im so sick of this disease. doctors,
family , people in general, nobody
understands it!.....oh well..... i
started with the headaches almost 5 years
ago. since ive seen a thousand doctors. 6
ent's, 3 neurologists, internal medicine.
the list goes on a on. had septoplasty and
sinus surgeries with no effect accept to
drain my bank account , since i dont have
real insurance. now unemployed, the latest
neurologist diagnosed me with tmd, and
from everybodys symptoms it seems obvious
now. anyways he sold me this nti thing
because he thinks i clench, which im sure
i do. my teeth are all worn. seems like i
cant tolerate this thing either, just
strains my jaw and cheek. ive lost 20
pounds in the last year for some reason.
im almost 34 now and my health seems to
just dwindling as this evil disease is
pulverizing me. heres how my symptoms are
generall
mptoms
- Constant dull headache pain across
entire head (tension-like, squeezing,
etc)
- Intensity of pain is 3-4 out of 10
- Sensitivity to light
- Plugged ears (varies in degree)
- Pain seems "focused" over forehead
- Pain also behind eyes, nose
- Pain and soreness around jaw
- Neck muscles are tight as well
- Headache seems worse in morning
- Pain is there 24/7 and has never gone
away
- Right nostril seems less open than left
(no congestion at all though)
- i also have major gerd with hiatal
hernia
what makes this all the more hopeless is i
dont have insurance and am unemployed and
cant hold a job like this.
sorry to be so long winded......is there
any hope of getting out of this before i
jump out of the window?
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Tmddyan
Moderator
Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 4349 Location: post falls, id usa
Thanks: 93
Thanked:63
Posted: 11-20-07 14:09pm
absolutly-- there is help i am more than
willing to help you out of this. THe
hernia has nothing to do with tmd. the
rest of it soes though. you should look
into neuromuscular dentists.
your pain level is not that bad actually.
most of us are an 8 or 9 so count your
blessings. you cant let tmd get you down.
pm me and we can talk about your options.
there is hope never give up on that .
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jeremy714
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 20 Nov 2007 Posts: 2
Posted: 11-20-07 14:43pm
actually the 3-4 is how it is at best, it
gets unbearable daily. If you are still in
so much pain how is there hope?
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Tmddyan
Moderator
Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 4349 Location: post falls, id usa
Thanks: 93
Thanked:63
Posted: 11-20-07 14:47pm
there is hope--im only in pain cause i had
surgery not tooo long ago and am healing.
but that is not a reflection on anything.
there is hope i know cause i am for the
most part pain and symptom free. i have
bad days yes but that is from surgery
I know what works and doesnt work. i used
to have constant headaches and pain. along
with tons of other symptoms. im 100%
better now. yes there is still work to be
done but that is my part--eating well,
exercise and such. you cant let tmd get
you down. I have a feeling that its
getting you down. yes it sometimes seems
impossible that it will never end--but it
will. let me help you--i know that i can.
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catswold
Supporter
Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 404 Location: Flint, Michigan
Posted: 11-21-07 16:00pm
Hi Jeremy, I'm so sorry that you are
having to put up with this nightmare.
Your symptoms definitely do point to TMJ.
It's too bad you've had to do the useless
doctor search. It's quite common for
those with TMJ to spend a fortune on ENTs,
neurologist and other specialist. It
really bothers me that the medical field
seems so uneducated and uninformed about
the anatomy of the jaw.
Yes, seek a dentist who focuses most of
their practice on TMJ. Neuromuscular
dentists and Functional Joint Orthodic
dentists seem to be the specialists to go
to. But during your hunt for a good
dentist, you need to help yourself and see
if you can relieve some of those symptoms.
I always tell people to use lots of moist
heat and ice directly on the jaw joints.
See a TMJ trained massage therapist or
have your doctor refer you to a physical
therapist. Get good sleep lying on your
back (side is ok) with a good cervical
pillow. Never sleep on your stomach. Eat
softer foods and NO gum chewing. Cut out
caffeine and add Super Vitamin B Complex
and Magnesium to your daily diet. Watch
your posture especially in front of the
computer (see nismat.org/ptcor/tmj for
some pics and basic info).
NEVER allow your teeth to come together.
Keep your lower teeth relaxed with the
tongue resting on the roof of the mouth.
The lips should be closed (or slightly
apart) and all breathing should be thru
the nose. If your nose is a real problem,
see if the doc can prescribe a nose spray
for a while.
I'm probably forgetting a few things.
When I remember, I'll let you know. Self
help treatments work better in many cases
than anything a doctor can do.
Regarding your grinding and the NTI
splint. If you are a major grinder or
clencher, the NTI won't be stable enough,
plus, as you found out, if they are made
too small -- crack! Whatever dentist you
find will probably want to do a full mouth
bite splint. Sadly, they are costly but
worth it in the long run. There are some
states where Blue Cross does pay for bite
splints (durable equipment), but you
usually have to fight for payment.
Thankfully, Michigan is such a state.
Take care of yourself and I hope you get
the help you need soon.
God bless...
Carol
