Theraputic Hose

[Mary P]

Hello to everyone,

I'm looking for advice. For 2 years I've been wearing thigh-high support hose. I can't tolerate the panty-type because they squeeze the life out of me.

The pharmacist said I'd need a prescription from my GP to get the next level of support which takes me to 'theraputic' hose. She says this type is much harder to get on and is much tighter when on. I'll need a pair of gloves to get them on.

What I'd like to know is: "Do I really need the theraputic type or am I just as well off if I buy new support hose more frequently, like every 5-6 months."

I have Multiple System Atrophy with Autonomic Predominance and some Parkinson-like symptoms so I'm dealing with a lot. After making an appt to be measured for theraputic stockings, I'm wondering if I really do want to go that route. My GP couldn't answer this and neither could the pharmacist. They said, "It's your choice." They don't know anything about my condition so can't answer my question. I understand this. It's an extremely rare condition.

However, for me, this would be like choosing between med A or Med B. I'm not qualified to do this. The theraputic hose is really expensive and I don't want to waste $ if I find I can't wear/tolerate them.

If anyone has had any experience with wearing regular support hose and then moving to the theraputic hose, I'd really like to know what this has been like for you.

Thank you for any advice or suggestions you can give.

Mary P

[Ernie]

Hi Mary,

I had 30-40 mm compression hose since 2002. I just got my pair of 40-50 last week and I wore all day yesterday (12 hours). They are custom made. I find a big difference between each level of compression.

If you can't handle the compression on your belly you can ask to have hoses for pregnant woman or if they are custom made you can ask the person measuring you to put no compression on your belly.

I would not go without my compression hoses. It gives me 4x time to stand.

[mkoven]

Compression isn't enough by itself, but does make a big difference. I'd rather be compressed and take fewer meds/lower doses. I'm now used to putting on 30-40. 40-50 help more, but are a challenge to put on. I've also been wearing an abdominal binder, but that may be more than you want, if you don't like having your stomach squeezed. I think I have a lot of pooling there, so I'm glad for it--plus I have an unstable pelvis and the compression helps there too.

[Katja]

I wear waist-high 30-40 hose, almost all day, every day. They don't bother me, but I know some people can't tolerate them. They take me from about a "2" to a "5," in terms of how I feel and how well I'm able to function. I barely even notice that I'm wearing them, but that's probably because I'm so uncomfortable without them. I have to wear some kind of abdominal support with them, though - otherwise, they don't help much (since the blood just pools in my abdomen, instead).

[dsdmom]

I wear 30-40 mmHg thigh highs and wouldn't go without. I switched from 20-30 to 30-40 about a year ago and noticed a huge difference. I would definitely give it a try.

[yogini]

I'm not sure what you mean by "theraputic hose" vs. "support hose". What compression are you currently wearing? I think 30-40 is what is generally recommended for POTS, though some people benefit from having greater compression. I don't think anything is necessary, you just have to go with what helps you. There are some times when I wear hose, and otehr times not at all. You can also try getting your insurance to cover all or part of your costs. Good luck!

[pat57]

I love mine and also wear the 30-40

[Mary P]

Thanks to all for your help. I feel more confident now about getting the 30-40. It seems that all of you get along fine with 30 - 40 so I'll try this.

I don't think I'll ever be able to go to the 40-50 because arthritic thumbs will probably make trying to get them on impossible for me.

Ernie: Where do you get your custom made hose.? This sounds good to me. I could get much less compression in the belly area. The pressure/squeezing was so bad with just 28 - ?? that I felt that I would faint. I'd have to stop my walk to try to push down the waist band before I could move on. All this in the middle of a sidewalk but we must do what we must do. A pregnant woman's hose sounds good as well. I'll call my pharmacist with your ideas.

rqt9191: At present my hose is just 28 - ??, not much compression I guess, and we can buy these at any dept store. As for therapeutic hose, I can only say that when I asked for a hose with more compression, the pharmacist said I'd have to get a prescription to get these. The gov't here in ON requires this. I don't know about other provinces. I live in Canada and was told the same at a health-type store where we can get all sorts of 'stuff' for a health-related problem, i.e., walkers, canes, neck braces, etc, etc. It is a gov't supported store. For example, I got my walker at one such store and I paid 25% whereas the gov't payed 75%. I had to have a physio therapist visit to assess me but it was worth it. At a dept. store I'd have had too pay the full amount.

[Ernie]

Hi Mary,

I bought mine at Ortho-Concept. There is also Medicus that sells them.

You can also buy the thight high. They are similar to the hoses but don't have the panties.

I am ordering 3 other pairs this week. I find mine very comfortable. You can also ask the lady to put no compression on the belly. I asked mine to put more compression on my belly because I have pooling there too.