Good communication is essential to any successful transaction and today we had a good reminder of that.
A DME had ordered two JoViPak arm sleeves for a patient who had had a lumpectomy many years ago and a recent mastectomy on the other side. We received a call at JoViPak saying the patient can’t wear her new JoViPaks. Because - when she lays down at night her hands and wrists begin to throb. After several conversations with JoViPak Customer Service and the DME, the patient was turned over to me. . . . . . and that is what I am here for! I love talking to patients, and as you may have guessed, we always end up talking about nutrition- particularly if they are a cancer survivor. The most important question I had for her, however, was how well did she tolerate bandaging. Well, she didn’t! and that is a question that should have been asked before the order was ever sent in. The next most important question for her was “Do you swell at night?” and she didn’t think so! (For her own peace of mind, she needs to know that.)
It’s not unusual for a patient to find a product on the internet and decide it has to be “the magic bullet.” What I want to make perfectly clear to anyone considering a night-time garment is this: A foam-filled padded night-time garment serves two functions: 1) contains night swelling and 2) softens fibrosis. If a lymphedema patient has neither, a JoViPak serves no purpose.