Hot Packs

[valmom]

I have a couople of those microwaveable hot packs that are just wonderful for my back (which went out last week. They work well, but I want to make one that will go over my sore back muscles and tie around me. Right now I have a long one that fits nicely across my back, but I have to hold both ends to keep it in place. (I can't believe no one thought of this when they made it!). I suppose I could just put ties on the ends of this one, except that it is mostly my SO's hot pack and I don't feel comfortable altering this one.

What do you think they fill these things with? This one smells like popcorn when you microwave it, but nothing has popped I have heard some people fill them with split peas- seems like it would take a LOT of split peas that would be better off in soup. I could try small gravel, but I don't know how that would microwave. I suppose it would. Can sand be used? That would mold nicely to my back.

Anyone done this before?

 

[chipmunk]

I think sometime they use rice in there

 

[cjparker]

The ones I've seen all use rice.

 

[BriteChicken]

I've heard of people using Lentils also but rice is really common Hope you feel better soon!

 

[freemotion]

You can use any grain, including corn from the feed sack. Not popcorn, though! I prefer a small bean, as it doesn't smell so much like food when heated.

Rather than making a pack to tie on, make a belt to hold your pack. You can make it like a tight apron with a pocket. Use another layer with strong elastic and velcro to go over the top of it to hold it tightly to your back, so it will essentially be two wide belts, one on top of the other, and the one against you is a pocket. Make sense?

This way your belt can last for years, and the mice can get your grain pack. Or your pack can get burned or dirty or beat up and you just have to whip out another.

I like to make them with a new man's tube sock. Fill with beans and tie a knot in the end. You can use another sock as a cover to keep it clean, or you can simply untie the knot, dump the beans in a container, wash and dry the sock, and refill it.

 

[valmom]

Ooh, rice sounds nice and squishy and soft. I may have to get creative tomorrow. After the chiro appointment to see if there is anything to be done about this on an ongoing basis. It is happening way too often lately for no particular reason.

 

[freemotion]

If your pain is acute......you want to use ice. For chronic pain with no "reason" (gardening, shovelling, hauling stuff, cleaning, etc that you know of) than you need to use heat. Check with your chiro for clarification, as I haven't done a proper intake on you, but something about how you worded your last post put up a red flag. Heat applied when there is ANY inflammation will increase it and increase the level of the injury (secondary hypoxic injury) and seriously slow down the healing. Even if it feels great at first. Check with your doc.....

Edited because I swapped important words! Yikes!

 

[Mackay]

Some have flax seed

 

[ORChick]

I have one for my feet (like a hot water bottle) that is filled with sand - just sand. The cover ripped, and I had to make another, and I was able to verify that. My friend has one, a little more flexible, filled with buckwheat hulls. Wish you were closer, I'd share some of the sack of buckwheat hulls I bought to make more of these. It was a very large sack .

 

[abifae]

lol. any dried legume works.



split peas, lentils, any small bean.