quick question about compression hose

For anyone that has had to wear these ridiculous things or to any of the nurses/former nurses on this board that is familiar with them.
Is it normal for them to cause my feet to become very very cold and make my toenails somewhat blue?..

I'm guessing that it's not. I'd rather not give up on them after less then a day as I'm sure the cardiologist would not approve - would probably think I wasn't giving them a chance. I don't know what the compression is on them, it does not say on the bag.

Sounds as though they may be a little too tight if they are cutting off your circulation. Talk to your cardiologist and see if they have any suggestions. They are just the hose, right? You may have the wrong size and a different size may be all that you need .

ETA: It may also be that wearing them will stretch them enough to return circulation to your legs. Of course, it is never optimal to have no circulation to your feet so talk to your Dr and see what they have to say.

I will have to wait till tomorrow to call. Minor problem is that I live 130miles away from the cardiologist's main office and I'm not sure how easy it will be to get a different compression around here. As for size, that seems fine. I don't have fat legs so anything larger would probably fall off.

I'm not even sure how much these things will help me since I suspect I might be partially misdiagnosed.

Yup, it would be a minor problem living 130 miles away . They should be able to help you over the phone though (I would think anyway) and maybe they call in a different brand, or something, to help you. Why do you think you were misdiagnosed (just curious-- I see it all the time so I am not doubting you, believe me!)?

Originally Posted by pipersjo

Why do you think you were misdiagnosed (just curious-- I see it all the time so I am not doubting you, believe me!)?

Click to expand...

He diagnosed me with vasovagal syncope (also called neurocardiogenic syncope) based on symptoms and my EGK having negative T-waves. The description for this lists falling blood pressure and falling heart rate as the cause of the faint/near faint.
I've been measuring what happens when I stand up for a few weeks now. When I stand my heart rate jumps up an average of 43 bpm (highest I've recorded was 59), blood pressure barely increases or may stay the same. Thats just a normal day when standing causes a heavy pulling feeling on my head, palpitations, and a headache.

Either way I don't know for certain and the doctor won't until I have more tests done.... really looking forward to that.


On a some what related note - if anyone here is a fan of the show Mystery Diagnoses, next Monday there will be an episode featuring a story about orthostatic intolerance/dysautonomia. Apparently, a lot of people have difficulty getting their doctors to even believe this is a real health problem.