Measuring

This morning I had Mark measure my arm. My therapist gave me a paper with the measurements from my last day. Unfortunately, I never saw the first day's measurements, but she did comment on the fact that the last day's numbers were bigger than the first day's. I think that is one reason she recommended I get the Flexi-Touch machine.

The machine's paperwork included a form to mark down my arm measurements for a few weeks. I was told by the trainer that I will be asked to submit that form in five or six weeks. I should have done it last Thursday before I ever used the machine, but I didn't. I wrote today's measurements down on the "baseline" column. There are five more columns to write weekly measurements on.

There was one wrinkle. My therapist took measurements at every 4 cm up my arm, starting at the wrist. The Flexi-Touch form asks for them at every 10 cm. So with Mark's help and a tube of lipstick, we marked my arm at every 10 cm, but just for grins we also marked at 4 cm and 8 cm up from the wrist. The final measurement, right at the top of the arm, is at 44 cm up from the wrist and must obviously be the same as the last one the therapist got.

So the bottom line is that my arm is significantly bigger today, July 27, than just two weeks ago on July 14. Here are the numbers:

July 14 by therapist, starting at wrist and going up every 4 cm
17.5 at the wrist
19
22.5
25.5
28
29.5
29.5 (no I didn't accidentally type the same number twice)
34.5
37.5
39.5
41 at the top, under the armpit

July 27 by Mark, starting at wrist and going up every 10 cm (but including at 4 and 8)
18 at the wrist
19 up 4 cm
24 up 8 cm so these three compare to the first three by the therapist
25 at 10 cm
29
36
40
45 at the top, under the armpit, comparing to 41 by the therapist

In general, I think I need to do arm bandaging TODAY!! Since I don't plan to go swimming today, I am going to go wrap my arm in about half an hour, leave it on all day and night, and half the day tomorrow. We might go swimming tomorrow afternoon. If not, it might stay on even longer. Then I'm going to measure again and see if it works. By wrapping my arm today and for the overnight, I will not be able to use the Flexi-Touch machine tonight. I'm hoping Mark is willing to take measurements again when I take the bandages off so there is a comparison.

I was told by the therapist that only the wrapping is really something that is going to reduce swelling. I think her manual drainage, since it's so much more intense and thorough than mine, also reduced swelling. All the things I do for myself can only keep me at a status quo. I'm not sure that is happening for me since I'm definitely bigger since I left her office.

She did say that numbers were not the only thing to go by. By looking at the skin and feeling the hand and arm for tightness as well as checking the hairs on my arm, she could also get clues as to the severity of the swelling. I must admit that I never noticed anything about the hairs. They always looked the same to me and the same as my other arm. I am not sure I ever noticed the variations in skin texture and color either that she talked about, other than my right arm is more tanned since it has been exposed to the sun while the other one is concealed in bandages or a compression sleeve. The only thing I thought I was able to pick up on was the feel of it. I do think I can tell when my hand and forearm are swelling by touching it; however, I'm apparently not doing enough to get it to go down successfully, even with the machine.

Bandaging must be the answer, so now I'm going to try hard to do it more often, as much as I don't want to do it! If it works, then I have to accept it. Right? I'll let you know.