Posted by Keith (24.12.40.70) on March 05, 2001 at 15:20:44:
In Reply to: how many of us handle a cycle without meds? posted by karen on March 05, 2001 at 07:59:58:
Actually, that's part of the dance the beast and I do - see just how long I can hold out without having to resort to serious meds. I *NEED* my brain!
I keep bags of ice in the freezer - and reuse them. For me, the best place to put the ice has been on my neck just below the skull. This, coupled with a handful of Advil or ibuprophen is usually enough to break out of the day's entertainment after a while. But EVERYONE knows that trick.
Another thing that has at least reduced some of the severity for me has been occipital and sub-occipital stretches. This involves having someone hold the head of your trapezius muscle while you tilt your head over to the other side so that your ear comes close to touching your shoulder and back. To get to the sub-occips, after getting your head on your shoulder, look up and hold it there a minute or so. It seems to loosen the muscles and reduce some of the tension.
These things *don't* kill the beast - but he sometimes loses a few teeth for a while.
Best of luck.