My doctors all tell me to wear compression socks, and no one listens when I tell them it makes things worse. I finally got in to a wound clinic (I deal with a lot of chronic/non healing wounds), and they said there’s really nothing to do except compression because that’s the only thing that will help. It’s just that compression makes the CRPS flare up very badly, which makes the swelling worse, which ends up making the wounds worse. I’ve ended up in the hospital on multiple occasions because doctors put compression dressings on, and it caused the wounds to open even more and they got infected. Even regular socks cause this to some extent, but compression is 10x worse. One of my doctors suspected a component of lymphedema as well and they gave me a lymphedema pump. I do use the pump when I can, but if I use it every day then I won’t be able to walk because of pain.

Anyone else have a similar experience? Compression literally always makes things worse and I don’t know what to do. Should I keep trying it though?? Any advice for how to make the lymphedema pump tolerable?