Ugh... pain keeping me awake :(

[nancy2394]

A couple of days ago I felt some discomfort on my right side of my jaw back toward my ear. I didn't think too much about it. Well, tonight... I wished I had thought more about it at the time. It's the weekend and of course my only option is going to the emergency room.. which I don't want to do.

Apparently I have TMJ. I was seen at my doctor's office many months ago for ear pain on my right side. I would have sworn I had an ear infection. But my ears were fine. She felt like it was tmj from my description. She was going to refer me to someone and within a few days it was fine.. so I didn't bother to make an appointment with anyone to have it looked at.

I am MISERABLE right now. I've already broke down and cried because the pain is so bad. I can't even open or close my mouth without severe discomfort down the whole right side of my jaw, especially right in front of my ear. I can't get any relief. I've taken motrin and have been laying on an ice pack for a while now. I have my heating pad warming up so I can switch to that when the ice pack is no longer cool. TJ tried to massage my neck and scalp on that side. But so far, nothing is helping.

[bubbatd]

Ouch !! That's no fun !

[Gsd_pitboxer]

get well.

[Renee750il]

Oh, noes, Nancy . . . like you needed one more thing . . . (((((((((HUGS)))))))))

[nancy2394]

Well... I finally got some relief and a little bit of sleep. I just woke up from a nap. I'm not sure what I did that helped or if it was a combination of the different things I was doing , but something worked... thank God! That was horrible.

[Dreeza]

Ugh, that sucks Nancy...TMJ sounds like no fun at all.

The only advice I can try to give you is to find a physical therapist who is EXPERIENCED with TMJ (def can't just go to any ol' PT).

Another thing...PT for TMJ is pretty new, but EFFECTIVE (a good PT will know if yours is treatable w/PT or not...most likely it is unless you've had some trauma recently that would have knocked off the biomechanics of your jaw). Many dentists are not yet familiar with it & will stick with their old school ways which include irreversible grinding down of the teeth, etc. This may offer relief, but a dentist that is up to date will know that this is a temporary, costly & in the long run, an ineffective solution.

Just wanted to include all that just in case you talk to a dentist & they look at you like you are crazy for asking them about a PT...you know you aren't dealing with someone on top of TMJ research. But ask around to try to find a referral to someone experienced...it should hopefully only require a few sessions...

good luck!

[nancy2394]

Originally Posted by Dreeza

Ugh, that sucks Nancy...TMJ sounds like no fun at all.

The only advice I can try to give you is to find a physical therapist who is EXPERIENCED with TMJ (def can't just go to any ol' PT).

Another thing...PT for TMJ is pretty new, but EFFECTIVE (a good PT will know if yours is treatable w/PT or not...most likely it is unless you've had some trauma recently that would have knocked off the biomechanics of your jaw). Many dentists are not yet familiar with it & will stick with their old school ways which include irreversible grinding down of the teeth, etc. This may offer relief, but a dentist that is up to date will know that this is a temporary, costly & in the long run, an ineffective solution.

Just wanted to include all that just in case you talk to a dentist & they look at you like you are crazy for asking them about a PT...you know you aren't dealing with someone on top of TMJ research. But ask around to try to find a referral to someone experienced...it should hopefully only require a few sessions...

good luck!

Yeah, I knew about the PT. My primary physician was the one that was going to refer me to a physical therapist for it. Although my jaw is feeling considerably better, I think I am going to go ahead and call and see if I can set up an appointment.

[Chewbecca]

Are you sure it's not sinus pressure effecting your ear and going down deeper and putting pressure on your jaw?

I have this happen occasionally with my left side because my left ear has always been troublesome my entire life.
When my sinuses bother me, I can sometimes get a pressure down below my ear along the underneath of my jaw bone, and it puts pressure on my jaw.

I only knew it wasn't my teeth because I had recently been to the dentist for xrays, and I knew there was nothing wrong with them.

I hope you feel better soon!

[JessLough]

I'm sorry it's causing you so much pain. I know what you are feeling, I have suffered with it my whole life. It really does suck, but I am glad to hear that you are getting relief from it.

[nancy2394]

Originally Posted by Chewbecca

Are you sure it's not sinus pressure effecting your ear and going down deeper and putting pressure on your jaw?

I have this happen occasionally with my left side because my left ear has always been troublesome my entire life.
When my sinuses bother me, I can sometimes get a pressure down below my ear along the underneath of my jaw bone, and it puts pressure on my jaw.

I only knew it wasn't my teeth because I had recently been to the dentist for xrays, and I knew there was nothing wrong with them.

I hope you feel better soon!

I'm fairly certain it's tmj that has unofficially been diagnosed. I have never in my life ever suffered from sinus pressure or any kind of sinus infection. This is literally in my jaw near the front of my ear and it radiates down my neck and to my ear. I clench my teeth a lot and I have been known to be a teeth grinder when I sleep. I've also had a lot of major stress in my life these past 2 years. And those are 3 significant factors that can most definately lead to tmj. I feel bad for anyone who suffers with this on a regular basis because it really sucked so bad when it was absolutely killing me the other night. All I could do was cry until I got some relief with the ice pack, heating pad and motrin. It's still a bit sore to open and close my mouth and I can feel it's not properly lined up on the right side of my jaw cuz it grinds a bit on that side with certain jaw movements.