Frugal ice packs

[theresehirko]

Last night was crazy at the hospital. We ran out of ice packs on the floor and were using medical gloves filled with ice to adapt. I noticed the plastic sleeve from the newspaper in the break room and filled it with ice and tied a knot. It was flexible enough to be able to lay on my patient's forehead and not be bulky. I'm going to save my sunday paper's sleeve and keep them for when we need ice packs at home.

[kberg]

That works! The only issue I see is like plastic bags most of them have holes and that will equate to leaking all over.

[theresehirko]

If you tie knots in both ends, you should be okay. Our bags are double lined, so I'm going to try a test run just to see if I have leaks. Good thinking!

[Shamrock1121]

I've frozen wet washcloths in sandwich bags to use as an ice pack. If you have an "awkard" spot, like a "goose-egg" size lump on the eyebrow or a knee or elbow, you can mold the washcloth over something to make it curved, rather than straight.

-Karen

[pathwayholding]

I get between 18 and 25 migraines every month. A frozen bottle of water wrapped in a thin kitchen towel is really helpful for the pain. I've been using the same bottle for almost two years now. It has somehow become flattened out so it actually sits flat on my head or forehead. It stays frozen through a whole night unlike any other ice pack I've ever used. In the morning I just toss it back in the freezer.

path

[Shamrock1121]

I get between 18 and 25 migraines every month. *A frozen bottle of water wrapped in a thin kitchen towel is really helpful for the pain. *I've been using the same bottle for almost two years now. *It has somehow become flattened out so it actually sits flat on my head or forehead. *It stays frozen through a whole night unlike any other ice pack I've ever used. *In the morning I just toss it back in the freezer.

path



Path -

Have you tried supplementing your diet with fish oil and/or 5HTP for those headaches? I started out using both, then cut back to just fish oil (cod liver oil in the winter), and that took care of my migrains.

-Karen

[pathwayholding]

Karen,

Sorry I didn't see your suggestion til today. *

I've tried to 5HTP. *No difference. *I haven't tried fish oil but happen to have a ton of it in the cabinet. *(DH's stash.) *I'm willing to try anything at this point. *I'm on Axert (an abortive) and soy right now. *OH JEEZ! *Hubby is talking to me non-stop in the background! *ARRRRRRRRRRggggggggggggh! *How long did you have to take it before you noticed a change in quantity of migraines?

path (hoping this post even remotely makes sense as now he's singing Little Drummer Boy at what seems to be the top of his lungs!)

[fnfredux]

If you tie knots in both ends, you should be okay. *Our bags are double lined, so I'm going to try a test run just to see if I have leaks. *Good thinking!

discovered this by accident, my grandaughter needed a cool washcloth for her forehead. I put it in a ziploc bag because she complained about the wet. When it got wam I made another and threw the first in the freezer. It froze and was was easy to bend when she needed another (fever) so I froze the othe one. Now I just keep one in the freezer (wet washcloth in ziploc bag).

[fnfredux]

Karen,

Sorry I didn't see your suggestion til today. *

I've tried to 5HTP. *No difference. *I haven't tried fish oil but happen to have a ton of it in the cabinet. *(DH's stash.) *I'm willing to try anything at this point. *I'm on Axert (an abortive) and soy right now. *OH JEEZ! *Hubby is talking to me non-stop in the background! *ARRRRRRRRRRggggggggggggh! *How long did you have to take it before you noticed a change in quantity of migraines?

path (hoping this post even remotely makes sense as now he's singing Little Drummer Boy at what seems to be the top of his lungs!)

well, I guess we've deduced the cause of your migraines.

[Maranna]

I fill cheap zip loc sandwich bags with water and freeze them. I can hit the frozen bag against the counter to break up the ice for my beverages.

If I need an ice pack, I just put one cup of water in the bag, then take all the air out and zip it up and lay it flat in the freezer, take it out and pop it on the counter a couple of times, being careful not to break the bag, and then I have an ice pack.