Hi! - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

iloveshoes · 04-21-2003, 07:41 PM

Hello. My niece moved here from the midwest to go to school near us in the west. She seems to have all kinds of jaw pain that no one knows what to do with. Everyday she has headaches and she doesn't want to eat anything I make. Im worrie that she is anorexic and wonder if i should call her mother who is my sister in law. She is very thin and complains that all the meals I prepare are too hard for her to eat. does anyone know what she's taking about? She said she has TMj but I really don't know what that is except for what I've heard is that it is a terrible problem that can't be fixed. My dentist once thought I had tmj because of some trouble I had during childbirth. Does anyone have any ideas for me to offer Kim?

Thanks so much for any help you can offer,
Susan (my name was taken and i love shoes)

HRevero · 04-21-2003, 08:14 PM

Hi Susan,

Welcome to the board!!!!!
TMJ is a disorder, that at the moment has no cure. A lot of doctors seem to try to help, but sometimes they can make things worse. Some doctors can diagnose it but they do not know what to do from there. I consider tmj to be very serious. It can take over your body, which makes everyday living a battle. I myself am on a liquid diet but recently have moved up to being able to eat one meal a day only if it is very very soft. My jaw locks up now,but I have had tmj for awhile now before it started to do that. Your niece should go to a dentist, and make sure she is diagnose with tmj. Have your dentist refer her to a specialist, and go from there. TMJ help can become very expensive so make sure your insurance can pay for it. Ironically, my insurance covers it under medical NOT dentist. My insurance is Blue Cross. There are also other post that give more details about insurance situations on this site. When your niece tells you that she is in pain, the best thing you can do is listen, and believe her. A lot of us have not had that. When she does not want to chew, she really shouldn't it can make things worse. Try making soup, or mash potatoes. Blended things also are very good. Also make sure that she takes a multivitamin so she does not get sick. To have her gain weight, make things with a lot of milk or carbs. I myself have been eating like this, I also have found out that fish and lasagna also are good soft foods. She should not eat ice or chew gum either. She is so lucky to have an aunt like you. This site is so informative on tmj and what other people go through on a daily basis.
Heather
P.S. Keep us posted on her progress!!!!

------------------

iloveshoes · 04-21-2003, 08:29 PM

Hi Heather. Thank you for reading my questions. I didn't know if it might be that Kim has a disorder of eating. We read so much about that here where we live. Kim is very thin and is a beautiful young girl. Sometimes I worry that she is so thin because she is overly concerned with her appearance. She's been with us since last summer and I can't believe how small her clothes are. She does her own laundry but sometimes I fold the clothes out of the machine dryer. Is she starving? She has health insurance through her school only. Should she go to the clinic at the school? I'm very worried and don't want to meddle in her affairs but she is my niece and I must care for her as though she is my daughter.

If I suggest she goes to a dentist is there some way to find a specialist or should I suggest that she call her parents? I don't want to worry them if this is something simple. But you said it's serious so now I'm really worried about Kim.

Susan

crystalll · 04-22-2003, 09:16 AM

Hi Susan,

Firstly, I just want to say I love your username. I too share your love of shoes!
Secondly, people used to think I was anorexic. Heck, I even thought I was anorexic! I eventually realized that because of TMJD I just got tired of chewing. There's also the fact that when I sit down to a meal with other people, they always finish before me, and I hate being the last one sitting there and picking away at my food.
I wouldn't dismiss the possibility that Kim could be anorexic however. Maybe you could attend with her for a "routine" medical check-up. If she is cleared by a medical doctor, then you could look into having her see a dentist. Getting a proper diagnosis is the most important thing.

Best of luck.

Crystal

HRevero · 04-22-2003, 09:19 AM

Hi Susan,
TMJ is serious,

escpecially if she is afraid to eat because she does not want to be in pain. If I were you I would send her to the dentist, have him confirm that it is tmj, then he should be able to refer her to a specialist. I know that most of us probably have been in Kim's shoes, this is not fun.

She can get treated for her pain, and hopefully she will be able to eat. I don't know the relationship between her mother and you two, but if it is good I would consider telling her. She might not be able to understand (a lot of people don't). Do you know how she got tmj? It can just appear, come from an injury,or from birth. Usually what the dentist would do is examine, then confirm, refer her to a specialist. I know that either the specialist or the doctor can even make a splint for her. The splint is like a mouth guard. This will probably ease her pain (well, that is what it is suppose to do.) You can also ask for x-rays of the tm joints and also an mri.
There are also different sites on the internet that shows pictures of what tmj actually is. Just search for tmj disorder.
Not eating as you know is a very serious disorder, I actually was anorexic when I was a sophmore in high school. It was not tmj related. But after you go awhile with not eating, your stomache kind of gets used to it. If Kim won't even drink smoothies, there is a chance that she may have an eating disorder, but I am no doctor. Has Kim always been pretty thin? Sometimes people are just really thin. I have a friend who wears a size 1, but she does not mean to.
My eating disorder I was able to get under control. I guess yu can say that I knew what I was doing. I was 5 feet even, and weighed 70lbs. I did start to wear bigger clothes, and I drank a lot of water. It was not fun, but my whole entire family suffers from obesity and I was afraid I was too.
Now, several years later I got tmj, and I have been on an all liquid diet, but I have been learning how to get enough protein, and other nutrients in my diet to stay healthy. I also drink a lot of milkshakes which helps me to not lose any weight.

Heather

------------------