Amateurdoc, I had to start another thread

[navy2]

Thanks Dan,

This post wsan't going through without starting a new topic!

I've read about crepitus being osteoarthrits and it can not be helped. I'm not sure about the crepitus and at what degree the noise is heard. Although I've been told that's when it is bone to bone.
The neuro is not pro-aurgery at all. He even made the comment that no one would ever get a referral for open joint surgery out of his office.

I don't know about splint therapy. I'm not even sure about the condoyl (spelling) theory. In other words, in a perfect world I would like the following to happen. Whether it's possible, I have no idea:

I would like to go through neuro therapy
Be put in a splint to reposition my jaw and stabilze the displaced discs. If they are both displaced, maybe that would take care of both of them. Them I would hope that would alleviate the bone rubbing on the bone or whatever else is causing the crepitus. But, then again if the right tmj had gotten to the crepitus stage, maybe there is no disc to recapture. Oh Dan, I don't know anymore. This is getting way over the top for me. I guess splint therapy might be good, but, I need to talk to the neuro about it, For all I know, maybe he has dealt with this before. It's just when I read that crepitus and arthritis only happens in 5% of tmj patients and that eventually they have to have surgery ..it just gets the best of me. I still have children that I want to have fun with. I'm very depresed about the entire situation, Just when I thought I found a terrific doctor, this has to come up. By the way, his assistant was really nice the first visit. She was nice the second one too, but, she started talking about her experiences working for an oral surgeon for 8 years, She got me nervous telling me that I would have to be careful for the rest of my life and then she talked about some suregery that I could have down the road. Then we she did the sonography, and she started talking about all the bad things that it could mean, I wanted to run out of there. I wish my husband could come with me. I was happy when the doctor came in. He just told me not to worry and that he will do the test again next week. He never discussed the results with me in detail. I know that the numbers were not good. Maybe I should just forget about everything and just see if I get worse. Now, doesn't that sound mature?

Dan, you sound so informed. What does that mean about taking the pressure off the bone and condoyl? I guess all I ever thought of was repositiong the jaw in the splint to open it up and hopefully the disc will go back or something. Also, I really don't know what is causing the crepitus. I would have thought that if the joint was totally gone, it would have show on the pano. Then, I do have a lot of crackling in my neck and up the back of my head. It started months ago, and according to who I talk to it could be arthritis or some type of air bubbles or something in the joint. I have it in my knees too, and when they were x-rayed a month ago, there was no arthritis. I have no pain in my neck, just crackling. I also have problems, like your wife on C-4 c-5 and C-6, mild bulging, stenosis, spurring. Eight years ago, I was in excrutiating chronic pain. My husband took me from doctor to doctor. I saw the top speciialists in Atlanta, PT for 18 months, epidurals, you name it I had it. The only thing I didn't do was the surgery. Well, I eventually got better. The day that the neurologist mentioned surgery for the last time, was the day that I told my husband that I never wanted to go to another specialist again. I would have to be crawling and crippled before I let them do the spinal surgery for stenosis and the neck fusion. I remember asking the surgeon if he could guarantee I'd be better. He said the cost of the surgery was $35,000. He could not guarantee that I would be out of pain. He said that I could have vocal cord imjury and possibly extensive spine damage (maybe be crippled) ...So, I said no thanks. Today I look back and thank god that I never had that surgery. When someone is in pain, their judgement is not always the best and I think it is very easy to agree to surgery. Now i realize that sometimes people need surgery, But, for me I have had a history of chronic pain and problems that I've eventually made it though. This tmj joint thing has me in a dither though, because who wants to worry about locking up or a done degenerating in your face and causing your face to cave in. These were some of the things I read about today. Makes a person very nervous!

Last night I was in bed thinking of my children and how they are going to need me for many years to come. I'm praying that there is a solution for me somewhere.

Thank-you for posting to me Dan. Sometimes I know I sound pretty off the wall. I haven't been on meds, but, I'm going to start on something to calm me down today. I just wish my problem was not involving the actual tmj joint. I really think the neuro could help me then. I don't know how many of his cases have had disc problems. Did he mention anything about that to you? Does your wife have problems with her joints at all?

Navy

[navy2]

bump for response from amateurdoc. Dan, are you there? What a difference a month makes, right?
Hope your wife's treatment is going well!

Navy