I know the ladies who are reading this are thinking "thigh highs? Is she really saying she supports the wearing of thigh highs? Those things are awful!" I know, I used to agree...but read through this and bear with me to the end. Maybe I can change your mind!
Some backstory...
While I was traveling last week, a memory popped up on my Facebook feed. It was, in fact, this post from a year ago, where I talked about a medical issue that I was going through at the time. I read back through it, and it brought back how I felt last year: in pain, frustrated, not sure that I had made the right decision...and wondering about whether I should share with people. Now that everything is done with, I'm ready to open up about what I went through.
About 18 months ago, I was diagnosed with venous insufficiency in both legs. It was pretty severe - darkened, bulgy veins on both legs in a few spots, and ultrasounds revealed a lot of backflow of blood. I was embarrassed because I thought it was an "old lady" problem: I was self conscious of how I looked, and I knew no one else my age who had gone through this. But it's a medical issue like many others, and so I'm opening up about it!
My doctor and I came up with a treatment plan, but before insurance will cover the treatments they require you to wear compression stockings for 3 months. Because some of the veins that needed to be closed were in my thighs, that meant 3 months of thigh highs. The only other solution is compression stockings permanently (without subsequent treatment)...so I decided to suck up the 3 months and then go through treatment.
The treatments were tough - it was after the first big week of treatment that I wrote that post last year. I was in a lot more pain than I anticipated, I was horribly bruised, I felt pretty terrible all over, and I was starting to wonder whether I had chosen the right path.
The photo shows how I looked after treatment number one. I'll spare you the bruising photos. The right leg was worse than the left leg anyway, at least in terms of my reaction. But see all those dark veins down on both calves? They're gone now, yay!
While the treatment did take a bit longer than we originally mapped out (I had a couple of veins that were stubborn about closing), and we ended up spending more than I anticipated (lots of copays), looking back I have to say it was ultimately the right thing for me to do. If anyone is contemplating the same, I'd be happy to talk to you about my experience.
But, before the treatments (and throughout), I began my hate-to-love relationship with thigh highs. I originally purchased 3 pairs of medical grade, prescription-only thigh highs through a medical supply company (that was in and of itself a major hassle). I purchased two pairs of nude and one black; two pairs were open toed, and one close toed (that was a mistake - I should have bought all close toed, but I made it work).
Side note: I ended up buying a lot of LulaRoe dresses and skirts last winter, which helped to provide me with a good wardrobe under which I could wear the thigh highs. In fact, I think I likely would not have purchased nearly as much LulaRoe if not for the thigh highs!
It turned out that it wasn't a case of "wear thigh highs for 3 months and you're done." During treatments (which were scheduled twice a week for about 6 weeks), I had to wear the thigh highs consistently. You're required to wear them 3 days after treatment, as it keeps the veins from opening back up. So 3 months turned into 6 months...and then when I went in for spot treatments I had to wear them again. I also had to wear them while flying (helps to prevent clotting), and eventually I reached the point where my legs felt better when wearing them than when not.
I should also mention that as the need for thigh highs decreased as treatments wound down, I also started wearing calf sleeves. I cannot recommend these enough - when you're walking a lot, or exercising, or just standing all day. I wear them under jeans, leggings, boots, and definitely while exercising, and they make my legs feel SO much better. Get yourself a pair!
So how did I go from being horribly uncomfortable in thigh highs to promoting them, and actually somewhat enjoying the experience? The medical thigh highs come up VERY high (at least on me) - right up to the junction of my thighs to pelvis. This mean that I didn't get a "muffin top" of thigh skin at the top of the thigh highs, but instead had full leg coverage without being squeezed at the waist by panty hose. Once they had stretched out a touch (making them easier to pull on over the ankle), I really didn't mind wearing them anymore...and now I would support any lady in wearing them, certainly over regular pantyhose!
Of course, wearing 3 pairs of thigh highs nearly every day for months makes them wear out, even if they are thicker due to the compression. After the summer, I no longer had to wear them, but I had gotten used to them. And as it got colder this winter, I wanted to wear them again, but really didn't want to shell out the medical stocking price. Plus, I no longer needed the higher level of compression. So...to Amazon!
Yep, you can buy them on Amazon, and at half the price of my co-pay for the prescription ones. I ended up buying these in black, nude, and suntan. I knew they were likely to be tight due to the compression, so I bought a large to ensure that they fit around my thighs. They don't come up as high as the Jobst thigh highs did, which was a bit frustrating (as that's one of the things that I liked the most), but the black and nude pair hit at a nice place just above mid thigh and don't go anywhere. The one time I've worn the suntan pair, they wouldn't stretch up quite as high and kept rolling down as I walked (as cheaper thigh highs have done on me in the past), so I'm worried I bought the wrong size. But overall, for the price, I'm happy with what I purchased for occasional wear. It's amazing how much more comfortable I am in thigh highs now than I ever am in panty hose.
I guess the sum of all of this is: if you've tried thigh highs and didn't think they worked, or you were uncomfortable, it might be that you didn't have the right ones, or that you just didn't try for long enough. I know that the cheap Hanes thigh highs I've bought in the past were terrible; it's definitely worth spending a bit more money. And I know that if I had only worn the medical ones a few times, I would never have come around.
Ladies, I really do think that thigh highs are the answer when you need to wear stockings...and if you find ones that fit properly, they don't look half bad either. ;)
Some backstory...
While I was traveling last week, a memory popped up on my Facebook feed. It was, in fact, this post from a year ago, where I talked about a medical issue that I was going through at the time. I read back through it, and it brought back how I felt last year: in pain, frustrated, not sure that I had made the right decision...and wondering about whether I should share with people. Now that everything is done with, I'm ready to open up about what I went through.
About 18 months ago, I was diagnosed with venous insufficiency in both legs. It was pretty severe - darkened, bulgy veins on both legs in a few spots, and ultrasounds revealed a lot of backflow of blood. I was embarrassed because I thought it was an "old lady" problem: I was self conscious of how I looked, and I knew no one else my age who had gone through this. But it's a medical issue like many others, and so I'm opening up about it!
My doctor and I came up with a treatment plan, but before insurance will cover the treatments they require you to wear compression stockings for 3 months. Because some of the veins that needed to be closed were in my thighs, that meant 3 months of thigh highs. The only other solution is compression stockings permanently (without subsequent treatment)...so I decided to suck up the 3 months and then go through treatment.
The treatments were tough - it was after the first big week of treatment that I wrote that post last year. I was in a lot more pain than I anticipated, I was horribly bruised, I felt pretty terrible all over, and I was starting to wonder whether I had chosen the right path.The photo shows how I looked after treatment number one. I'll spare you the bruising photos. The right leg was worse than the left leg anyway, at least in terms of my reaction. But see all those dark veins down on both calves? They're gone now, yay!
While the treatment did take a bit longer than we originally mapped out (I had a couple of veins that were stubborn about closing), and we ended up spending more than I anticipated (lots of copays), looking back I have to say it was ultimately the right thing for me to do. If anyone is contemplating the same, I'd be happy to talk to you about my experience.
But, before the treatments (and throughout), I began my hate-to-love relationship with thigh highs. I originally purchased 3 pairs of medical grade, prescription-only thigh highs through a medical supply company (that was in and of itself a major hassle). I purchased two pairs of nude and one black; two pairs were open toed, and one close toed (that was a mistake - I should have bought all close toed, but I made it work).
Side note: I ended up buying a lot of LulaRoe dresses and skirts last winter, which helped to provide me with a good wardrobe under which I could wear the thigh highs. In fact, I think I likely would not have purchased nearly as much LulaRoe if not for the thigh highs!
It turned out that it wasn't a case of "wear thigh highs for 3 months and you're done." During treatments (which were scheduled twice a week for about 6 weeks), I had to wear the thigh highs consistently. You're required to wear them 3 days after treatment, as it keeps the veins from opening back up. So 3 months turned into 6 months...and then when I went in for spot treatments I had to wear them again. I also had to wear them while flying (helps to prevent clotting), and eventually I reached the point where my legs felt better when wearing them than when not.
I should also mention that as the need for thigh highs decreased as treatments wound down, I also started wearing calf sleeves. I cannot recommend these enough - when you're walking a lot, or exercising, or just standing all day. I wear them under jeans, leggings, boots, and definitely while exercising, and they make my legs feel SO much better. Get yourself a pair!
So how did I go from being horribly uncomfortable in thigh highs to promoting them, and actually somewhat enjoying the experience? The medical thigh highs come up VERY high (at least on me) - right up to the junction of my thighs to pelvis. This mean that I didn't get a "muffin top" of thigh skin at the top of the thigh highs, but instead had full leg coverage without being squeezed at the waist by panty hose. Once they had stretched out a touch (making them easier to pull on over the ankle), I really didn't mind wearing them anymore...and now I would support any lady in wearing them, certainly over regular pantyhose!
Of course, wearing 3 pairs of thigh highs nearly every day for months makes them wear out, even if they are thicker due to the compression. After the summer, I no longer had to wear them, but I had gotten used to them. And as it got colder this winter, I wanted to wear them again, but really didn't want to shell out the medical stocking price. Plus, I no longer needed the higher level of compression. So...to Amazon!
Yep, you can buy them on Amazon, and at half the price of my co-pay for the prescription ones. I ended up buying these in black, nude, and suntan. I knew they were likely to be tight due to the compression, so I bought a large to ensure that they fit around my thighs. They don't come up as high as the Jobst thigh highs did, which was a bit frustrating (as that's one of the things that I liked the most), but the black and nude pair hit at a nice place just above mid thigh and don't go anywhere. The one time I've worn the suntan pair, they wouldn't stretch up quite as high and kept rolling down as I walked (as cheaper thigh highs have done on me in the past), so I'm worried I bought the wrong size. But overall, for the price, I'm happy with what I purchased for occasional wear. It's amazing how much more comfortable I am in thigh highs now than I ever am in panty hose.
I guess the sum of all of this is: if you've tried thigh highs and didn't think they worked, or you were uncomfortable, it might be that you didn't have the right ones, or that you just didn't try for long enough. I know that the cheap Hanes thigh highs I've bought in the past were terrible; it's definitely worth spending a bit more money. And I know that if I had only worn the medical ones a few times, I would never have come around.
Ladies, I really do think that thigh highs are the answer when you need to wear stockings...and if you find ones that fit properly, they don't look half bad either. ;)
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