By Judy Reiss
This past summer, when I was at the Cape, I realized that I needed to buy some compression stockings because my ankles were swelling. Good Lord I thought, growing old hasn’t been kind to me and now I have to wear really old lady stockings! What could be nicer than thick, black and very tight stockings? So I went to the biggest drug store you ever saw and looked for something other than these black horrors. And I was shocked to learn that nothing was available but these black things. Well, one of my children decided that I should buy a pair anyway and just be a good girl and wear them. And so, they bought me a pair. And just as an aside, they are amazingly expensive. And ugly!!!

So I went back to the cottage with my new stockings and decided to put them on right away because I was sure that anything that ugly would and should work right away. My ankles would look like they did when I was 15. So I sat down and opened the package and with a heavy heart tried to put them on. Now I am not a baby but I am also not Hulk Hogan either. I kid you not, I was unable to get these horrors up past my foot. I know it sounds like I just didn’t want to wear them, but that is just not true. I tried and tried and they still were crumpled around my foot. Now I am sure that you know my family well enough to know that it didn’t end there. Nope, two registered nurses took turns trying to pull them up to no avail. So back to the drugstore those stockings went. And the salespeople explained that’s these were the only type of compression stockings that they sold. So here is what I did. I returned them and went home. And after discussions with my loved ones decided to just wait until I got home and then I could try again. Now here is the best part of this ridiculous story. Once home I decided to sort of look around at the available drugstores and I did. And here is the most interesting part of this story. As I looked and looked, I was not happy that I couldn’t find anything better than the black tight things that I had bought before. And that would have been the end of this story until I went to the Waterbury Pharmacy. Now this is the local pharmacy and not one of the chain stores. And there, right in front of my eyes was an entire rack of the best looking compression stockings I have ever seen. One size fits all, they were a price that I can afford and the most exciting thing was there were quite a few colors and designs! Now they also had the black and nude ones, too, but they were very much like the ones I had tried before and you had to be measured for them so that they would fit correctly. But going back to the wonderful rack of many choices, I picked out two that I really liked. Of course, I still didn’t know if they would fit or not bur I decided that I was willing to take the chance that they would. When I got home, I picked out one that I really liked and started to try and put it on. And much to my delight after tugging it over my foot, the rest of it slipped up my calf to just below my knee. It not only fit, it was extremely comfortable. So, I put the other one on and kept both on until I got ready for bed and then I realized my ankles were as slim as the were in my youth. These very attractive and inexpensive compression stockings worked and worked well and actually looked terrific.

Who would have thought that our local pharmacy in Waterbury was the only place I could find these stockings? And not only that, they worked very well and they were something that I could afford. Now, since I bought my first pair, I have been back, at least, four times and bought a different pair each time. And I kid you not, I can’t tell you how many people have noticed them and thought that they were just regular fashion stockings and definitely not medical appliances! Life is good!

The only reason I am taking the time to tell you about these items is that as I grow older, I am always annoyed that the items and medications I need are hard to find and shockingly expensive. Who knew that old age would be so upsetting? So when I come across something that is available and affordable I think it is important to spread the word! And if it works for someone else I am very pleased.

Now if you need compression stockings and you want something a little more attractive than black or nude and tight as a tick, you now know where to get them. And if you do, please let me know what you think, too. If we all work together, maybe we can actually find that old age has a sunny option in our lives!

And Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so get ready for one of my pilgrim stories and just know that I can’t help myself!