Ow ow ow ow ow!

[jsgoddess]

I am in Cave City, Kentucky, after a hellish drive down through rain and wind and really stupid driving (some of it mine! Eek!) and in all the tension I got a charlie horse in my shoulder and neck.

I can't turn my head!

I'm in a hotel.

What the heck am I supposed to do about this? Ow!

[mangeorge]

Originally Posted by jsgoddess

I am in Cave City, Kentucky, after a hellish drive down through rain and wind and really stupid driving (some of it mine! Eek!) and in all the tension I got a charlie horse in my shoulder and neck.

I can't turn my head!

I'm in a hotel.

What the heck am I supposed to do about this? Ow!

Pinch your upper lip close to your nose between your thumb and forefinger. Either ir worked, or the cramp just went away.

[jsgoddess]

Now my neck and my lip hurt. I don't think this is an improvement.

[Rysdad]

======>

Hey! What's that?!?!

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_{Did that help loosen up your neck?}

[mangeorge]

Originally Posted by jsgoddess

Now my neck and my lip hurt. I don't think this is an improvement.

You're supposed to do it till it really hurts, so you forget about the neck.
No, you're just supposed to squeeze, not hard, for a while.
Sorry about the pain. Got any aspirin?

[mangeorge]

Originally Posted by Rysdad

======>

Hey! What's that?!?!

======>




_{Did that help loosen up your neck?}

That's for hiccups.

[eleanorigby]

HOT shower?

Is the guy at the front desk cute? He could give you a shoulder massage....

[jsgoddess]

Originally Posted by eleanorigby

HOT shower?

Just got out of the shower.

Now I need to go into General Questions and ask, "Why did the shower curtain attack me when I turned the shower on?"

Turning the shower on sucked the curtain into the shower's spray. The result? An extremely wet floor, a soaked bathmat, and a too-short to help shower.

I seethe.

[descamisado]

Re the shower curtain, Cecil has the answer on that:

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_104.html.

You should totally ask that cute guy at the desk for a neck massage.*

* What do I know, I'm just feeling devilish tonight.

[blondebear]

So, other than the rain and your neck, how are things in Cave City this time of year?

[carnivorousplant]

Liquor and a good night's sleep.

Accupressure. Works for me sometimes. Press your thumb where it hurts, slowly increasing the pressure until it hurts too much, slowly let the pressure off.
Maybe it's one of those "feels so good when I quit" things.

Hot towels.

[mangeorge]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_horse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cramp
Read down to treatment.

[mangeorge]

I'm feeling the beginnings of an empathic crick. I hate it when that happens.

[eleanorigby]

Originally Posted by carnivorousplant

Liquor and a good night's sleep.

Accupressure. Works for me sometimes. Press your thumb where it hurts, slowly increasing the pressure until it hurts too much, slowly let the pressure off.
Maybe it's one of those "feels so good when I quit" things.

Hot towels.

I second the hot towels, since you seem to have had a "curtain malfunction". I would also try to do some self massage--of your neck, you naught goddess.

[Amblydoper]

Why don't you try some WD-40?

[phouka]

600 mg of ibuprofen (Advil) for the anti-inflammatory effect. COLD packs for the first 24 hours after injury, and then switch to heat.

Also, see if you can get some potassium and magnesium into your system, as they can help with muscle cramps. Bananas are really good for that.

[whiterabbit]

You just beat me, phouka. And with her being in a hotel, ice is easy to come by. Ice it down, don't give yourself frostbite but let it get really really cold.

My usual next step is to find somebody to massage the spasm. Hurts like a mofo if it's done right, but the combination can reduce a horrible spasm to something quite manageable. If you can reach the spot yourself, you're in business...otherwise, I dunno.

Heat might feel good while it's there but it'll just make it worse after. Go for the ice, at first anyway.

ETA: I just noticed this was posted last night. But I've had some really nasty spasms that have lasted for a few days, so I'm not retracting my advice. Ice, ice, and ice.

[lee]

I second the suggestion of liquor. I had a very stiff neck after sleeping wrong that was not getting better for a couple of days because it hurt so much I was tense and it seemed like every movement was injuring it worse. Neither ice nor heat helped much, and ibuprofen did not seem to help. My husband said it seemed like i needed a muscle relaxant. I remembered Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and poured myself some rye whiskey, and self medicated a drink every couple of hours, which is a lot of drinking for me, but it really helped. I did not mind the pain as much, and I was able to relax the muscles for the first time in a couple of days. It gave them a chance to start healing.

Of course, this only helps if you don't need to drive anywhere.

[mangeorge]

Well, if we're going to go to "substances", a nice fat joint works wonders as a muscle relaxant. Really!
But alas, that's illegal. Dang.

[jsgoddess]

You all will be happy to know that I can turn my head. Thisaway and thataway.

My recovery was just in time for us to go to the in-laws, where my husband ate something and promptly got sick.

I live under a Thanksgiving Curse.

[Siam Sam]

Originally Posted by jsgoddess

Now I need to go into General Questions and ask, "Why did the shower curtain attack me when I turned the shower on?"

That was no shower curtain. That was Anthony Perkins!

[swampbear]

I have the strangest urge to go to Cave City, Kentucky. Just sump'n about the name. Also, glad the neck is better and hope the hubby's over his sickness.

Will you be staying in Cave City again on your return trip?

[Kythereia]

Originally Posted by jsgoddess

I live under a Thanksgiving Curse.

Clearly, the turkeys have taken their revenge...

[jsgoddess]

Originally Posted by Kythereia

Clearly, the turkeys have taken their revenge...

They are very stupid birds, since it is I who am the eater of turkeys. The husband is an eater of Cheetos.

Originally Posted by swampbear

I have the strangest urge to go to Cave City, Kentucky.

I'm not claiming to be some sort of Cave City expert, mind you, but I have to say that so far? I don't think it would be worth your trip.

Unfortunately, this is always how I end up thinking about Kentucky. "Not worth my trip." This has more to do with my in-laws and various incidents than with the state!

This is the second time since we've been married that the spouse person has ended up barftastic on Thanksgiving while visiting the in-laws.

Maybe they're trying to poison me but keep missing.

[mangeorge]

Originally Posted by Kythereia

Clearly, the turkeys have taken their revenge...

Or the dressing inside the bird, which I've read is pretty common.
Don't know about jsgoddess husband though.

[eleanorigby]

I think they're trying to kill HIM. There must be some long held grudge that no one speaks of..... Perhaps they think that with HIM out of the way, you will be more amenable to sharing your wealth/knowledge/expertise with them....




I can't imagine there being much in Cave City KY (now that sounds dirty!).

[jsgoddess]

Originally Posted by eleanorigby

I think they're trying to kill HIM. There must be some long held grudge that no one speaks of.....

I can't believe that. Oh, I could believe a long held grudge. These people are still complaining about things that happened in the 60s. But not to speak of it? Surely you jest. They tell each other (and me, god help me) long drawn-out anecdotes about what they had for dinner on July 13, 1987.

[eleanorigby]

That's not an anecdote, that's verbal diarrhea. An anecdote needs some semblance of plot. My inlaws do the same thing--what you're eating right now; what you ate last year and how it compares to what you eating now etc. Terminal boredom sets in quickly.



They sound to animated to hold secret grudges, so let's flip this: perhaps spouse is sending a not so subtle message re his mother's cooking? Just a thought....Heh.