Compression stockings?

[JenniferInOhio]

I'm wondering if the body adapts to having compression stockings so that if you take them off, your symptoms are worse than before you started wearing them. I don't know if this makes sense. I do really well without compression stockings. My doctor wants me to try them anyway. What if I wear them and my body gets used to wearing them and then can't cope without them?

Does that make sense at all?

[JaneEyre9]

Hi Jennifer,

I thought this too at first, but i think that as long as you're not wearing them day and night constantly for months at a time that you'll be safe. You only really need to wear them during the day when you are upright. I have found that they help me a lot, especially when I'm in rehab.

I asked Dr. Fouad's nurse how to avoid dizziness if i take them off and then get directly into the shower. She suggested removing the stockings while lying down and drinking some fluids before getting into the shower. Usually I try to take them off and keep my feet up for a few minutes before i walk around without them.

Hope they help you like they did me!

Kristen

[Ernie]

Hi,

I have been wearing mine for 3 years and I have not realized that I developped tolerance.

[katie_b]

I've had compression tights for about a year now. I used to wear theones up to my waist, but recently switched to knee-highs. I've never noticed that I built a tolerence to them. I don't even notice a difference in my symptoms, but my doctor feels they help.

[lthomas521]

If your illness is getting worse for reasons of its own, then it may look as if you are developing tolerance of the interventions you are using to combat it. There's no real way to tell whether the problem is tolerance or progression of the underlying disease--especially since the underlying disease is usually unknown.

[yogini]

I have actually had the opposite results. I used to wear 30-40 compression hose, but now they seem too strong for me. So I usually wear 15-20 or no compression hose at all, because when I wear stronger ones, it feels like too much pressure in my head. On my worst days I go back to the high compression.

At Mayo they told me that they recommend compression hose as one of the basic treatments for POTS, because they are not a medicine, have no side effects and can just be taken off if they don't work. On the really bad days I can see a difference in my HR when I put them on. On the "regular" days, I can

tell that they keep my symptoms in check and give me a little more energy, especially towards the end of the day.

You may want to start off with a low grade pair and see what happens...

Edited November 21, 2005 by rqt9191

[Guest Finrussak]

I was told to wear THIGH highn ones by the cardiologists here,,,said the calf high ones are actually worse and only are for varicose vein issues. The I saw Dr Grubb and he said the thigh highs arent good as theyll make abdominal pooling worse so he suggested waist high ones. After wearing the thigh ones for more than 3 hrs and then took them off (like to shower ) I DID have worse sx...as if my body didnt like being without the help. As for the waist highs...I am too ill with them. I am very short waisted and long legged so my hips almost touch the lower rib edges...not much waist at all...and the stockings press on the abdomen and make me short of breath as if the blood is now pooling in/near heart and lungs... then after suffering for 5 hrs ( I had to try)...I removed them and had the worst 9 hrs of my life with what Im guessing was sudden blood flow return to parts that were constricted before...maybe due to the stretchy veins all over my pelvis ( 3 pregnancies- MRI shows varicose veins INTERNALLY!!) and abdomen,....maybe Im sensitive, maybe my body fights stuff too much, maybe it over corrects too hard...all I know is I can only tolerate the thigh highs and only IF I time their removal to just before bedtime and after Im lying down for the night...but they really dont help much...temper the episodes a tiny bit...almost not enough for the effort...

[JenniferInOhio]

Thanks for your replies. I still don't know if I'm going to try them. We are going to Disney World soon and I'm wondering if I should wear them since I will be on my feet most of the day (something I don't normally do).

[Mrs. Glass]

I have to wear the pantyhose type due to clotting problems. I hate them but they keep the blood from pooling in my legs and abdomen. My b/p is higher when I wear them sometimes. My docs told me that I had to wear them for the rest of my life, that I could not be without them. I do not wear them at night though. My b/p always goes up when I lay down, so they do not want them on me at night. Now on days that I am bedridden I am to wear them all the time. Sounds like a contradiction, but I also have problems with clots. Just one more thing upon all of the other things. So I wear them even if I do not like them. I just figure that I do not have a choice, but a walmart you can order colored ones where you do not have to wear the ugly white ones. The strength that I have to wear is 30-40. I have to get some more as I have lost so much weight and muscle mass that the ones that I have are too large now. That will give me 3 different sizes now. I will just keep them in case meds make me gain weight. Hope you find the answer that you are looking for. Vanessa

I'm wondering if the body adapts to having compression stockings so that if you take them off, your symptoms are worse than before you started wearing them. I don't know if this makes sense. I do really well without compression stockings. My doctor wants me to try them anyway. What if I wear them and my body gets used to wearing them and then can't cope without them?

Does that make sense at all?

[d4g7]

My Doc told me that it would be a good idea for me to wear them, but would be very uncomfortable living in the area I do, where in Summer the temperature can easily get up to +40 C.

So far, I've done without them, but avoid standing for too long.

Maybe I could try them in Winter when it might be a little more comfortable...

[Jenn202]

The only problem I have ever had wearing compression hose is when it is hot out....

Other than that I have never had a reaction from taking them off, of weraing/not weraing them...

Sometimes I go weeks without wearing them and some daus I use my 30/40 others my 20/30

I wear the thigh high and they work well for me.

[Eli6596]

Hi

Vanessa had a good point. Make sure you are wearing the correct size. When your weight changes get them refitted. Also, I think getting a new pair every year is wise because the elastic might get stretched out from frequent use. After wearing them for years and washing them in Woolite, I was finally told that Woolite breaks down elastic. For all of the above reasons, I erroneously thought my compression stockings were not working anymore. I don't think that I have ever developed tolerance. They really do help me on my "bad days".

If you are going to Disney World, ask about a special pass for the disabled that could allow you to jump to the front of the line. My children want to go to Disney World, and maybe we might go when it is not too hot. I bet motorized scooters might be available for rent down there too. I saw a recent report that shows that even young, healthy volunteers had an increase of their heart rates to the high 100's, so I know I will forever avoid the rollercoasters. I get motion sickness anyway.

Karyn