There was a 90-year-old woman who, after being fitted for a compression sleeve to minimize the swelling in her arm who asked as she left the office with the aid of a walker, “Will I have to wear this thing the rest of my life?”
And a nine-year-old boy who was provided with a similar compression stocking “because he wanted to play soccer.”
These are only two of the stories they tell at Men’s & Women’s Health Solutions in Hyannis, the only site on Cape that specializes almost exclusively on custom-fitting these specialty compression aids.
Maureen McCarthy, a former visiting nurse, started her business as Women’s Health Solutions in 1999, specializing in prosthetics for women who had undergone mastectomies.
She soon learned that radiation treatments for breast cancer often led to a recognized side effect known as lymphedema. Radiation, among other causes, can damage a person’s lymph nodes, thus destroying the body’s capacity to eliminate waste matter, which, in turn, can create severe swelling, mostly in the extremities. These can be unsightly and often disabling.
This condition can be allayed by a process known as lymphatic draining via soft massage, but the compression sleeves and stockings remain an essential component. Ms. McCarthy quickly made a business decision to add this service as an adjunct for many of her breast cancer clients.
Which led to still another market. Vascular and kidney diseases also can cause swelling regardless of gender. And men treated for prostate cancer can develop lymphedema. To encourage male patients who might have been put off by the single-sex company name, Ms. McCarthy recently gave them equal billing.
This hasn’t been an unbroken success story, however.
Ms. McCarthy confesses that she came close to giving up her fledgling business two years ago. Trying to do it all, she was falling behind in her billing and insurance companies allow only 90 days for a vendor to file a claim. “I was losing a lot of money because I couldn’t get my bills out. My son told me I had to ‘invest more or give it up.’” That’s when Madelyn Allaire walked through the door for a re-fitting. A breast cancer survivor, she had been Ms. McCarthy’s first customer and she also had a business background. The partnership was born, new office and fitting space was obtained and a receptionist hired.
M&W Health Solutions now has “over 3,000” patients in a growing field. Most patients are in their 60s, but breast cancer survivors tend to be younger. “Sometimes children are born with lymphedema, but it’s not always noticeable until puberty,” Ms. McCarthy adds.
The custom-fitted compression sleeves and stockings can be twice as expensive as off-the-rack versions, which M&W Health Solutions also provides. The special waffle weave fabric is made by German companies. For clients who may be unsuited for the standard sizes, the measurements are sent to the manufacturers for custom fabrication. Insurance coverage, both private and governmental, can be problematic.
“But we try to help everyone who comes through the door and not to turn anyone away,” Ms. Allaire declares. “We’ll go to private philanthropy groups and some of our vendors have programs.”
“After all,” Ms. McCarthy adds. “It gives you a good feeling when you can help a patient who has had lymphedema for a period of time and see their whole life change.”
Men’s & Women’s Health Solutions can be reached at 508-775-5570 or 1-888-333-1803 for an appointment. Fittings also are available in Falmouth and Plymouth, but appointments must be made through the Hyannis office.