Support Socks
 

Are the support socks worth the expense for long flights? Is there any difference between the ones in Travelsmith or ones found in discount stores (Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Target, etc.)? Thanks for any information. BYW, I've posted this on Travel Talk and the Asia with no response.

I've not tried them myself, but a friend on the trip I just returned from used them and said they were great. She had the ones from Travelsmith. They were quite thick, though, so your regular shoes may be too tight with them.

My wife and I use them on long trips, and I think they are worth the price. They are advertised with some sort of compression level, so if the ones from a discounter are the same as the ones from a travel store, get the cheap ones!

As an otherwise healthy 30-something woman, I experienced multiple massive pulmonary emboli after getting deep vein thrombosis following lengthy international flights several years ago, and had 2 cardiac arrests. I found out later, after I recovered thanks to fantastic doctors and an experimental procedure for removing blood clots, that I have a genetic mutation that predisposes me to blood clots, and that about 1 in every 20 people have such a genetic predisposition. I now have to wear prescription support stockings whenever I fly. My doctor says that no one should wear them unless they have been properly measured and fitted for them. You can get measured for them and fitted at medical supply stores that sell them. If you buy some off the rack and they are too loose, then they are pointless (and good ones are expensive). If they are too tight, they can actually cause more harm than good, by constricting your veins too tightly which can cause blood clots. In fact, if you gain or lose 10 points they tell you to buy new ones. My doctor wrote me a prescription for mine, and then I was measured and fitted at the medical supply store where I bought them. They will teach you how to properly put them on and take them off (not like regular stockings because the pressure has to be uniform). I find them incredibly uncomfortable and would not wear them if I did not have to. I find them very tight, but uniformly so (in other words, they don't constrict you at the top any more than they do at the knees or at the ankles). They come in various lengths. I would strongly urge anyone considering these to talk to their doctor first, or at least go to a medical supply store that specializes in stuff like this rather than buying some off the rack at a drugstore.
Also, make sure you get up and walk around at least once every hour (even if the flight attendants don't like it), and drink LOTS of water, and elevate your legs if you can.

Dear Lisa,
Thank you very much for your great advice. Your advice makes a lot of sense.