and walking.:thumbsup:

I took them off to take my bath and the top of my ankle had two dark lines where your feet flexes when you pull it back. HUM. My feet and toes were fine and no line on the calf. My doctor said they should not make a mark, for safety/blood flow. I guess I have to call her Monday. It has gone away now, but I was wondering if this happened to any of you. You know where your foot bends, top. I was so happy until I saw that. The lady measured me. I want to wear them.

They are Mediven brand. I was so happy to see results.
 

Rooney

Senior Member
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Great to hear this works. Are you comfortable sitting? I'm sick to death of my OI. Can you get a do-over because of the ankle. Or can you just cut 1/2 inch at the ankle as I have done at the top with panty hose. Very effective there.

R
 

Sallysblooms

P.O.T.S. now SO MUCH BETTER!
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What do you mean a do over? I don't think you can cut compression stockings.

I am not sure what you mean comfortable when sitting... with the knee high stockings ?
 

Sasha

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Hi Sally - I have compression tights that come all the way up to my waistband and although they offer a lot of compression I haven't had any marks on my skin from where they've been too tight like you have (i.e., mine are not too tight anywhere!). Mine were made to measure. My doctor has warned me against problems when you have too much compression in a particular area so I think you are right to be concerned. Can you take them back to the store and get them exchanged? If the assistant measured you, and yet you have this problem, I think the store ought to help you out.
 

dsdmom

Senior Member
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397
I've been wearing compression hose for a few years now bit is my understanding (and experience)!that they need to be at least thigh highs for them to be efficient. Full hose (waist high) are the best because they counter abdominal pooling. I use thigh highs. Started with 20-30 mmhg but have moved up to 30-40 and like them more. Also, just an FYI, jobst are thinner than medivens so I like them the most because it's not like having thick tights on.
 

IntuneJune

Senior Member
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NorthEastern USA
I had a hard time with compression stockings, I was measured....the waist high were too hard for me to get on, it threw my back into spasms. So thigh highs were tried. I looked rediculous in them, muffin top thighs bulging out very noticeable through my slacks, would have put up with that but I had the ankle creases also and they were STILL hard to put on, my back ached so. I do put them on when I am flying or a long car ride, or if I suspect I am going to be on my feet for a long time.

June
 

Sallysblooms

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I know the waist high are good, but I drink a lot of water, what a pain that would be. I think it would be too hard on my back and arms etc.

I will look into Jobst next, but the Mediven do have thin ones, they were out of the knee highs. I will keep looking for ones that work for me since they seem to help my POTS. Just a tad expensive to buy and not use. Well worth the price if I can wear them.
 

Sasha

Fine, thank you
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I've had to stop wearing my compression tights because of what the strain of putting them on was doing to my back. If I can get my back sorted out I'll try them again. It's true that they take considerable force to put on, and to keep pulling up (I only wear them under trousers these days so that the trousers will hold them up - otherwise they try to shrink themselves downwards). Also, it's right that after you go to the bathroom you have to apply some more force to pull them up again (though less than to get them on in the first place because you're only turning them down as far as you need). It's like lifting an extremely heavy weight from an awkward position! Quite a strain on the hands, arms and back.
 

August59

Daughters High School Graduation
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I wear the over the calf type and they come right to the crease of the knee. I also have 3 different "pressure" (30-40, 20-30, 15-25) and will wear a specific pair depending on how long I'm going to be sitting or walking. All of mine are by Jobst and they have held up great.

You do not need a prescription to purchase them on the internet. None of my pair cost more than $49 and some were less.
 

Sallysblooms

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I didn't need a prescription. I just went to my pharmacy. They have a very large selection. I have now started to put them on after lying down, in the morning, after a nap etc. That seems to work best.
 

kerrilyn

Senior Member
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246
I bought some yesterday, 15-20 from the pharmacy to try out before going to get a prescription. I want to go to a concert on Friday, with a possibility of standing so I wanted to see if they would help.
They kept my HR at a fairly reasonable level, as long as I continued to flex my toes and move around a bit. At least it didn't keep climbing.

I noticed while wearing them, I got a bit of an upset stomach and my head felt funny (maybe described as lightheaded - different they my usual light headed). Anyone notice that when they wear theirs?
 

Sallysblooms

P.O.T.S. now SO MUCH BETTER!
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I ordered the full height, pantyhose type yesterday. I hope they help even more than my knee highs.

I can't answer your question Kerrilyn. Maybe someone else can.
 

Sasha

Fine, thank you
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17,863
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UK
I bought some yesterday, 15-20 from the pharmacy to try out before going to get a prescription. I want to go to a concert on Friday, with a possibility of standing so I wanted to see if they would help.
They kept my HR at a fairly reasonable level, as long as I continued to flex my toes and move around a bit. At least it didn't keep climbing.

I noticed while wearing them, I got a bit of an upset stomach and my head felt funny (maybe described as lightheaded - different they my usual light headed). Anyone notice that when they wear theirs?

I think I got a bit of a squashed tummy and what felt like a pressure headache when wearing mine (but that was with a corset on top for extra compression) - lately wearing them under trousers but without the corset I got a bit of a squashed tummy again. Not an upset tummy though.
 

L'engle

moogle
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I've been trying out the knee high ones. Towards the end of a shopping trip, I checked my BP at the drugstore, and it had stayed at 113/74, which is where it is when I feel best. Other times diastolic has dropped to 65 or so and I feel like I'm being pulled into the floor, most painfully. So I think they do something. I can imagine the waist highs causing discomfort though. I find these uncomfortable if I'm relaxing with my feet up but good if I have to have my feet down.

Good luck finding ones you can wear comfortably.
 

Sasha

Fine, thank you
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It's worth pointing out that with the waist-high compression hose, the compression gradually reduces the higher up you go. I found that in the summer, when I wore mine around the house without any trousers on top, there was no compression on the abdomen because they just shrunk downwards because of the tension - mine had no waistband (mistake!) to help keep them up.

Some of the research done on OI (particularly with PWC? I forget) shows abdominal blood pooling so it seems best to compress the abdomen (which means compressing all the way up, not just at the abdomen, or you end up with blood trapped like a badly organised sausage!).
 

Sallysblooms

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I love how the knee highs feel. I actually miss them when I take them off to nap and sleep at night, ha. They are the 15-20, not the really tight ones, maybe that is why.
 

kerrilyn

Senior Member
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246
I think I got a bit of a squashed tummy and what felt like a pressure headache when wearing mine (but that was with a corset on top for extra compression) - lately wearing them under trousers but without the corset I got a bit of a squashed tummy again. Not an upset tummy though.

I was talking to a 'fitter' at a place where you get the prescription ones and she said with the pantyhose types the compression stops at the top of the legs. (??) I bought some at a different place but like you said Sasha they sure seems to squish the belly in. Don't know if it was an upset stomach as much as an unpleasant feeling, and maybe it was pressure I was feeling in my head. I also wore my abdominal band compression when I tried them out yesterday, just incase I have pooling in the abdomen. When I've worn it alone it has never made me feel 'icky', but the hose did. Hmmm.
 

klutzo

Senior Member
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564
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Florida
Compression hose

I had laser surgery(EVLT) and Microphlebectomy on varicose veins on both of my legs in December, thinking it would fix my problem of feeling faint when I stand for a long time, and sore heavy legs and feet, since ultrasound showed my superficial veins were not returning any blood to my heart due to shot valves. I turned down the sclerotherapy to fix spider veins, since the chemicals used have killed several people due to allergic reaction and I am allergic to everything. Fixing Spider veins is done for looks only. What I had done reduced my chances of having a DVT by 400%. The surgeon was kind enough to write off everything Medicare would not pay for, after knowing my situation.

I tried knee high compression hose before, and tried thigh high and pantyhose types after the procedures. I don't know if I have abdominal pooling, but my waist gets 4 1/2 inches larger between the time I get up and after lunch. I always thought it was IBS, but maybe it's pooling....how do you know?

I was required to wear thigh highs daily for a month after the procedures, which were much more painful than I expected. Having my gallbaldder out was a day at the beach compared to the EVLT after-effects and I had to take Motrin for 2 weeks, which messed up my bile reflux that took over a year to get under control. The Microphlebectomy did not bother me much.

Both my Cardiologist and my Vascular Surgeon said people should not wear knee highs ever, under any circumstances, because they have a band at the knee, which cuts into circulation right where the big problem veins go through and makes things worse. I really like them though, since they are so easy to put on and have seen brands with very wide bands that do not roll and dig . I found that thigh highs would slip down and dig behind my knee too when I did the required exercise (an hour of walking every day for a month). Pantyhose slipped badly, esp. after going to the bathroom, and I have irritable bladder and bowel, so it was a major hassle.

I prefer the thigh highs by far, but I get Intertrigo (yeast) rash if I wear them without putting on Zeabsorb antifungal powder before I put them on, and again after I take them off. The silicone band that holds them up is hot and it can get sweaty under there! This is not uncommon. The powder totally fixes the problem, and don't worry about the cancer warning. They told me that applies to oral administration, so just don't inhale any.

Someone mentioned the thigh highs bulging at the top.....If you are wearing the right size, there should be no bulge and they should come all the way up to your crotch.

The nurse warned me about the pantyhose being too hard to put on, and they won't even sell them in their office for that reason, but I bought them online anyway, wanting to see if abdominal compression would help, and almost had a heart attack, not to mention throwing my back out, every time I put them on.

It would make me sweat so bad I needed another shower, even with a ceiling fan on above my naked body in very cold weather, while I struggled to put them on, making awful grunting noises! Hilarious to watch, I'm sure, but not fun to go through! My pressure was 20-30, which is the pressure they require for varicose vein treatment. By the 2nd time I had worn my 3 pairs of pantyhose, all 3 had holes or runs or both in them from trying to get them on. One was ripped so badly, I had to throw it out. :eek:

I no longer have to worry about my bulging blue veins getting cut and maybe bleeding out before I can get help, which my doctor had warned me about before, but am disappointed that I still feel much better with the hose on than off, and my ankles still swell, though not as much. I had the procedures done since I cannot stand the compression hose in hot Florida weather. Right now it's so cold they are helping me keep warm.

I found a cheaper brand online by Footsmart and the nurse said they fit perfect so they were fine. I also read 17 reviews by people who said they liked them as much or better than the expensive brands. I don't know, since I never bought the expensive ones. They also have a unique bubble toe that helps keep your toes drier and less hot. Their thigh highs are $19, and $17 if you buy 3 pairs at once.

The nurse told me to keep in mind that all compression hose are designed for a course of therapy, and she told me that even the expensive ones are only designed to last 6 months maximum.

klutzo
 

Marg

Senior Member
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343
Location
Wetumpka Alabama
My new compression stockings questions for ya

I didn't need a prescription. I just went to my pharmacy. They have a very large selection. I have now started to put them on after lying down, in the morning, after a nap etc. That seems to work best.

Check out the Ames Walker site. They have their brand and a lot of others. Some people find that it is easier to put them on wearing Playtex gloves. They have tons of them and all styles.
 

Sallysblooms

P.O.T.S. now SO MUCH BETTER!
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The knee highs look so short there. My Medivan ones are longer. I read reviews of the tights and they said they are short. I am tall so I guess that brand won't work. I hope the ones I am getting in the mail soon will be nice and long. I love tights so I would love to get some long black ones.

Thanks for the new brand to look at. They are so cheap! Wonder how long they last.
 
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