Best heat patches & wraps according to redditors

Pro-tips-from-a-Canadian:

Wear a lighter jacket with pockets, beneath your bigger outer jacket.

In the inner jacket, place 2 water bottles that you have filled with hot water... one in each pocket, and you're good to go!

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Occasionally you can also pull your hands through the outer jacket sleeves, and warm them against the inner hot water bottles periodically.

You can also do something similar with hot rocks... but make sure they are not too hot!

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Or you can also use one of those sodium acetate "rechargeable" heating gel packs.

Also known as: "Click-It" packs.

If you can find these heat wraps somewhere, they are AMAZING. My local dollar store sells generic variants for like $1 a piece and they have saved me so many times when I have to work and can't hook up to an electric heating pad.

This bs

I do that for my girlfriend sometimes. That and heat up this thing as she's drying off. Which is by far the best of its kind that I've used.

My GF has heating strip that can be warmed up in the microwave (something like this thing or this one, although a different brand/model). So I pop it in the microwave a couple minutes and she can the lay it on her tummy or wherever it is needed.

The heat from it lasts quite awhile and it has a really pleasant smell. I keep warming it up for her as needed. I also provide back rubs and foot rubs. Rubbing her lower back sometimes helps and the foot rubs just feel great and help her relax.

Something else to look at is what form of birth control you two are using. I mention this because the Tri-Sprintec my GF is taking really, really reduced her cramping and pain. Something to discuss with her OB/GYN and whatever Doctor is involved with this kidney stuff. It took about two months for her body to get used to this birth control, but after that things were much better. Still some pain and cramps, but it is no longer debilitating.

Pre-take/pack meds before you get sore, and take them when you feel a wave of pain coming on. It’s easier to treat before than when you’re full blown flaring, and there’s research to back this up. Personally I like Tylenol and Advil, but naproxen, cyclobenzaprine or methocarbamol has helped before too depending on the day.

I have sometimes taken my heating pad with me if I’m going to be somewhere near an electrical outlet like a friends house or a library, but Robax also makes these for back, neck and menstrual pain if you need a portable variety. I got mine from the pharmacy.

I also opt to take comfortable running shoes and my cane, but that’s a personal preference. Remember to stay hydrated as well, this will help prevent migraines if you get them. I also pack a scarf or a sweater in case I come into contact with strong perfume or cigarettes.

I gritted my teeth and soldiered through it au naturel, I averaged 4-6 hours a night for the first 4 months or so. I felt like it was rebound everything--I had spent so long in a haze of pot, that suddenly there was so much to do--we can survive on 4-6 hours sleep a night for a few months. Hell, new parents do it, we new leaves can do it too!

What helped me: hot camomile tea and microwave neck wraps.

Just finished moving from the East coast to the West coast, we drove with our two dogs too. That was fun.

1. Crosswords, madlibs, and other games are a must-have. If you like audiobooks or podcasts those are good too.
   
   
2. I like leggings and a comfy shirt (and bralette). Also I don't wear shoes during road trips.
   
   
3. Snacks, drinks, over the counter pain killers, and heating pads. You will be uncomfortable, it helps give you some relief.
   
   
4. We did fast food and takeout since we only had 3 days on the road and had dogs in the car. We didn't have room for a cooler either. I ate a lot of broccoli beef and sushi.
   
   
5. Haven't been to most places between the two states but Salt Lake City is a pretty place, also Minneapolis (Mall of America) is cool if you're going that far north.
   
   Additionally make sure to keep your gas above half a tank and make sure you get a general check up on the car before you go. We were an hour outside of Little Rock and the freeway was at a complete stop (two 15 wheelers hit each other head on). Took us 4 hours to move a mile. Multiple cars ran out of gas during that time.
   
   Also, have fun!

You can also use a cooperative pet.

If you want something for on-the-go, Robax Heat Wraps work really well. Put them under your clothes and they don't slow you down at all. Just be careful if you get the sticky ones not to get it stuck to your pubic hair. I use these for work when I'm talking to clients and can't have a conspicuous heating pad on me.

Your doctor is right-- you will look different after the surgery. This is why it's critically important to find a surgeon that shares your aesthetic vision on what your nose should look like. Since my surgery I have never thought that I don't look like myself. In my case, my surgeon ensured I retained my some of the ethnicity in my new nose, and my mom says it looks like the nose I had when I was a kid.

If you feel comfortable pming photos of your face, I could try to speak on how a rhino would change your overall face and make suggestion. Before choosing my doctor, i spent entirely too much time researching rhinoplasty and facial

My surgery was 85% functional and 15% cosmetic---surgery was over four hours removing polyps and resetting breaks and fixing the septum. Recovering from my surgery was horrid, but made better with a few specific products. I tried a ton of different ice packs and stick by these

• Buy two of these wraps because they only last about 30 minutes before needing to refreeze.
  
  
• Fill latex/medical gloves with frozen peas. It looks ridiculous but really helps
  
  
• these knee wraps are amazing for rhinorecovery because they mold so well to your face
  
  Also know these two important things
  

1. Post-Surgery depression is not uncommon and it may hit you before you're even out of the bandages. You may feel that you regret the surgery and wallow in self-doubt. this is completely normal and will pass.
   
2. Your nose can remain swollen for 2-3 years after the surgery. The immediate results you see will be very swollen, and you should to wait a few months to see the full affect

I don't know as my friend got it. But I found it on Amazon

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FHZNQE?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

This is the best freezy mask I’ve ever had. I’ve bought 2 and bought 2 for other people. I can’t say enough good things about it. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

What is a "good" heat pack? I have one like this that you microwave; it feels like it's filled with beans/rice/whatever. I also have a hot water bottle I use on occasion. What else is out there that's better?

I have just come out of a year and a half of extreme neck/shoulder/upper back problems that truly made me want to kill myself so I sympathize, they can be utterly debilitating. None of my advice is a quick fix (I'm still struggling with it) but if I can be of any help, here's my experience:

I was unfortunately strangely reactive to massage (which I'd always been fine with before), so in my case, all well meaning treatments like massage, osteopathic manipulation, acupuncture, and trigger point injections were making it worse, because my body would react poorly to the treatment and tighten up worse. I found the best thing that helped me was quitting all messing around with my neck and just focusing on relaxation, heat, and SLOW guided strengthening from a very good PT. It's good that you're strength training, but it might be best to get extremely detailed advice on form, and have someone monitor you to see if an exercise is helping or hurting. You also might be doing too much.

The other thing that helped me was going to a therapist who did guided relaxation with me. You can find guided meditation relaxation videos on youtube. Do them daily. The pain causes us to hold onto the tension even more, because of fear. It's a constant task to remind yourself to relax all day long.

I take 400mg of Magnesium Glycinate a day, 800mg on days I'm feeling worse.

I live in hot baths with Epsom salts.

Weed is a big relaxation bomb for the muscles, if you can get ahold of some (I'm lucky to live in a legal state). Muscle relaxers are also a good tool periodically. If you're really wracked up, Valium is by far the best muscle relaxer I've tried, it seems to reset everything. However, be very careful not to take it too often: I take it no more than two times a month because you can very quickly get dependent and then suffer withdrawals.

Periodic rest is important. If your muscles are becoming exhausted, lie down for 45 minutes on your back and let them rest. We compensate with the wrong muscle patterns when the muscles get exhausted.

I have this microwaveable neck wrap, 1.5 minutes in the microwave, feels so good!: https://www.amazon.com/Huggaroo-Microwavable-Heating-Herbal-Aromatherapy/dp/B071JFYTLD

This hot/cold buddy would greatly improve my life because I have tmj and it gives me headaches. Plus it would be great because womanly cramps suuucckkkk.

Hey - this is worked for my wife and I when we went to a sub-zero Bears/Packers game a few years back:

1. Wrap one of these around your back and one around your chest. Keeping your chest warm circulates warmer blood and is very effective in staying toasty.
   
   
2. Use handwarmers in your pockets. Not in your glove cavity, air circulation is minimal inside the glove so the handwarmers don't tend to warm as well.
   
   
3. Stand on cardboard. This is a classic but also super effective.
   

A shoulder heating wrap. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007G5V8KS/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_4CkCwbDABNJ7N

Oh my goodness, yes! Boil hot water and cut up an inch of ginger root. Let the cut up root soak in the water for 5 mins and drink. I have cysts on my ovaries (ew TMI, sorry) so my cramps are often times so debilitating that I've wound up in the hospital on several occasions. I feel like I've got the dealing-with-horrible-cramps thing mostly down to a science.

Automatically take 3-4 Advil, right away. If you have one, heat up a rice heating pad in the microwave for 1-2 minutes (depending on how hot you can take it). Then make your tea as the rice is cooling down to an acceptable place-on-body temperature. Find a comfy place to rest and curl yourself into a fetal position with the rice pack on your uterus area, drink your tea slowly, and wait for the Advil to take hold. This usually makes a day of not being able to do shit because I'm in mind boggling pain from cramps turn into a simple half hour or hour of annoying pain, then I'm well on my way to productivity again.

I don't have endo, but I can empathize a little. My last period had me doubled up, crying all night, and wanting a lot of booze, chocolate and potato chips.

Not sure if you're on any medications, but have you tried red raspberry leaf tea? I found it really helps with the pains, although the taste is a bit like steamed artichoke. (Not fruity blank tea like they claim at all.) I found drinking a cup or two a day as soon as I knew I was getting ready to start reduced the cravings, bloat, discomfort, cravings and the gastro issues I get every month. (Last month was bad because I was out of tea and I started cramping at like.... 3 am. :( )

Also, my Bed Buddy is my friend that week.. Putting heat either on my hips or my lower back helps so much. I even take it to work with me.

Yoga helps take some of the monthly stress and ease my cramping. There's a few sites with recommended poses. I don't know if it helps with endo, but maybe?

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As far as your goal, remember that it's long term. Even if you have a little something sweet right now to tide you over, it's temporary and you will still be ahead overall. Just, don't beat yourself up or let yourself get defeated if you relax a little. And don't look at the scale this week. If you're like me, you retain 3-4 pounds of water and it's SOOO discouraging to see, even if you know it's there and why.

Hang in there.... you still got this!

I swear by a dark room, the mygrastick, and this heat wrap with aromatherapy.

I also just started my period 5 weeks postpartum and am also breastfeeding. Stupid universe... Good luck, friend.

Of all the things I've tried I think Valerian Root works the best for me.

Most of the things people always recommend have helped at least a little bit, especially when using them together.

Melatonin can be really good but most people take way too much, and there can be side effects and it can sometimes lose it's effectiveness too quickly for a lot of people. I'd definitely research that one before taking it even though its arguably the most "natural" of all because our body produces it... it can alter how your body does produce your own and really mess with your circadian rhythms and stuff.

Magnesium helped me fall asleep when I was younger, but now sometimes it actually gives me energy, so I need to learn more about how it works.

PassionFlower is good for relaxation too.



Chamomile tea, helps a little, so on a night you don't really need it that much or if you've been taking other stuff that has been leaving you groggy or logy the next day its a good alternative to give your body a break from other stuff.

Valerian root capsules smell AWFUL lol but they work very very well for me. The bottle usually says 3 capsules for insomnia but sometimes I'll even just take one or two during the day for anxiety.

Even warm milk helps me sometimes, especially if I'm also taking something else with it.


I use relaxation music with headphones when my insomnia or anxiety is really bad.


Also you might try aromatherapy, like lavender diffusers. Years ago my wife bought me a thing you can heat up in the microwave and put on your neck for pain, and it releases lavender scent, so that is really soothing/relaxing. I did the same thing with a rice sock the other day to deal with weather anxiety, lol, and it was very soothing as well.

The neck thing is weighted and that can be relaxing too, which reminds me of weighted blankets. I've never tried them but I do sleep better with heavier blankets if they're not too warm so I can see why they might be helpful.



And... my last resort... is antihistamines. They work the best for me... but they make me feel bleh the next day and dry out my sinuses so I've been trying to avoid them.



Hope you're able to find something that works for you :)

If you want to help her financially, get her a giftcard to a local grocery store (for something sweet ;) ) or a local clothes shop that she likes. Some grocery stores do grocery delivery that you can pay for online, and a few areas have things like Amazon Fresh. As a proud woman who has spent a lot of time down on her luck, these are the helpful gifts that feel like gifts and not charity.

If she's been physically unwell, maybe look into something like: this
You can also buy a cute pair of socks, fill them with uncooked rice (not instant rice) and lavender, seal them up and presto, home made lavender heat wraps.

Ive been using these - http://www.amazon.com/Carex-Bed-Buddy-Cold-Pack/dp/B000KBNPQ0/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1458149041&sr=1-1&keywords=bed+buddy for years... they definitely make good cold packs as well as heat packs. Sadly I havent had success using them to support my neck, but that could simply be the way I sleep

I’ve never used ice except the occasional cold pack on my eyes/forehead. I have an autoimmune disorder that affects my spinal cord and causes inflammation and stiffness. It sounds like ice would help, but honestly I feel so much better when I use a rice pillow. It’s literally a bag of dry, uncooked rice (the Walmart generic brand, or whatever is cheapest) that I can microwave. It holds heat much longer than an electric heating pad and I can manipulate much better to fit my needs. That is always my go-to. It also feels really nice to drape across my forehead/temples/neck during a migraine. I’ve seen massage therapists use them as well, but sometimes with a different substance inside—buckwheat, rice, other small, dry grains. You can buy really fancy expensive ones, but the two I have are homemade and were dirt cheap. One is just an old pillow case with seams stitched across every couple of inches (like quilting, to help distribute rice evenly), and the other is about 6-8” wide and is a good length to wrap around my neck with similar seams sewn across. I used remnant fabric (which is discounted!) and the cheapest rice I could find. They are each 5+ years old and, while a little stained, in perfect condition.

If he works outdoors, on nights or when it's cold, these little bastards have saved my life on more than one occasion.

They're like those charcoal hand warmer things you get for skiing, but it's a belt that puts a grid of them right in the small of your back, and keeps you warm for eight straight hours.

I will post this in every one of these threads from here to eternity:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000R70YKW?pc_redir=1409323223&robot_redir=1

My best friend sent me this when I was having some early complications, and it is THE MOST AMAZING THING. I get weepy thinking about how it is like a hug from her. <3

I've had an issue with eye dryness for quite a bit. My eyes don't produce enough tears to keep my eyes moist enough for my contacts to be comfortable and sharp and if I use re-wetting drops, its a few times an hour to keep them optimal.

I recently bought one of these to do warm eye compresses and hopefully I'll notice the changes soon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FHZNQE/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687462&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B004385RPS&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0XGBCXJ8792FGQ3XNJBR

Apparently by doing this daily, it helps your eye release the tears that are "hiding" in there

i would love to have one of these, especially because of my seasonal allergies and my horrible migraines from stress and tension headaches from a car accident. i love cats... so, i don't know if that would help. i also love anything pink.

FLAX

uhhh, also meow and congratulations on the etsy shop!!!

I am so sorry your pain has been dismissed for so long. I had my lap back in March. I wrote a pretty long post afterwards because I was so angry about my treatment by doctors. Maybe it will help you feel like you're not alone in this.

As for recovery, the two hardest parts for me were 1) making sure I was able to go to the bathroom afterwards. I finally had to take magnesium citrate to get things moving again. I was so scared I had a bowel obstruction. and 2) the shoulder pain you get from the gas they use to inflate your abdomen is really intense a day or two after your surgery. Make sure you have an electric heating pad that you can drape over your shoulder. This one looks like it would be magical. It will help a lot.

You'll do great, and I promise it's worth it. During your next period, you'll feel like you can run a marathon <3

I use a microwavable heating pad like this.

I have degenerative disk disease in my spine. It causes chronic pain. For me, heat is extremely helpful. So on my 15-20 list you will find thermacare for 19.01 and is prime eligible

I am sure there are plenty of others who have great needs or even greater needs then I.

Thank you for doing a contest that can make life a little easier for someone.

No worries, I know how topamax goes. Get some sleep and totally message me if you want tomorrow (either in this thread or a PM). I genuinely am worried about everyone on here and would love to help/be someone for you to talk to who can empathize. I truly think that being able to talk to someone who at least partially understands is really important.

I love freezy head things. My favorites are these black ones and I have this "helmet/hood" that I love sometimes. Depends on my mood (usually I just want the eyemask, but there have been times I've rocked both.

I keep 3-4 eyemasks around at a time so I can keep some cooling. They only stay cool ~20 minutes (I flip them over as they start to warm) so having a few cooling is good if I'm really bad and need to rotate. I find the hood stays cool longer (and that brand does make a normal eye mask that isn't bad, I just like the black ones better personally).

Sleep well!

Wrist coolerswrist coolers

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You need hugs

You need one of these for sore achy days - I love mine -sometiems I just wear it around without heat because I like the weight of it!

You need CHOCOLATE! and some bubbles for a bath

For the interested

You should get one of those heat-able stuffed animals! When i moved out of my mom’s house i missed sleeping with a dog every night, and got one of these guys and it really helped out a lot! Its also good for cramps or stomachaches.

Thanks for the info. I will start this tomorrow.

These are the ones I use. ThermaCare Heatwraps for lower back. They keep my back warm the entire day, not kidding. From 9 AM until 9PM.

https://www.amazon.com/ThermaCare-Advanced-Heatwraps-Relief-Shoulder/dp/B07B9F5HNH/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1542229749&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=heat+patch+therma&psc=1

I also have oversupply, while I have not had mastitis, I have had plenty of painful plugged ducts UNTIL I started using a microwave heat pack. I got this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KBNPQ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_iRnxCbDY1KC7A which is a convient shape. I lay it across my chest right above my flanges. You must be very careful not to burn yourself. I heat mine in the microwave along with a mug of water to prevent burning and I always have a towel or folded burp cloth between my skin and the heat pack. It works like magic, at least it has for me.

I have what is called a Bed Buddy. I cannot STRESS how amazing this is! It's a soft, bean filled sack thing that heats up in the microwave. This has gotten me through every awful period I've ever had. You will not regret it. My friends even borrow it when they come over and happen to be on their p-rods.

use on ovaries instead

microwave deez balllzz(cvs has these fyi)

https://www.amazon.com/Elasto-Gel-Shoulder-Sleeve-x24-SW9005/dp/B00BHEM74K

https://www.amazon.com/ElastoGel-Wrist-Hot-Cold-Therapy/dp/B00N3IOH7S/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=elastogel+hand&qid=1563554787&s=hpc&sr=1-3

https://www.amazon.com/Southwest-Technologies-TM7001-Elasto-Gel-Therapy/dp/B07CZ9LGM2/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=elastogel+hand&qid=1563554787&s=hpc&sr=1-2

A heated body wrap?