Compression legware: Need help from someone with judgement.

In My Humble Opinion
1

I am being treated for lymphedema in my lower legs. The treatment is coming along swimmingly, so my PT brought in her pet compression garment vendor. I, of course, know the true value of a vendor you can trust, and I trust my PT (more or less; well, she’s cute in a medical way and my legs are doing better than expected), but after getting my quote all I could say was WTF? Am I being a cheapskate and is there some benefit to leaving it to the pros?

(1) Farrow Hybrid Liners (pair), List $100.00, My Co-Pay $39.64
(1) Farrow Classic OTS Legpiece (each), List $462.50, My Co-Pay $185.17
Giving a total per leg of $562.50/$224.81
-or-
(1) Farrow Hybrid Liners (pair), List $100.00, My Co-Pay $39.64
(1) Compreflex BK Legpiece (each), List $562.50, My Co-Pay $197.29
Giving a total per leg of $652.50/$236.93

Please note that I explained to them, and they verified, that my crappy insurance doesn’t cover durable medical equipment, so “My Co-Pay” is a dream, but let’s pretend that’s what I’ll pay. I let my mouse do the walking. At the first website:

(1) Farrow Hybrid Liners (pair), $27.94
(1) Farrow Classic OTS Legpiece (each), $124.00
Giving a total per leg of $151.94, saving me $72.87
-or-
(1) Farrow Hybrid Liners (pair), $27.94
(1) Compreflex BK Legpiece (each), $163.90
Giving a total per leg of $191.84, saving me $45.09

Or I could go with a legpiece that goes from ankle to knee with kneehigh compression socks, since liners are just socks:
(1) Dr. Scholl’s Men’s Microfiber Firm Compression Socks (pair), $9.99
(1) Compreflex BK Lite Legpiece (each), $96.50
Giving a total per leg of $105.99, saving me $130.94

Should I give in to my Frugal Bohunk nature, or should I leave it to the pros?

2

Perhaps, you should check out compression leg ware From someone less cute and who doesn’t have a " pet vendor’ on call.
I don’t use the leg ware, but try to compare this kinda stuff before buying it.

3

IANA expert on this, but I did assist my wife in resolving an edema problem a couple years ago. Here’s our experience.

The items recommended and sold by the experts were expensive. As you’ve seen. OTOH, $100 is pocket change compared to the hassle and expense of being crippled or infected after cellulitis sets in.

So we bought the first set from them. To compensate them for their expertise. They have to make a living too and their expertise contributed greatly to my wife’s health.

We bought the next couple sets from Amazon for 1/3rd that. It’s nice to have a set to wash & air-dry while the other pair is being worn.

Also, do not confuse the high-powered legwear needed to fight back against active edema with the much less potent stuff needed to maintain a healthy size once you get down to it. Maintenance stuff is much more reasonably priced.

Thankfully we’re past using all that stuff. Good luck.

4

See, this is why I included “need help from someone with judgement” in the thread title. I get all weak around skinny moms in scrubs. :o

The sore on my right leg is healing faster/pretty much healed, so I’m thinking of trying the cheapest way on that leg.

5

I mean, how edematous are your legs at the moment? As was said, there’s a difference between the “squeeze my legs like a vice as I’m being diuresed” and “lets make sure that doesn’t happen again”. Compression garments state the mmHg clearly and there is a lot of variance. (Where I work we use TEDs.)

6

Don’t know nuffin 'bout no mmHg outside a barometer, which makes shopping difficult. My current dressings are deliciously tight and have brought my calves down to looking like hickory bark. We may be closing in on a maintenance program, but my legs do like to inflate. What questions should I bring to my Friday appointment? The vendor won’t be there.

I’m glad the sores are about healed. I don’t know how much longer I could stand that high protein diet. Using the chart she gave me, and adjusting it way down because an accurate calculation would have me eating a nauseating amount of meat and cottage cheese, it had me eating a pound and a half of steak a day or insane numbers of eggs. I’m trying to lose weight to reduce the edema and take a load off my knees, but that’s 1800 calories just of meat or meat substitutes. I prefer a more balanced diet than the first three weeks of Atkins, though I should eat more protein because my blood albumin is low. Turns out that mainlining egg whites won’t fix it.

7

IANAD, but my wife is a PT. I would ask the therapist straight out if the cheapest option will suffice and, if not, why not. Explain again that this is out of pocket expense for you and that you must watch out for your budget. Many PT practices are corporate owned now, so I’m sure she is instructed to use their vendor first as that puts money in the corporate coffers. Her primary responsibility, though, is to get you better. If you ask her directly you should get an honest answer.

8

Regular MD didn’t believe me when I told her how well my calves were healing since I last saw her a month ago. Then she discovered the weekly set of photos the wound clinic took. “Amazing!” was repeated repeatedly. All I could say was that I’m a good healer.

My reward was her deciding that, when I’m in her office, my systolic BP is too consistently in the 140s for her taste, so she’s putting me on Losartan. “Will it make me dizzy?”

“It might not even work, but it’s what we start people on.”

I like candor. :wink:

9

I had a bout of edema by way of my kidney disease.

Some cheap calf-length compression socks from China worked for me.

It occurs to me that the desired effect can be stated as “This much pressure” over “This area” for “This amount of time”.

There has to be a few hundred ways of accomplishing that. My socks were about $5/pair.

Ask the doc “How much pressure over what area for how long?”.
And note that the suggested items, while as cute as she is herself, are a bit too expensive.

p.s. - Blood pressure meds are tricky - there does not seem to be a “one size fits all”, and it is a trial and error for each patient. It may take a while. Atenolol (sp) is a standard.

10

Not an answer, but a related question. Has she taught you how to do manual lymphatic drainage? It’s an important and empowering skill that can reduce lymphedema quite dramatically when done consistently.

11

Not yet. Things are proceeding faster than expected. Plus Doc is sending me to an ortho guy about my knee so i can exercise more and lose weight, which will help muchly.

12

Even if your insurance doesn’t cover the equipment, it’s conceivable that you’d get the in-network price which can be SUBSTANTIALLY less than list. In fact list price is wildly fictional.

Beyond that, I have no suggestions beyond the general thought that sometimes, the spendier stuff is worth it (durability, comfort, whatever).