Hi there, how would you like to be the expert today? I have a couple of random things to ask about, in hopes that one of you lovely readers will have answers.
1. Compression socks. First part of the question is do you use them, do you swear by them? I don't have a diagnosed condition that recommends them, but was wondering if they were a good idea for flying anyway. And if you do recommend them, what about material? I see both cotton and bamboo in a quick search. Also also, if you have a brand recommendation for people (women?) with large calves, I'd take that.
2. Jigsaw puzzle games for iPad that are not ad-forcing. I play a variety of games on my iPad, and with almost all of them, if an ad pops up that isn't the one-touch-X to close, I can close the game and reopen it, and it will open to the new game/level and let me play. But I've been trying a jigsaw puzzle one lately, and if I close the game and reopen it, I'm back to square one. The only way to get to a game is to wait out the ad, and with some of them, you have to close it four times before it's done. Do you know of any that don't so that?
This is actually the second jigsaw game I've tried. The first one interrupted a puzzle to play an ad, and then did it again during the same puzzle, and no, sir, we're not doing that. This one, Jigsawscapes, doesn't do that, but I hate having to sit through the kind of ad where you have to close it 4 different times, and sometimes the tiny X is very finicky and you have to hit it juuuusssst right or it opens the browser to try to sell you something.
3. There was a third thing. What was it? Damn it, menopause brain is a thing, y'all. Well, if you want to give random advice, now is the time.
My husband's compression socks were by Rx and I think either $60 or $80/pair for cardiac reasons now resolved. But the minimum compression ones that you can buy in any type material from anyone, I'd go for natural fibers. The Buffalo Wool Co even makes a bison-wool pair, last I looked. I love their bison/silk socks and those Rx ones made them look almost cheap by comparison. That's what he wears now. Only those. Note that they are softer after the first time washed and the mill coatings gone.
ReplyDeletePuzzles: I was going to say Nautilus minis for travel, but I can just picture turbulence and those physical pieces going flying. Hmm.
I have pretty severe varicose veins. I had them stripped in 2011 and then about six years after that I started developing new ones, to the amazement of my doctor, because apparently that is rare. I'm special! Anyway, I always wear compression STOCKINGS on flights, like full-length grandma-style pantyhose. They are medical grade - 20-30 mmHg, or Class 2. I believe you can get them in non-stocking (i.e., socks) as well. I do have running knee high compression socks, but they are lighter (Class 1) and I wear them around the house when I'm going to be on my feet a lot. I think Jobst makes the best stockings. They are very expensive, but I still have a pair from 2010, so they do last. The running stockings I have are from lululemon and they are okay, but I prefer the more medical ones.
ReplyDeleteI am also "recommended" to use compression stockings, but I rarely do because I hate socks. Sock Guy has some knee high ones I wear if I have to wear socks. The blue SGX Arctic 12" socks are on sale right now ($10 - what a bargain!) if you want to try them. But they aren't prescription grade, obviously.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about a jigsaw puzzle game. I like Matchington Mansion for a matching game. You can turn off all the sounds and there are no ads unless you want extra stuff (I never want extra stuff).
Yeah, natural fiber plus spandex and, unfortunately, avoiding fun patterns would be what I'd vote for in airplane compression actual-sock socks [if you want wide calf stretching, having fewer floats is the way to go, thus no fancy machine-knit patterns; there are also some with patterns printed on the outside but those don't wash as well]. They can have some helpful effects against fatigue and foot soreness even without "medical" problems (I do have medical problems that make them vital, but enough nurses and teachers and airline staff and waitstaff have raved about how much of a difference it makes for them that I'm reasonably convinced they probably help a lot of normal people during on-your-feet times).
ReplyDeleteI personally use compression stockings substantially, and if you end up wanting compression *but* noticeably less warmth than a proper sock, I have a recommendation for the one source I've found for thin, "remember those shiny nylons in the early 2000s?" compression gear [it is, I would note, way WAY more durable than those nylons used to be]: Allegro Essential Sheer Support (I get mine at BrightLifeDirect, which is an entire store of just compression stockings and has all the available options for the Allegro things, which are their "store brand"). The "sheer support" is nylon/spandex and is, uh, shiny but is SO much less insulating than any other type I've tried as well as being reasonably cheap and durable; 15-20mmHg is similar to what I remember from some "shiny pantyhose" brands in terms of opacity, while 20-30mmHg is denser but still not fully opaque. I do hand-wash to extend lifespan, but we're talking multiple years and 100+ wears in lifespan even for the lightweight 15-20mmHg, [albeit without lotions working away at the spandex], and longer durability for the 20-30mmHg (I finally killed my 20-30mmHg knee-highs that I'd worn hundreds of times by losing a shoe while awkwardly attempting to traverse a small slope of sharp rocks during an emergency situation on a road trip, but "walking over highway grading rocks" is not the sort of test compression stockings are normally put to?). The company also has phone support you can call for advice on things like the best products for wide calves; their online chat used to be humans who were full-on experts in all their product lines and that was really good, but is now AI and is utter, absolute garbage. That said, their size guides may be enough for "will this work well for large calves?" and if you want something less-insulative for a hot climate, Sheer Support is the way to go. My skin doesn't have a problem with the 80/20 nylon/spandex like it does with most of the itchy-itchy polyester compression gear I've tried (or touched); if you liked the shiny nylons of 2000-ish, then odds are reasonable that these would also work (but would not be fully opaque and fully camouflaged as Socks, so, tradeoffs. But: Florida. So.).
Good luck!
I have no idea on puzzle apps, although it might be worth it to pay a small amount for an ad-free puzzle app if such a creature exists? And on your third question: so much empathy. Why do so many things fall out of the backs of our heads?
I have a blood clotting syndrome and am supposed to wear compression socks. And I have huge calves! Mine are the medical Mediven Plus brand.
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