kittencat

My goodness, you sound exactly the way I sounded about a year ago.

I am actually better then I was a year ago. That is something to keep in mind. :-)

I have also been through a trmendous amount of stress in the past few years. My mom died of cancer, I had four miscarriages, my husband's bout with Bipolar disorder, and I almost got divorced. I think that stress isn't the problem, but how you handle the stress. When I get so down that I don't want to go on anymore because of this darn TMJ, I think about how my Mom suffered with lung cancer for three years, and I realize how lucky I really am. I have a roof over my head, food in the fridge, and enough money to get treated. Some people have none of these things. I often think that if I would channel my nervous energy and worrying into campaigning for a cure for TMJ, or something productive, that it would make all of the difference.
I actually went back to school last year to work on a law degree so I can defend people who are so ripped off by insurance companies.
Try and channel your grief in a positive way. Whenever you start to have a negative thought, push it away with a positive one. You cannot have a negative thought and a positive thought at the same time you know?
I've been sitting in school for the past year in pain just so I can contiue onto law school and do something about this. If no one will stick up for TMJ patients, we have to do it for ourselves. Instead of feeling bad for myself, I am feeling mad that there are not many avenues to take in the healing of my TMJ.
Please be strong, and by all means, if you are feeling depressed, see someone and possibly go back on the Zoloft. Your family needs you, and worry will get you nowhere! Only in more pain.
The only research I do is medical research to help me become educated. I started to get stressed out about the internet info. too, so I didn't look at or read anything about TMJ for 6 months so I could relax.
If you need to talk, I'm here. ((((HUGS)))), Kitten