Hi angela, i'm so sorry to meet you here because of all this. You definitely have tmj and the swollen glands are just one small symptom. Where do you live? I'm asking so we can look for a tmj specialist in your area. Is there a teaching university with a jaw school near you. If not, start the search (which you already are it looks). You might have to sign something that says you won't hold the new doctor responsible for any damage, etc., because of the previous surgery.
I don't know about the ibuprofen and glucosamine and your desire for a baby. They are good to take for tmj but you might want to check them over the internet or call your doctor or a pregnacy place to see if there is any reason you shouldn't at this time trying to conceive a baby.
For pain relief - use lots of moist heat and ice, back & forth. The ice brings down the swelling and the heat feels relaxing. Next, see if your doctor will refer you to a physical therapist or find a massage therapist on your own who is familiar with myofacial release or tmj massage. If you don't like the first therapist, try someone else. It might take a few bad massages to find a good therapist, but it is well worth it, so don't give up. You will want someone who will actually hurt you when working on you trying to break up pressure points and muscle knots, etc., but in the long run, that is what you need.
Somehow, you need to find someone, a good bite splint maker and adjuster who will make a good bite splint for you. Once again, they are hard to find sometimes and you just have to keep pushing until you find a good one. Again, don't give up.
This will all be expensive unfortunately, but some insurance companies will pay for certain things. Check it out. Also, have you had an mri taken of your jaw? You really should but it's not absolutely necessary.
There are lots of other things you can do to break up the pain. Eating soft foods will help tremendously. You won't have to eat mush forever, but you really should for a year or so. Definitely no gum chewing, gooey stuff or tough meat; anything that puts too much pressure on your joint or tires you out- stay away.
Other things to try - pressure point injections, accupuncture, lidocaine pads, tens, ultrasound, etc. I will have to look up my notes so I can tell you more things to try. There are some excellent books to read by shankland, upguuard (sp?), kaplan, etc., as well as a few excellent websites.
My personal warnings about tmj treatment would be to stay away from chiropractors for now even though you might want to try them later on. And the biggest thing is stay away from anything irreversible. Unfortunately that includes surgery, but you did have the least invasive type so that is a plus for you. Also, do not consider braces at this time. Anyone who tries to talk you into anything irreversible and drastic, step back and really, really check it out.
I could write a book to you. Sorry about that. Oh, you will also get lots of symptoms that will make you wonder if that is related to tmj (like a burning tongue or a plugged ear) and usually it is a big - yes!
There will be times when you will get extremely frustrated. The pain will make you angry and sad all at the same time. Just remember that there are many people in this world who are going through almost the same thing as you are. Get support from the health boards and do lots and lots of research. You'll find someone near you will who will be able to help. Keep searching and calling and going to appointments. Don't allow a doctor's rejection get to you because of your surgery, most tmj patients have either had doctors reject them and not help, or claim to be great and ended up not knowing what they were doing. You'll find that tmj specialist. You might end up driving a little more than you would have liked to, but have your hubby go with you and have good quality time together talking about life in general. I know, i'm getting a little silly.
Take care and god bless...
Carol
