Compression Socks, need recs!

Wils0722

Hi ladies! So my feet were horribly swollen after a 2.5 hour flight at about 15 weeks so for my upcoming international journey, my doctor recommended compression stockings. What she failed to tell me was that I needed an appointment and prescription. So like any good pregnant woman, I procrastinated and now I am not sure I will be able to get the prescription quality ones in time.  Anyone know of good OTC stocking from a CVS, Walgreens or even Amazon? I'm super nervous that I'll get off the plane and be unable to walk!! 

thaisac1

You can find compression stockings at Walmart, Target, CVS etc. You are looking for knee-high medium compression stockings, they make it in sheers for women. Usually the medium compression will give you 20-30 mmHg of compression (maybe a touch less) which will be good in preventing edema during long flights. I wear them often when I fly.
During the flight, try to move your legs. The calves are the pumps of the veins, so just by activating your calf muscles you will help the venous drainage move upstream. You can do this by simply flexing and extending your feet and/or your toes several times, from time to time.

thaisac1

Oh, and when I lived in the US I often recommended this site to patients with venous disease, as the stockings run a bit cheaper there: https://www.ameswalker.com/

These are 15-20 mmHg, which is lighter compression: https://www.ameswalker.com/compression-stockings/aw-16-sheer-support-closed-toe-knee-highs-15-20-mmhg.asp

These are 20-30 mmHg, which is medium compression: https://www.ameswalker.com/compression-stockings/aw-280-signature-sheers-closed-toe-knee-highs-20-30-mmhg.asp

If you find that the compression stockings squish your toes, you can opt for an open-toe stocking: https://www.ameswalker.com/compression-stockings/aw-44-sheer-support-open-toe-knee-highs-20-30-mmhg.asp

I find it helpful to have at least 2 pairs, cause you can wear one while you are washing the other.

Wils0722

@thaisac1 Thank you so much! I ordered the open toe ones because I have a thing about my toes being squished. This website had excellent pricing and I am so very grateful to you! 

thaisac1

No prob. Glad to help.

Of note, if you ordered the 20-30 mmHg one, you will notice it is not super easy to put on (due to the compression), especially in the beginning when the stocking is at its stiffest. If you struggle with that, you can put a regular knee high sheer on first (any cheap non-compression one), and then put the compression one on top. The sheer underneath will help the compression stocking slide up easier.
It may not be an issue for you, I find it to be more of an issue among older folks who don't have as much strength/ flexibility, but if it is an issue, then try this.

And the last advice is: Do not put the stocking on an already swollen leg, as it will do nothing but trap the swelling down. The way it should be used is, you put it on first thing in the morning before your legs get swollen, and it will then help prevent swelling.

Wils0722

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! You're such a blessing!!! 

AmadorRose

@thaisac1 I want to pick your brain as well. I have strong family history of vericose veins in pregnancy and am honestly a bit terrified of them because I know they can become quite painful. My legs have recently started getting achy and restless, so my question to you is if compression stockings will help prevent or lessen vericose veins and if the answer is yes, should I see if I can get a prescription at my next appointment? I'm on my feet for at least 8 hours at work with minimal time to sit and chart, and I'm on my feet for a couple more hours when I get home just to clean up (the cat hair never ends).

elasticheart13

This is awesome information, I will be flying next week and I was thinking about getting some compression socks. Thanks!

thaisac1

Wils0722 said:

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! You're such a blessing!!! 

Don't mention it. At the end of the day, it's my job.

thaisac1

AmadorRose said:

@thaisac1 I want to pick your brain as well. I have strong family history of vericose veins in pregnancy and am honestly a bit terrified of them because I know they can become quite painful. My legs have recently started getting achy and restless, so my question to you is if compression stockings will help prevent or lessen vericose veins and if the answer is yes, should I see if I can get a prescription at my next appointment? I'm on my feet for at least 8 hours at work with minimal time to sit and chart, and I'm on my feet for a couple more hours when I get home just to clean up (the cat hair never ends).

@AmadorRose , one cannot fight a predisposition for varicose veins... As you know they tend to run in families, and we cannot fight genetics.
BUT, I think compression stockings would be a good way for you to decrease your risk of getting them as much as possible. Let me see if I can coherently explain this over text:

The veins have a pretty hard job in life.... They have to pump blood back from the legs up and back towards the heart, against gravity. To prevent blood from 'falling back', all veins are equipped with little valves, which are super thin, like cellophane or thinner. Because of this, these valves tend to degenerate and retract over time (and this is where genetics comes into play, as some people have venous valves that degenerate and retract early, others have valves that last longer). When the venous valves degenerate and retract, they are less efficiency in 'closing the vein shut', thus allowing blood to reflux back down (which is called venous insufficiency). The chronic pooling of blood in the poorly efficient veins increase the local venous pressure and then cause the veins to distend, causing the varicosities.

As I mentioned above, the calves are the pumps of the leg veins. So as the calf muscle bundles are activated, they squeeze the veins and help keep the blood moving upward towards the heart (imagine milking a cow ). By using compression stockings, you make those muscle bundles tighter, thus they exert more extrinsic compression upon the calf veins. So, if you have leg veins whose valves are incompetent, the compressed calf muscles will exert more pressure around them, decreasing the lumen volume, approximating the edges of the incompetent valves, and thus making these valves more competent. At the end of the day, venous return from the legs is more efficient.

Again, one cannot fight genetics, but this is a simple, cheap and easy way to improve venous return and prevent varicocities as  much as possible.

As metioned above, the right way to use them is to apply first thing when you get up, and take them off at night.

elasticheart13

thaisac1 said:

AmadorRose said:

@thaisac1 I want to pick your brain as well. I have strong family history of vericose veins in pregnancy and am honestly a bit terrified of them because I know they can become quite painful. My legs have recently started getting achy and restless, so my question to you is if compression stockings will help prevent or lessen vericose veins and if the answer is yes, should I see if I can get a prescription at my next appointment? I'm on my feet for at least 8 hours at work with minimal time to sit and chart, and I'm on my feet for a couple more hours when I get home just to clean up (the cat hair never ends).

@AmadorRose , one cannot fight a predisposition for varicose veins... As you know they tend to run in families, and we cannot fight genetics.
BUT, I think compression stockings would be a good way for you to decrease your risk of getting them as much as possible. Let me see if I can coherently explain this over text:

The veins have a pretty hard job in life.... They have to pump blood back from the legs up and back towards the heart, against gravity. To prevent blood from 'falling back', all veins are equipped with little valves, which are super thin, like cellophane or thinner. Because of this, these valves tend to degenerate and retract over time (and this is where genetics comes into play, as some people have venous valves that degenerate and retract early, others have valves that last longer). When the venous valves degenerate and retract, they are less efficiency in 'closing the vein shut', thus allowing blood to reflux back down (which is called venous insufficiency). The chronic pooling of blood in the poorly efficient veins increase the local venous pressure and then cause the veins to distend, causing the varicosities.

As I mentioned above, the calves are the pumps of the leg veins. So as the calf muscle bundles are activated, they squeeze the veins and help keep the blood moving upward towards the heart (imagine milking a cow ). By using compression stockings, you make those muscle bundles tighter, thus they exert more extrinsic compression upon the calf veins. So, if you have leg veins whose valves are incompetent, the compressed calf muscles will exert more pressure around them, decreasing the lumen volume, approximating the edges of the incompetent valves, and thus making these valves more competent. At the end of the day, venous return from the legs is more efficient.

Again, one cannot fight genetics, but this is a simple, cheap and easy way to improve venous return and prevent varicocities as  much as possible.

As metioned above, the right way to use them is to apply first thing when you get up, and take them off at night.


-------quote fail-------

When I began reading your response I started imagining the veins singing "It's the hard knock life". What is wrong with me :P

BrittnyS10

I found some knee-high compression socks at a nursing scrub/uniform store. Most of them were bright colors and patterns. And they had 3 different ranges of pressure to decide between. I know some people who have bought them from medical supply stores as well, I'm not sure if they needed a prescription to get them there though.

AmadorRose

@thaisac1 thanks! I've always thought that the valves stopped working efficiently and allowed some backflow, which causes the veins to swell and become painful. My cardiac rehab nurse mother will be very impressed with this additional knowledge, but it definitely makes sense. I'll ask tomorrow to see if my insurance will cover a pair or two, because I'm cheap, otherwise I'll go buy some. At least I'm not genetically inclined toward stretch marks

thaisac1

BrittnyS10 said:

I found some knee-high compression socks at a nursing scrub/uniform store. Most of them were bright colors and patterns. And they had 3 different ranges of pressure to decide between. I know some people who have bought them from medical supply stores as well, I'm not sure if they needed a prescription to get them there though.

You don't need a prescription. But if you have a prescription and get them at a medical supply store, in many instances you can have them covered by your insurance. The advantage of medical supply stores is that they can fit you for the correct size.

thaisac1

AmadorRose said:

@thaisac1 thanks! I've always thought that the valves stopped working efficiently and allowed some backflow, which causes the veins to swell and become painful. My cardiac rehab nurse mother will be very impressed with this additional knowledge, but it definitely makes sense. I'll ask tomorrow to see if my insurance will cover a pair or two, because I'm cheap, otherwise I'll go buy some. At least I'm not genetically inclined toward stretch marks

If they don't cover, the website I provided above has very reasonable pricing.

emgee27

@Wils0722 I fly internationally a lot for work, along with the compression socks and stretching your legs while seated, try to get up at least once every 60-90 min and walk around to keep the circulation going. Drink a lot of water and stay away from sugary drinks to keep hydrated. Bonus - if you're drinking a lot of water, you'll probably have to use the bathroom in the same time frame you should be getting up and walking around anyway!

Have a safe and fun trip! Where are you headed?

redselig

This post has been very useful! My doctor prescribed compression hose (32mmHg) for my Christmas travels and they are challenging to put on! Is there a huge difference between hose that goes over the bump and knee length? I would like more than one pair and am leaning towards knee lengths...

AmadorRose

@redselig if your doc prescribed thigh-highs, I'd stick with those as DVTs and varicose veins can occur through the thigh as well as the calf.

As far as getting them on, you can't wear them like regular socks. I worked in nursing homes for many years and found the easiest way to be with the resident (sock-wearer) sitting down. I fold back the leg of the sock and put on only the foot, so the sock is on the foot and the rest is folded over once, near the ankle, and covers the foot as well. Then, I'd work in 3-4 inch sections and pull the material up the leg. This allowed me to get them on quickly and pull tight enough as I went to ensure there weren't any creases, as folds can become very uncomfortable in the compression stockings when you wear them all day.

sprocketsngadgets

Wish this had been discussed earlier. 16 hours in the car even with stopping every few hours to stretch my feet/ankles are super swollen

AmadorRose

sprocketsngadgets said:

Wish this had been discussed earlier. 16 hours in the car even with stopping every few hours to stretch my feet/ankles are super swollen

Make your next pit stop at a Walmart. Mine don't swell horribly but the ones there are enough to keep my feet from becoming overly fatigued when I work on my feet all day.

jkeezy

Can you wear them at night too? My left leg has started waking me up in the middle of night, aching/restless.

I've a 12hr flight on Monday and will be wearing them then anyway but can I wear them the night before - haven't had a decent night's sleep in nearly 2months now

thaisac1

redselig said:

This post has been very useful! My doctor prescribed compression hose (32mmHg) for my Christmas travels and they are challenging to put on! Is there a huge difference between hose that goes over the bump and knee length? I would like more than one pair and am leaning towards knee lengths...

The longer the stocking, the harder it will be to put on. For most people, knee highs do just fine.

thaisac1

jkeezy said:

Can you wear them at night too? My left leg has started waking me up in the middle of night, aching/restless. I've a 12hr flight on Monday and will be wearing them then anyway but can I wear them the night before - haven't had a decent night's sleep in nearly 2months now

You can, but there is not much use for them at night. At night, when you are supine, venous return from the legs to the heart is facilitated (as opposed to when you are standing, when gravity pulls fluid down).
So there is no medical need for nightly stocking use, unless you like it for comfort.
Of note, if edema persists overnight, it's not venous edema.

AmadorRose

jkeezy said:

Can you wear them at night too? My left leg has started waking me up in the middle of night, aching/restless.

I've a 12hr flight on Monday and will be wearing them then anyway but can I wear them the night before - haven't had a decent night's sleep in nearly 2months now

To caveat @thaisac1 since I've started wearing them during the day, I don't need them at night. Previously, they had been very restless and kept me up until all hours. They haven't felt restless at all on the days I've worn them. I wear them from about 5 AM until 6 PM.