A cautionary tale.
For a couple of days I was suffering from a “crick” in my neck / shoulder. I have no idea how these things occur but I do get them from time to time. Possibly caused by laying in an odd position when I sleep or, perhaps, caused by laying in a draught. Air-con ??
Anyway, having taken some pain killers and trying a hot shower focused on the painful area I was offered the use of a “wheat-bag”
The bag was heated for just two minutes in the microwave and on removal was quite warm to the touch. Not hot.
I placed the back on my shoulder such that the bag was also partly heating the side of my neck. After 10 minutes or so I could feel that the “crick” was easing so the bag appeared to be doing the trick. Possibly the heat combined with the pain killer taken earlier.
After treatment I went out for the day and, with time, the movement in my neck became much easier and the pain had virtually disappeared.
Later that evening I was changing my shirt and noticed a red mark on my shoulder. A more detailed inspection via mirror showed what looked like bite mark, almost like I had been bitten by a human. No indentations, just two large red horseshoe shaped marks . At the center of these two marks were three large blisters, each one approximately half a centimeter across. Subsequently these have joined to become one large blister.
I should point out that the wheat bag was not placed directly on my skin as I was wearing a heavy cotton polo shirt at the time. Also, at no time did the heat being emitted by the bag feel extreme or cause any discomfort. And I have not felt any pain since. Some may suggest that perhaps my pain threshold has some bearing but I don’t think so. I have, over many years, experienced burns caused by hot metal during metalwork at school and in later years and hot water splashes. They all hurt like hell at the time and stung for some period of time afterwards. I can only think that the time elapsed had some bearing on the creation of my blisters.
Both my wife and I have used wheat bags before with no negative effects and I can think of no other contributing factors. After several days I still have the blisters but there has been no soreness. Strange.
All I can say is …..
Be Careful Out There !!
WrAnTz 