SleekSleeve- a solution to a chemo patient’s wardrobe meltdown

As part of my treatment I had to get a PICC line inserted into my arm. For those of you that are not aware, a PICC line is a peripherally inserted central catheter that is put into one of the large veins of the arm, above the bend of the elbow. It is threaded into the vein until the tip sits in a large vein just above the heart. It makes it super easy to administer the chemotherapy and to get blood without prodding and poking. Oh yes it is super, except it is a major hindrance on my outfit picking. At first it was a novelty scaring my nieces and nephews by running after them with my arm ‘tentacles’ but now the fun has quickly worn off. I was getting ready for a night out, had a lovely top on and felt great. I looked in the mirror and what do I realise; I had tubes hanging out of my arm. Serious style malfunction! I spent the following half hour having a mini meltdown trying to find clothes to cover it. My sisters were running around pulling clothes out of wardrobes. It reminded me of the scene from White Chicks. “Dr. Phil, DR PHIL”. Like seriously, am I supposed to wear only sleeved tops/ dresses for the foreseeable future? No way, hosay! I love dressing up and there was no way that I would let this limit me in any way. I began to research and found a solution; a SleekSleeve.

SleekSleeves is an American company that produce PICC line covers and arm sleeves. They come in different colours and designs. I picked a plain black one because you can’t really go wrong with black. This was a purchase that really saved me. You never really think of the little things that’ll wreck your head during treatment because you only focus on the main things such as hair loss etc.

I picked a small size as the unisex sizes are quiet big. It fits well on my arm and it doesn’t fall down at all. I would feel more comfortable if it was maybe an inch longer though but that’s just me being picky. I double up the tubes and tuck them in and the cover hides it perfectly. It has the logo on one of the sides so I just make sure to hide that on the inside of my arm.

 

 

A cover set me back $20 (€17.80) which I think is definitely worth it when you think of the amount of wear you will get out of it. It is washable and is made of really durable material. But of course you have to remember the stupid shipping charges. Unfortunately the $15 shipping charge bumped it up to $35 (€31.15). It would be perfect if you lived in the U.S because it provides free shipping.

 

All in all I am really glad I bought this cover as it means I can still wear whatever I like without worrying. There are loads of colours to choose from with funky designs. For me, the black was perfect as it just blends in and goes great every outfit.

 

P.S Thank you so so much to @Zoelee and her blog www.seebyzoe.com and www.sleeksleeves.com for picking me as their competition winner on Twitter. I received a care package of different colour SleekSleeves and a beautiful Lauren’s Hope ID bracelet. I am absolutely thrilled, I never win anything!