Compression - the dating game

I am still wearing compression after my surgery, and intend to keep wearing it, because my lymphatics are sluggish and I want to look after my lipoedema as best as I can for my future health.  As so many of us are wearing compression I thought I would branch out into reviews of the different compression I'm trying. 

I'm currently in the dating game where I haven't given my heart to any one make or model, as I keep hunting for tights that are a bit softer or a bit smarter or have some comfy open toes, or are in funky colours etc etc.  

I decided that in no other area of our lives would we wear the same thing all the time so it seems to me that the NHS approach of two pairs of compression to last six months is not only a real nuisance for daily washing and drying, but is also unrealistic for my lifestyle - how would the same tights look good in a work meeting, dress down casual and be breathable and extra supportive for exercise classes?  

I do understand that the NHS has limited resources so I understand that the NHS can't provide me with an unlimited amount of compression garments.  I'm lucky that I can afford to treat myself to some extra pairs, so I'm going on a journey over the next few months to try and find:

• everyday thigh support: I can't stand to have too little compression and support on my thighs, I want to support their healing/preserve my surgery results.  
• comfy tights that don't feel scratchy and itchy in wear.  
• tights I can get back into fairly easily after being in the swimming pool. 
• the perfect solution for exercise: this will be covering my foot and offering strong support around my thighs and knees whilst still having a breathable groin/not being too hot.  I may need to achieve this with layering or something in made to measure
• smart work tights: a neutral/natural and modern or inoffensive pair of tights that aren't in a shade that evokes 1980s American Tan or unnatural beige, nor gives me Nora Batty ankles!
• funky coloured tights.  Pre lipodema I had a drawer of patterned and coloured tights.  I did flirt briefly with wearing a pair of funky tights over my compression but it seems too much of a faff to adjust both and wear two pairs so I have not worn any fun ones for months :(
• open toed weekend tights: something for relaxing in which doesn't have open toes that vanish up my foot towards my ankle and be difficult to wear in all my shoes

As I've got a large wishlist, I might not be able to have a spread of pairs that meet these wishes all the time, but now I know what I'm aiming for!  I'm going to the Lipoedema UK conference at the end of the month so I'm hoping there will be a spread of suppliers there to feel the texture of their tights and get some ideas on what to try.  

Almost in love with a wonder model

I'm continuing my hunt for the holy grail - comfortable compression tights that offer support and look good.  I'm finding I still want some thigh support on my wobbly bits so I'm looking at tights which are around the 25-32 mmHg, which is class 2 or class 3 depending on which classification system is used.  

As Daylong and Pebble both had special offers on last week I splashed out on two new pairs, and this is my review of the Solidea Wonder Model CCL 2.  

   

How they looked just out of the packet 

Wonder model comes in a range of colours; I went for Natur which is their palest skin tone as I have naturally fair skin, no hint of a tan.  The colour looks more natural on than it does in these photos.   They come in open and closed toe; I went for closed toe as I find open toes rarely fit the shape of my shoes and tend to walk backwards up my feet during the day too :(  

  

View of the feet showing the different textured soles, which feel a bit more cushioned than normal compression, but can pop out and be visible at the heel or side of the shoe.  

As you can see, they are a nice fit, and don't crease uncomfortably behind the knee when I bend my leg.  

My first impression was how lovely and soft they are: I have tried the Sigvaris Diaphane and Haddenham Veini and both feel more scratchy and nylony - more like cheap tights.  These Wonder Model are very soft to the touch and feel soft on my legs.  I have now worn them for several days and can confirm they do not make me itch!

At the top of the thighs you can see they have a textured band.  It is a design feature as it is a patterned band which is on top of my thighs just below the groin and runs round each leg.  It is approx 2 inches wide in wear.  This is the worst thing about them for me; the band is less compressive so I find I bulge out in my inner thighs where the band is.  That doesn't feel reassuring to me when that area has been smoothed out by the liposuction so I don't want to encourage it to bulge out again and am concerned about my internal healing with this bulging effect.  

In wear I have found they feel quite supportive for day to day running around as they have bands that go up the outside of my hips so give me some bum support too and they look great in the office with my workwear.  Very smart and stylish enough for parties as well as work!

Overall, they are a keeper and are a pretty good choice.   I love the firmness of the class 2 tights and I love their soft texture and look but I find the band is not quite supportive enough for my liking as it allows that bulge.  I have decided to invest in some control thigh suppression underwear to see if that works with these tights to give me the right comfort.  I have had M&S recommended for this so I'll do another post on those and how they work in combination!

Photos - Post Surgery Week 10

 

Here I am 10 weeks after surgery.  You can see how much straighter I am between the legs, with a nice clear line down my inner thighs to my knees where the fat pads have been removed.  My waist is still smaller than my hips as I have a very small waist, but you can see that I no longer stick out as much at the thighs.  

The weather in the UK is unseasonably warm and quite humid, so I've been swollen for a few days.  My ankles by evening have been more obviously swollen on the right than the left but both have seemed a little puffy - the right leg tends to be slightly bigger from the ankle all the way up anyway, and it wasn't quite as fat as in my post surgery compression photo where both feet looked swollen to me.  

I've taken these photos after a night of sleep to try and get the least swelling in them.  I'm not sure if all the post surgery swelling is gone yet - I'll have to see what Professor Schmeller says about that as I think I still have some swelling left in my outer thighs in particular.  

If you are wondering how the incisions healed up, here is a random and fairly representative incision.   The scar is nice and flat, and not raised.  It is still a little bit dark, as you can see.  I have one with a nearby mole and when I go to put bio-oil on at night, I have to be very careful to rub the oil into the scar and not the mole as in slightly dim light it is hard to tell them apart.

   

Here is my worst incision.  This was the one which was slow to completely dry out.  It is very slightly raised and thicker.  It is over 5mm long and maybe 2mm at the widest point.  

Photos: Day 1 post surgery

I guess some people might find these interesting as a gauge for what you can see just after surgery.  These photos were taken in my room at the Hanse-Klinik by Professor Schmeller at around 8am the morning after surgery.  The nurse removed all my dressings and then had me stand on extra mats as the tumescent fluid was still dripping down my legs in places, as you can see, because the incisions are left open to allow the fluid to drain.  

By the time I flew back to the UK and removed the padding, I didn't leak anything like this much; this level of leaking lasted maybe 24 hours at most.  

Here you can see the bruising as it was starting to come out and you can see the pen marks if you look closely.  They took several days to wash off.  

There are quite a few drips on the floor as I moved around whilst waiting for the Professor to come into the room.  I also sat on the bed briefly, so that is the cause of the drips you can see on my bed pad.

If you want a really good look you can click on the photos and a bigger photo appears!

Photos: Pre-Surgery

I've been asked for pre-surgery photos and other than realising I don't have many of my legs in clothes (never mind undressed!), I thought that perhaps for consistency I should share the photos taken of me literally just before surgery, taken by Professor Schmeller.  I added a post-it note to ensure I was decent (ish!) as he made me take my surgery gown off for the photos so I had only a towel for modesty.  

These images were taken in the theatre just before we started the procedure so I am standing on a squishy mat, hence my feet sinking into the floor!  Unlike many ladies with lipodema I don't have an ankle cuff.     My calves are chunky but Professor Schmeller said he felt that was currently natural rather than lipodema, and he didn't detect lipodema in my calves or ankles so he only operated on my upper legs.  

Looking at the photos above and these closer photos of the areas to be operated on, you can see that my bottom half is disproportionate, with how wide I am out at the thighs, how close together my inner thighs are and that the alignment is wrong around my inner knees, so you can see the fat pads there.  

Professor Schmeller then knelt in front of me with a marker pen and started to mark up just where my thighs and knees were out of proportion to ensure he was very precise in where he would operate.  

Heat, Swelling & Compression

With the heat this week I can't deny I have one ankle fatter than the other for the last few evenings :(  

I see it in my compression so it is hard to know if this happened always and I never noticed - I only started wearing compression just under a year ago so I lack measurements or opinions from last summer.  

Maybe the best advice I can give is to really get to know your body pre-surgery so you don't panic when you notice things with the extra scrutiny you give yourself post surgery.