Pain in the neck!

I have a pain in the neck and this time it is not my kids, my husband or any family member!  The doctor said I have a cervical sprain.  Basically, I pulled something in my neck and need to follow R.I.C.E. to get it to heal.

R = rest - not much chance of this happening
I = ice - this I can do
C = compression, the doctor gave me a lovely cervical collar to wear. Right off the runway!  Iti s beige and goes with everything! The purpose of the collar is to limit movement and compress my neck.  I see this turning up in some sort of Halloween Costume down the road!  My five year old daughter points out several times a day that this collar is "embarrassing" and I'm not to wear it: taking her to school, picking her up from school, to the bus stop or to the mailbox.  I should only wear it in a dark room - preferably my closet and just stay upstairs!
E = elevation.  Really?  I need to elevate my neck higher than my heart?  Doesn't it do that on its own?  My response to the doc when she told me I needed to keep it elevated!

How I manged to do this, I don't know. Just twisted or moved the wrong way.  What this really means to me:

-No tennis until next week (I'm hoping I will be able to play tomorrow!)
-Not being able to pick up my kids (I'm not supposed to lift anything over 20lbs)
-Not being able to move my head - this is getting better - Monday I looked like Quasimodo - today I can turn my head with only a small wince.  Makes backing up tricky.
-Very uncomfortable sleeping positions

I did get some lovely muscle relaxers - but I can only take them at night, once my husband is home to watch the kids.  I  couldn't get any good pain relievers due to allergies - I need to stick to extra strength Tylenol.

Have you ever had this type of injury?  Any tips for a speedy recovery?

Have a great day!