First Long Haul Trip

5 months after my surgery I took my first long haul flight.  The flight was approx 11.5 hours and was travelling to West Coast USA so to a hotter country than the UK.  

For the actual flight itself I wore: Solidea Arm Sleeves., some Marks & Spencer firm compression thigh shorts/pants and Sigvaris Comfort tights.

I took a bag with me to put on the floor as a footrest, so I could get some more comfortable elevation of my feet, rather than trying to keep them on the little footrest from the seat infront.  

I made sure I was in my compression from early in the day before I flew, so I was starting off with very little swelling - other than the arm sleeves which I forgot to put on and had to pull them on in the airplane loo!  I also kept the compression on at the other end until I got to my hotel when I removed my arm sleeves.  

In flight I did some walking and stretching but nothing exceptional, and just checked my compression for wrinkles/ensured it was staying in place from time to time.  

On arrival at my hotel I found my ankles were around 1-1.5 cms larger than normal.  This took a few days to go back down.  Do bear in mind that I did not have liposuction below the knees, so this could be a normal part of my lymphatic circulation and so doesn't mean this will happen to anyone else.  

I didn't have all my measurements with me so can't be quite sure if I was bigger all the way up my legs or not.  

I had no pain or discomfort.

I wore my compression garments daily, wearing a combination of the Sigvaris Comfort Class  2, Sigvaris Diaphane Class 3 (so the same mmHg as different class system) and Mediven Ellegance Class 2.  The Comfort were the coolest and most comfortable in the heat but the ellegance were OK too.  

The main thing I did that I think got my leg swelling down after 3-4 days was a daily pool session. I either went to an actual aqua class or did a session in the hotel pool so was doing around 45 mins to 1 hour a day.  I went to Walmart and purchased a couple of pool noodles for less than £5 and a childs inflatable ball to help me get a good solo workout.

I had travelled on business so in the office I elevated my lower legs on a chair wherever possible.  

Flying back to the UK again my lowers swelled up and took several days to reduce - again I was going to the pool as much as I could but not as easily as in the US.  

    

Marks & Spencers Control Pants as a top-up

Despite wearing class 2 compression, I have wanted more panty support (to be honest I felt like capris with my tights would have been great as they would have covered all my surgery areas with extra support).  Now that I am in month 5 I feel less need of the extra support other than for sport.  

As I didn't enjoy wearing full compression leggings over my tights, I went for compression type shorts under my tights.  If you like the idea you could try the Solidea range or the Haddenham Veni capris.  Solidea have a wide range of lengths which runs from pants at around £20 through to shorts and capris at around £40 and then the full leggings.  They are generally only light compression of around 12mmHg so I wouldn't wear them on their own. 

I wanted something that would go under dresses and skirts without poking out as I moved, and I was a bit impatient so I went into M&S to try control underwear.  This does not have a compression rating but the first set you see here, which was labelled firm control, felt quite similar in fabric style to my comfy ETO compression.  



The only problem with these shorts was that they have a seam which is stuck down on the front.  As you can see on the right it came apart.  I returned the first pair, but then seemed to have the same effect happening with the replacement, but not as badly.  








I liked the feeling of support and the lack of overheating groin, so I invested in some extra pairs in a different style, which might be a little less compressive as the tummy is slightly less firm.  You can get previous seasons cheap on ebay so I got two pairs for around £5 each!  They are a little shorter and are made of the same fabric all round so don't have the front seam problem.  They feel a little less compressive and I have to be careful when getting my tights over them not to roll up the bottoms of the legs, but they are very comfy for all day wear.  

  

I have been wearing these nearly every day under my compression (unless I wear the Sigvaris Comfort Bodyform tights I got recently, which have compression to the waist and which are now, at six months post surgery, supportive enough on their own for daily living and badminton!).  

I find these are easy to put on without gloves.  I pull the bottom of the legs down and ensure they are smooth before putting my tights over the top.  Once I've got my tights up I slide my hand down inside and again pull the legs flat or run my hands over them if needed, to ensure they are smooth. That can need repeating as you take your tights down and up when visiting the loo!

I think if you want some extra support to supplement your garments as you heal, or for sports, then this can be an economical option that my husband says looks nice on!  

Swimming in Lübeck

I spent the six months before my surgery getting fit.  I did that in several ways, one of which was to attend every aqua exercise class I could find, so prior to my surgery I was at several classes a week.  I became so keen on the water that I was sad to think about having to stop whilst my incisions healed (and as it turned out I had a leaky one it was around a month before I could get back into the pool).  The hotel I stayed in didn't have a pool so on my way back from the consultation with Professor Schmeller, my long suffering husband joined me at the local swimming pool, Zentralbad Lübeck.  The photo above shows the opening hours (and that if  you are brave or have some German you could even join in an aqua exercise class on a Monday!) but you should check them out at the highlighted link to be sure they are current when you go.  Incase it isn't obvious, Öffnungszeiten means opening times and Zentral is central so I believe this is the main swimming pool in the town.  

The price of a swim was 4 euro each, so I thought it was good value.  The water temperature was a bit cold - 26 degrees Celsius according to their website but I can only say it felt cold to both me and my husband. He still remembers it as a bit on the cold side but says it was OK.  It was one of the coldest pools I had been in for a while so I had to move around briskly - so it did me a favour really!  We went in the shallow pool as they have a shallow pool and a deep pool - the deep one was full of lane swimming at the time.  Maybe that pool is warmer but I am sure I touched it before leaving and it felt the same!

My tips for the pool (other than be prepared for a bracing temperature!) are:
* take flip flops or pool shoes as no-one wears outdoor shoes in the locker or changing areas.  That is a strict rule and will be enforced by the staff (they are friendly and will help you and show you the way around etc)
*the changing area was separate for men and women so ensure you have separate bags and shower items if you go with someone of the opposite sex
* I can't remember if you needed a coin for a locker - if so they would take a one euro coin
* the shower was a communal open shower (but just for your own gender as I recall) - so again I recommend using your flip flops.  The shower temperature was fine though!  You will need to take toiletries with you.  
* I don't remember about hairdryers - I left mine towel dried as we walked just around the corner straight into a restaurant for dinner so I was dry before we went for the longer walk back to the hotel.  

The pool was nice and clean so I would swim there again and would recommend it to a water lover.  I wanted to get a bit of pressure on my lymphatics after the flight and before my surgery, in the hopes it would help (and I find water workouts and swimming great stress relief).  If you feel the same I hope this post helps you!

In checking the details for this post I found that there are  other swimming pools in Lübeck so I have included a link which reviews the Zentralbad and the others.  

Haddenham Veini - like Goldilocks but not finding the "just right"

Great customer service.  Haddenham were the best firm I have dealt with so far with a faulty item.  My tights had a small hole in the heel when they arrived and Haddenham sent another pair straight away and told me I could mend and keep the first pair.  Fabulous super fast response within hours of my email.  I really want to love their tights as I loved their service. 

 The Haddenham Veni tights come in a range of colours. I was able to have a chocolate brown on NHS prescription which is a very welcome change from black and beige.  You can see the shade better in the pictures below. 

The colour made me very happy as I felt I could pass for someone wearing a pair of ordinary brown opaque tights.  These would be a good choice if you want to avoid black and "granny beige". 

 My skin against the tights to show that they are a nice deep, rich brown shade, and how dense the colour/texture is as it is hard to see that in the full leg images above.  








Why would you spoil this nice colour by sewing the seams in black thread?  Not what I want my husband to see, big black seams :(  This was not a sexy look.  

They also have the waistband style which is a turned over fabric to form a channel through which a piece of elastic is threaded (unsurprisingly it is black elastic).  I found the elastic would do the usual turning over and folding in the wash trick so I needed to fiddle around getting it flat before wearing.   


In the photo you can see that I am wearing under shorts and they are creased on my left leg and riding up. You can also see on my left leg that, despite wearing shorts, the tights were giving me a terrible little bulge right in my inner thighs below the groin.  Not a nice look, nor what you want after liposuction on that area.  Without the shorts the bulge was really obvious and I had a terrible under bum shelf.  I've never seen a pair of tights give me that almost sharp line where the compression stopped.  

I would say the panty section on these tights had no compression.  On me the size I was measured to fit was too baggy (the legs fitted but even without undershorts the top was loose over my tummy) and had no compression to my hips and stomach.  That might be great if you hate the feeling of compression on your abdomen (so great for eating out!) but my thighs want strong compression for support so these tights looked bad and felt bad on me.  On the left you can see the first size I was given - if you enlarge the photo you can see it was wrinkling around my ankle and how there was no stretch in the panty area. 


I rang the clinic and explained they felt really loose at the top and unsupportive on my thighs, so she arranged for me to be sent the next size down.  Yellow top is the smaller size and red top was me in the larger size.  The "knickers" you can see are my knickers, the tights are that more transparent shade all the way up.  So good if you don't like a very dark panty section.

As you can see the under bum crease was terrible in the smaller size.  I have never seen anything like it and I blame it on the lack of any compression in the panty area.    
 

 Here you can see that the problem I had was not the seam of the panty section starting; the tights were cutting in about 1cm below that, forming that crease under my bum.  You can see the effect happened on the front too, but not as badly.







Overall, I really wanted to like these tights as they were not beige and the customer service was really good.  However, I don't think I am a good match for their sizing charts as it was like Goldilocks and the 3 Bears' beds, going from too big to too small, but in my case with nothing "just right".  

Personally I want tights that make my thighs feel supported when I run up stairs or take any exercise - these gave me nothing.  No support, just aching thighs.  

If you like the texture options and colours that their website has, and would like a loose and comfortable panty section then these may be your ideal tights.  Sadly I had to give in and buy alternatives to wear as even with added shorts they would give me the funny little creases and I was concerned that this was not good for me.  

 

Mediven Forte

As I've been looking for a stronger compression to wear for exercise, the Mediven rep at the Lipoedema UK conference suggested I try their Forte line which is still round knit but firmer than their other round knits.  She kindly sent me a pair of their petite socks in this fabric so I could feel and try them to see if I would like to order a pair of the tights. 

You can see the normal "medi" writing on them in pink and the nice purpose made elastic areas at the calf top and the open toe end.  I like the robust and comfortable stretch in the finishing of these open ends.  I think they would be comfortable for longer wear and they did feel firm.   

I really liked their texture, they did indeed feel very firm but supportive and had a nice comfortable foot band.  I would like to try running around with them as I imagine they would be very comfortable.  The colour is the predictable "too dark for pale celtic skin" as you can see - these would not be at all discrete unless you could get a better colour match. 

You can see that the sample I was sent was a petite and I am not a petite, as you would not normally stop that far below your knee!   
 

 
You get the usual device with them for putting on open toed garments.  It is really big so be careful it doesn't go right round the back of your heel as it will be hard to pull out through the toe.  I have size 4 feet so had a bit of a tug of war when I realised I had got it up behind my ankle inside the sock!



So overall these are an interesting texture which do feel more firm than the Mediven Elegance and I think they are worth trying for sport or active lifestyles.  I would need to find out about the compressive panty section to decide if I wanted to buy these as tights for my sports.  

Mediven Elegance Compression Review

I must admit I was very keen to try Mediven Elegance.  They have quite a following and they make some fabulous "Trend Colours".  I haven't seen such a variety in any other make, with the exception of the colours and batik prints that Juzo offer.  

 I really miss wearing my coloured tights as this was my old tights drawer pre-diagnosis - almost Marie Kondo but not quite :)

NHS prescriptions generally come in black or beige, with very few other colour options.  If I want the exciting Mediven colours I'll need to pay privately I think but I'm happy to treat myself as I think two pairs of tights doesn't work well for me for six months. 

These tights are in the shade called Beige.  It is a little dark for my skin tone.  Not horribly so but if I had them again I would see if the NHS prescribe the paler shade to be more discrete.  The word Medi is in pink on the sole of each foot and you can just see it in the photo.  

The change between the panty and the leg section is quite comfortable in wear.   They are moderately firm to get into and do wrinkle a little behind the knees if you sit around all day, but the knee crease is fairly soft. They feel quite a decent strong elastic inside so you can pull them up and pull them around by sliding your hand inside them and pushing against the surface then sliding your hand up or down to ease out a crease if you don't have gloves with you.    

I recommend that you ensure you give them a good smooth out with gloves after putting them on as I find it easy to get small folds that I don't feel, eg hiding behind my ankle.  

Personally I like a compressive panty section.  These tights have some panty compression but I prefer to wear undershorts with them for exercise or busy days as it is distinctly less compressive than the main leg section.  

They have a prominent pattern on the panty section, consisting of lines forming almost Ws.  It looks OK, but I don't personally feel it improves the look.  

Disconcertingly the tights have a deliberate opening in the waistband, which you can just see as a raised area by the centre seam (the label is not in the centre back but sits on your right hip).  That isn't an error but is to allow you to insert extra elastic if needed (I emailed Medi to report the error so I think they should say that in the pack!).  I personally quite like the stretchy waistband, it is very comfortable and so nice not to have a length of elastic turning around against the skin!

They have quite a nice smooth texture but not as soft as the Sigvaris Comfort tights.  They are quite dense in texture but you can still see moles etc up close.  They give your legs a generally even airbrushed textured look.  

I find that personally I would prefer stronger lower leg compression as they are allowing a small "bubble" of fluid to collect on the inside of my lower legs around 1 inch above the ankle and then going up for say 2 inches.  The effect goes away when the tights come off and the fluid does disperse.  You can almost see the edge of it on my left leg where there is a small indentation into my lower leg.  It is very slight and may not occur after the summer heat eases?  I will try them in the autumn and add an update.  

I do feel that my legs ache a bit after a long day sitting or on my feet in these, but again I would need to check in cooler weather to be sure if these tights are OK for me then but just not as good in summer.  

Overall I like their robustness and general comfort but find them less soft and less compressive in the panty area than Sigvaris Comfort so the only way these tights are ahead of Sigvaris is their colour range.  A good "number 2" choice for me, but I can see why they are so popular.  

I wear these in the Class 2 but I think Class 1 are likely to be the same in the areas of my review. 

Solidea Night Wellness

Solidea make wonderfully soft compression, the texture is delightful and so comfortable against the skin.  

As I had been advised to keep wearing compression after surgery, I decided to try these "Night Wellness" stockings for wearing at night, to give me a rest from constantly being in tights. They cost £28.90 a pair and you can purchase them from Solidea or via Pebble UK.    They come in black or pale pink.  They are very light compression, 12-15 mmHg.  

They look attractive on, so are a good confidence boost if you don't like wearing ordinary compression at night but do feel you need some support sometimes.  

They definitely keep my legs a little warmer at night.  It is a comfortable warmth and I have enjoyed wearing them on spring nights, but I don't fancy trying them on a hot summer night!  

They are quite a dense opaque black, with the word solidea in white at the top and a grey foot/heel section.  They have a nice purpose made edge on the foot and I find they don't move too much in the night.  The foot band is quite elastic so you will be able to move and place it easily.  It looks nice as it has been woven to be open toed so has no loose threads.

They stay up very well overnight.  You can see I do get the elastic squashing in a little but I don't find it uncomfortable.  You can see below that the marks where I've turned the top over are not red or sore.  You can also see the way they are held up, loads of little elastic threads.  These little elastic threads did seem to break easily so I had to go up a size (I was near a size boundary as you buy these based on weight and height) after breaking quite a few threads in my first pair!  I am concerned about how long they will last before I break too many threads to keep them up!  

I would suggest that if you are near a size boundary you go up a size like I did in the end.  They should last longer and the word "Solidea" will look less stretched out on your thigh.  

Overall these are a nice addition for wearing if you are perhaps having an active holiday and feel like you need some night compression, or feel your legs would benefit from a little extra warmth or support at night.  

Sigvaris Diaphane CCL 3 & CCL 2

Sigvaris Diaphane are a range of tights designed for the French market I think.  Their compression strength is measured using the French AFNOR standard (as opposed to the German RAL standard).  AFNOR is a lower mmHg than RAL so a class 3 Diaphane is 20-36 mmHg and a class 2 is 15-20 mmHg.    

The Diaphane are very easy to put on and take off.  They are very light and thin and have an actual waistband rather than a slot where a length of elastic is threaded.  That is a real benefit as it makes them look and feel more like normal tights.  These would genuinely pass for ordinary tights, albeit ones with somewhat of a coarse weave.

They are very easy to put on as they are quite thin and light fabric.  You must still wear gloves as because these are quite an open weave, they are easy to ladder or tear.  I have managed to snag them on the inside of my shoe, the trim on my other slipper when putting my feet together, on my bracelet etc.  They are the flimsiest compression I've had so far.    

Because they are so open and easy to put on and off they are great for busy days and make you feel very comfortable in wear.  They do not crease in the back of your knees or form any uncomfortable folds because they are not as dense a fabric as some more "medical" looking compression.  These feel a little harsh/dry textured - the texture makes me think of nylon rather than the soft feeling of a thicker pair of tights like the Sigvaris Comfort.  

They are quite good for comfort in the heat - especially around the groin as they do not have thick seams anywhere.  

The compression is very mild in the panty section so in the months since surgery I have gone from CCL2 to 3 and still needed some M&S thigh control pants under them.  On their own they are not enough for me to do sports without some aching, but they were OK for that pre-surgery. 

These are the class 3 closed toe Diaphane tights.  Class 3 only come in "Dune" or black on prescription.  

This is a shame if you are pale skinned like me as the "Natural" shade they have in class 2 on prescription is a paler shade and looks more natural if you don't have a tan.  The shot with my shoes included a notepad to help show how warm "Dune" is.  

 These are the class 2 "Natural" shade in open toe.  You can see it looks a little less tanned.  The close up is of the same pair of open toed tights, and shows the shade a little better.  

You can see the wisps of threads where the open toe tights are made by effectively removing the end and seaming the foot section.  I found the wispy bits looked annoying and the tights moved up under my foot and would cut in a bit so personally I wasn't impressed as there was no grip at all to keep the open toes in place.   

The Diaphane in class 3 (right) have a v shaped panel inserted in the centre of the area over your stomach, whereas the class 2 just have a single centre seam (left).  The panel perhaps reduces the effect of the compression/seam on your tummy as they are very comfortable and light to wear, even after eating a large meal!

Places to eat in Lübeck

You can walk around Lübeck happily looking at places to eat - all the usual restaurants from Italian to chinese etc.  We just wandered around and were always able to find something good to eat.  

It seemed like people don't tend to eat late - the restaurants seemed quite quiet by 9pm. 

If you are looking for easy menus then I can confirm that the Maredo steakhouse has menus in English as well as German (I think they had a range of languages) and their food was fresh - salad bar, steaks, fajitas etc.  The staff were friendly and it was a very comfortable place to eat. 

The Park Inn hotel has an Italian restaurant LaBaracca Cucina Italiana with menus on tablets - like small ipads.  You can switch the languages on those and you order through your tablet device!  The restaurant has loads of windows so is very light and nice to look out from whilst you eat.  

For something indulgent and different for an afternoon tea I have to recommend the Niederegger cafe where you can indulge in their famous marzipan in tasty desserts and tea.  They do also sandwich type mains.  

Things to do in Lübeck

 
Lübeck is a fascinating place to walk around with great architecture and interesting things like this 3D mini map of the town that we just walked past by some shops.  

The Niederegger shop, cafe and museum is wonderful.  You have to go to the cafe and try marzipan tea and marzipan cake.

The museum is upstairs, accessed through a side door in the cafe, and is quite small but informative.  It covers the history of marzipan making and has some impressive statues made of marzipan - it smells quite nice in there!
 

The shop downstairs has some impressive marzipan art too and the most amazing varied flavours of marzipan.  

I think the marzipan options are so varied that this is the only place to shop for souvenirs!




Another place I wanted to visit, but which was closed when we were in town was the Theatre Figure museum.  You can find it up a little side street - you can see this dragon outside!  They have over a thousand theatre puppets so are on my list to go back to one day.  

Lübeck itself

So I realised I hadn't said much about Lübeck itself, other than that many people will speak good english.  The town is famous for it's brick architecture according to google.  A good example of that is the old gate here, which is on the walk from the train station or Park Inn hotel into town. 

If you get close and look up it is quite impressive too!

 The river is just on the edge of the town centre as you walk through the gate above. 

 Random old building overlooking river - such a lovely and peaceful area.  I felt   Lübeck was very picturesque and welcoming. 

If you are wondering about the town itself, Lübeck is a small town, with a lot of places to eat and a decent range of shops (bakeries, sports/small department type stores etc).  

It does have some steep hills if you wander all over, but you can walk some interesting routes around the town or along the river if you want to avoid the steeper streets,  

There are a lot of cobbles in the town centre side streets and pedestrianised areas so wear comfortable shoes not high heels if you go walking!