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Posted by NancyF on 1/2/2008, 4:03 pm, in reply to "Re: ? sleeve ?"
71.234.116.101
I agree. A sleeve would be good. Also, you might want to ask about a glove.
After I healed from surgery, my surgeon sent me to a physical therapist for exercises and instructions regarding lymphedema. I had 23 nodes removed on one side and 6 on the other. About a year after I completed all chemo and rads, lymphedema developed on the side where the 23 nodes were removed and rads were given over the node area. At that time, my surgeon sent me back to the physical therapist for massage, and the PT fitted me for a compression sleeve and a glove. My hand was totally normal and just my upper arm was swollen, but she said you can wear a glove without a sleeve if ONLY your hand is affected; but otherwise you need a glove if you wear a sleeve, so the lymph is not forced down into your hand by the compression on your arm. In your case, I would see a physical therapist to be absolutely sure you are getting the right compression and length of sleeve. A poorly fitted sleeve can cause a worse problem. Right now, I wear a commercial sleeve that I can buy myself online (and pay for it online) OR from a pharmacy recognized by my insurer as a DRG (durable medical goods) provider for the specific insurance plan I am covered under. I have done both (paid myself and gone through my insurer). When my insurer wasn't paying, I bought it online after my PT gave me the name of the sleeve and the compression. Now my insurer is paying, but I have to ask my surgeon to write on the prescription "Right Arm lymphedema" and the compression level. In my case, the compression is 30-40 mmhg. My PT decided on that level. Yours will probably be different. I tell my surgeon the compression level the PT recommends, and my surgeon writes it on the prescription. If your insurance company is nicer, you won't have to be so detailed. Here's where I got my sleeve online when I had to buy it myself. Some DMG stores have technicians right there in the pharamacy/store that measure your arm and decide on the compression level.
I hope this isn't too much information. My doctor doesn't do anything for my lymphedema -- just sends me to the PT. I get the info from the PT, give it to the surgeon's nurse, and the surgeon then writes the prescription and mails it to me. I take it to the DMG pharmacy who sends it in to their vendor. A few weeks later, I get the sleeve. Here's where I got my sleeve online when I bought it myself. My insurer won't pay for gloves, so the PT orders them for me and I pay her (or I get them online. Here's the address of the online vendor I have been using:
http://www.lymphedemaproducts.com/products/juzo-soft2000-cg.html
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