I have been having headaches off and on for the last year now. They seem to be steadily getting worse. The last three weeks especially. In the fall my new family Doctor (I made a big moved across the country) suggested that perhaps I suffer from TMJ. He said that he had never seen such flat teeth for a 25yr (26yr now) old female. That along with my other symptoms suggest that this could be a result of TMJ. For the last few weeks I have had almost a constant headache. I have tried various over the counter meds with no effect. I am not able to sleep well, as the pain keeps me awake. The pain seems to be coming primarily from the right side of my forehead. I do have pain all over at times though. I have neck pain also that seem to come and go. The last three days I have been experiencing some pain in my face as well. Along my either side of my nose and jaw line. I do hear a very faint popping sound in my ear when I open my mouth wide. I have had episodes of nausea and dizziness in the past month. Today I feel like I am under "a cloud". My mind feels fuzzy. I have taken no meds as they do not help. I am very tired and frustrated. It is starting to affect my ADL's. I have two small children who make noise as children do, but at times this is very hard handle with these headaches. I have two questions. One, does the diagnosis of TMJ seem correct? And when I go to my Doctor this week which type of tests would be fair to expect? I have only seen this Doctor once in the year since living here. Would my history of eating disorders be relevant to my present situation with headaches? Thank you for your help.
Crystal

If you would like to rule out cluster headaches you can go to www.clusterheadaches.com (http://www.clusterheadaches.com) and take a quiz that is located on the site. Many who suffer from cluster headaches are diagnosed wrong as having TMJ first. I was. I am not saying this is your case just saying you may want to check it out and rule it out to be safe. Hope you find answers soon.

You may be grinding your teeth without knowing it. I would see your dentist and get fitted for a mouth guard to wear at night and maybe even during the day. This cured my dad of his horrible headaches. Hope this helps. Take Care, Janet http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

Hi,

Thank you very much for your reply. I guess I forgot to add that I do very much grind my teeth. I have been very conscience of this since my Doctor told me in the fall that he feels I suffer from TMJ. Thanks again.

Hi Crystal,
It sounds very much like you could have TMJ. TMJ headaches are often confused with migraines because the pain is so severe (also confused with cluster headaches so yes - definitly check into that). You need to see a dentist WHO SPECIALIZES in TMJ in order to be properly diagnosed. You should also see a neurologist - just to rule out anything else. People with TMJ often grind their teeth - this can cause great pain. Do you wake up with headaches? Also a sore neck (and shoulders and back) are assosiated with TMJ because the rest of your body can over compensate for your jaw.
I have TMJ and hereditary Migraines. E-mail me if you like and we can talk more. (I have been researching this stuff for 7 years now and I have finally found some relief). Some tips
1) Are you on the pill? Estrogen and manufactured progesteron can often increase headache.
2) I recommend ibuprofen as an over the counter drug as it also has an anti-inflammitory in it.
3) Watch out for rebound headaches (which occur if you've been taking meds for a few days or a week and then stop)
4) Try a contour pillow - great for the neck.
5) Make sure you are getting enough calcium.
Give me a shout -- airyns@home.com
Take care - Airyn

Hi Airyn,

Found you info helpful as I grind my teeth and also have migranes and neck pain. I have just got a night guard for the grinding but it's uncomfortable! I have always had headaches and it is difficult to determine whether these migrane like headaches are tmj related or hereditory. I also take celebrex and cafergot for the migranes. I don't know whether you know anything about this drug (ergotamine) but just wanted to ask because my mum gets migranes too and often takes this daily which I have heard can be bad for rebound and it's side effects.

Hi Mel, (sorry this message is so long)
TMJ being a 'misnomer' is somewhat true. TMJ basically means - you have pain in your jaw - but we are not sure why. If you have a misalignment of the tm joint then this is definatly going to cause pain. I have migraines and TMJ headaches - I can tell the difference and I know how to treat them differently.
If you e-mail Me - give me a dingle as I can go more into detail (I'm sure many people don't want to hear my rantings over and over again here). Or if you have a specific question(s) ask me. I haven't tried that drug you mentioned. I did try a few preventative drugs but none helped. I get headaches now about once or twice a week. (when I was in University I would get them 6 days a week and they would be hell) Now I can manage them.
I take zomig for sever pain - EYEGRAINS I call them becasue they feel like a fork sticking in my right eye.
ANYWAY - do e-mail me - or write me here - I believe I can possibly help you.
Take care all - Airyn (airyns@home.com)