I have always suffered from leg pain. I have had it so badly it has made me cry. I know a lot of people who use support hose for fluid retention and to prevent blood clots. I found if my legs are hurting, I can put on a pair of support hose and it helps my legs feel better.
They make support hose for men and women. They come in a variety of sizes and colors. Mine are hand me downs but they work so well, I keep them on my nightstand.
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My doctor just increased the tightness of my support hose due to a venous insufficiency problem in my legs. The darn things are so much tighter than the ones I had been wearing that I don't use them daily like I'm supposed to.
I saw in a catalog once some type of device that helps you put them on and take them off easier and now don't know where I saw it. Any ideas anyone to help me?
By gayle from Rochester, NY
It is called a support hose butler. Amazon sells a few varieties.
www.amazon.com/
I have had to put on some pretty tight hose, granted not that tight, but tight and I was surprised at how well gravity kicks in when i would lie on my bed on my back and put my hose on with my legs in the air! It works! after all your pulling them downward onto your leg! Your not trying to fight them upward! You try it ok!
About thirty years ago I took a nurse's aid course and we were taught when we put the hose on a post surgical patient to roll them all the way down to the toe and cover the toes of the patient and then gradually unroll them until they were all the way up. I am assuming that would for work for you too. That is the way we used to put our nylons on back before the day of stupid panty hose.
Any medical supply store in your area will carry them or order you one.
Maybe putting a little baby powder on your legs would help the hose slide over them easier.
Sometimes putting a pair of regular nylon panty hose on first, and then slipping the support hose over them helps. rolling the support hose does help.
Buy some rubber gloves, the kind that have small ridges on the palm. The medical supply store that sells the stockings should also sell these gloves. Ask the fitter to show you how to properly don the stockings. Put the stocking over your toes, then don the rubber gloves, and "walk" the compression stocking up to your knee.
You might try your local medical supply store. There are various sizes of stocking aids including ones for support hose.
I had something called a "sock donner" in my "hip kit" when I had hip replacement surgery this summer. It helped a little, because I was not supposed to bend over, but it was still tough to get my compression stockings on. Mine are knee highs at 30mg - pretty tight. Yes - it is important to wear them every day with these vein problems. Now that I can bend, I just scrunch them down, put them over my toes, pull them up my foot until the heel is place, then grab both sides and pull them up. With good care, two pairs lasted a whole year. Rubber gloves sounds like a good idea - worth trying.
The yellow rubber gloves or gardening gloves, helped me a lot but I also used a coffee can ! I cut the top and bottom out of a 2 1/2 pound can (make sure that there aren't any places to catch or cut you, or put some wide tape over the edges). Then I put the toe of the sock in to the can and open up the sock and flare the top of it over and down the outside of the can.
I was recently told to start wearing support hose. I bought a pair of thigh highs thinking they were meant to be held up on the upper thigh. Well, I brought them home and they were literally stockings! I can't take them back, no refund. I have no garter belt. I honestly thought those things were outdated already? I mean, this is support hose, not the sexy kind. Where in the world will I find a garter belt that is standard, not the sexy kind? Please help, I need to wear them, it does help. Thanks in advance.
By Kathy54 from Cincinnati, OH
Did your doctor tell you to wear support hose? If so did he/she say the thigh high ones or specify any length? I would think if you were told to wear them by a doctor, they would have told you what length to wear. Also to get the proper size for yourself you have to be measured by a professional, because they go by different measurements.
Recently I got a pair of knee high ones and spoke to the sales person at a medical supply store, I gave her my calf measurement and she informed me that what she needed was the ankle measurement, in order for them to do the proper job. Different brands might need different measurements. From what different people have told me I wouldn't buy them over the counter.
Hi - these stockings can be expensive so I understand your question.
Be sure these are the correct style you need first (you can call your doctors office and ask if you are not sure).
If these are the proper ones for you then I would suggest you visit some of your local thrift stores and try to find a couple of pairs of panty style girdles. Be sure to buy a size or two larger than you wear because you will not want them to be too tight. But - not too big either as you do not want them to be "falling" all the time.
Preowned/Used in good condition is okay because you will surely launder them well before wearing.
Good luck and good health!
You will never find a girdle at a garage sale. Not in a million years. My father had to wear those thigh high hose. He bought glue, I think at the medical supply store) and it held his hose up all day long.
It is the kind of glue skaters and beauty contestants use to keep their costumes in place. It came in a bottle and rolled on. He ran the tube around his leg, pressed the top of the hose against the glue and he was all set. The problem with calf length hose is that on many people, they constrict the blood flow right below the knee making the problem worse. The glue washed off in the shower.
Try the lingerie department of JC Penney, Sears, Kohls, and Macy's. If you are in the American South, try Dillard's, too. I was in the States during Spring 2011 and saw plain garter belts in all of those stores. You may want check the bridal department, not all of the things available there are over-the-top sexy.
If you sew, KwikSew has garter belt patterns that are simple, and easy to sew. I've made several to wear with support hose.
Also, I have worn Hanes sheer support panty hose-very comfortable, eliminating the need for garter belts, and doctor approved as support hose.
Hi again,
I agree that you may not be able to find what you need at a garage sale but I frequent thrift stores in my area and see these girdles quite often.
I have found very nice (sometimes very new) girdles for less than 1.00 and this has been a big savings for me. Our health and welfare comes before cost but when possible I like to save money.
I can't help you with a garter belt, and I don't wear support hose, but with regular thigh-highs what I do to keep them in place is put them on then put on the bicycle short style shapewear, making sure to pull the legs down over the tops of the hose. I buy a brand of shapewear from Kohls. They have it at just about everywhere now. Hope this works for you.
Check out National on line. They have support hose that have elastic around the top so you will not need anything to hold them up. I don't wear their support hose, but I have been very satisfied with their regular hose. Hope this helps.
