This sounds like a dumb question. Since a month of intense PT with massage, I am pretty stiff. Granted I think it's making a huge difference, but now that the cold weather is here, my muscles are stiff at night and in the morning. Stiffer than usual. The massage really works the tight knots in the back, head and neck. While at PT, they generally put a hot pack on my neck (and because it's cold in there and I don't have much meat on my bones, they give me another hot pack to sort of hug and keep warm while they work on me for an hour)

My friend that had lupus, had some hot pads you could heat up in the microwave and curl up with. I've been looking for something like this but can't find them anywhere. I did pick up a regular plug in heating pad, but it would be nice to get one of those tube sort of deals where I could heat it up and curl up with it when my muscles start screaming.

Does anybody out there have a source for microwaved heated tube things?

I do hope someone knows what I'm talking about..lol

Jen

Jen,

If Colorado is anything like Illinois, there is a Walgreen's every two blocks. I found all those items there, everything from microwave pads to regular one.


VickieM

Jen, I ordered a micro wavable heat pack for my neck through my PT's office. He had a catalogue and suggested the one I purchased which I really like, it wraps around my neck, nice and cozy. Carol

Jen, They aren't the cheapest, but this company makes environmentally friendly well-constructed products and I think you'll find what you want on this page:

http://www.gaiam.com/retail/category.asp?catalog%5Fname=gai&category%5Fname=l3%5FPainReliefHealth

Jen,
I've bought many different types of great heating wraps at craft fairs. Some are filled with cherry pits - very nice. Some are filled with beans of some sort or other. The BEST one I've found is filled with grains and a bouquet of lovely herbs....chamomile, peppermint, lavendar, etc. It is sewn so that it wraps comfortably around the neck and shoulders. Tom LIVED with it all last winter after the 'burn' from radiation subsided. You put it in the microwave for about 2 minutes. It is wonderful comfort. It is made by HotHeadz/Natures Way; you can email them at [email protected] or call 866-HERB PAK (toll-free). The web address is
www.hotheadz.net

Lots of fabrics from which to choose, too.
Hope this helps you - and others!

Nicki

I guess I'm going to have to go to the mail order route. Ideally, I was hoping to find something like this locally. Walmart use to be my store for everything (sometimes it's surprising what you find there) but unfortunately they didn't have what I was looking for outside of the common heating pad that you plug in. Being somewhat numb on my left side, I'm hesitating using an electrical pad because it would be horrible if I fell asleep and the dang thing would burn me.

Now, even a dumber question. Some of the microwavable ones are stuffed with different stuffing. Some say they are stuffed with flax seed, buckwheat, and some say they have "beads" that hold warmth. I'm wondering what the best filler is. When looking over at various mail order companies, some tout "won't smell like cooked food when you use it"

I'm all for the aromatherapy of the herbs inside them, but what is the best "filler" to look for so I buy a quality product?

Jen

Hi Jen, I use the Heat Max, Hot hands and find them real good. They stay warm for up to ten hours. Also, look on Amazon.com for heating pads.
They have real good prices and I by everything
through them. What are you using it for?
Cathy
PS if it is for your neck you can get a neck pillow and it will keep it warm at night. That is
what I do. :rolleyes:

Yes, I was looking specifically for a neck roll type of thing. It would be nice to have aromatherapy herbs in it. I've been pestering my Physical Therapy place about where to buy something like that for weeks now, but they have no idea where to buy those things locally. I'm going to go look at Walgreens today. Otherwise, I'm going to shop online at some of the places that were linked here.

My treatment ended in early March, but the muscle stiffness is probably coming from the 3 times weekly massage treatments. Now that the weather has turned cold here, I find my neck and back are getting stiff in the mornings and evenings.

Thanks for all your help everybody. I'm determined these little heaty pad thingies cannot be as hard to find as I think they are... If I wasn't needing them so badly, I'd probably find them in every store I go into. It must be like a "feast" or "famine" sort of item, where you find them everywhere or nowhere.

Jen

I have two (both gifts) neck wraps that I think are stuffed with buckwheat and lavender--they smell very nice and they seem to hold up well. If you want to get one that you could use for cold as well as heat, I'd get one of the gel-filled ones since think they hold the cold better.

My neck scar is getting more stiff as it gets colder too.

well, I think I was wroing about the buckwheat. One of them is an older version of this one:

http://www.gardeners.com/Shopping/s...0656&lstCategory=0&RecGroupNum=3

so I guess it uses flaxseed, rice and lavender. I always thought flaxseed was potentially flammable --I know the oil is--I guess you'd have to put the seed in a frying pan for it to catch on fire--you aren't supposed to fry or bake them but I guess putting them in a wrap and heaitng in the microwave is OK.

Anyway, I've used this wrap a lot and it's held up very well. Anyhow, the link above is another place I'd recommend you check out, Jen, if you do mail order--alomg with the neck wrap they have one that's shaped to wrap your neck and shoulders and one you can place over your entire back or front as well--I might get that one!

All this is making me want a hot wrap around my neck--I'm going to off and find mine.

Nelie