I had a pretty good life up untill OCT 5th 2003 It all came crashing down.
See I have been suffering from head aches and vertigo for about 12 years
I seen many doctors for the head aches within those 12 years .I did end
up finding out 1991-92 that I had a tmj problem in the jaw joint .So I thought
ok so Im not going to die from it Ill just learn how to deal with the problem.
Well It stoped me in my trax I was in las vegas on my birthday vacation and
It hit me the worse case of head and vertigo I ever had within the 12 years.
I thought I was going to die that day so I went up to my room and went to sleep
hopeing I could shake It off me but It never went away . I now have more problems
along with the head ache and vertigo I have dizziness, memory loss, blurred vision,
muscle twitching in the temple area, nausea,nervous system problems and all never
go's away.Im seeing a tmj specialist and a chiropractor and a massage specialist
for my problems. The chiropractor is the only one that helps but the pain comes
back after a few hours.I feel like I would be better off dead so I wouldnt have
to deal with this every day .Everyone always telling me youll be ok man hang in
there. Well I dont feel that way after reading all the info I could on the internet
and talked to some people haveing the same problems and reading story after story
about tmj problems some of them are living with the same problems as me some people
has had it as long as 30 years and tryed every thing.I look at life a lot different
now I love life but not like this .The only reason I wake up every day is because
my wife ,family and friends there all I have in this world .My wife is my best friend
I love her so much she's my hole world my everything I just want to be able to do
all the things we did before we have so much fun together I miss that so much I
couldnt even tell you in words .As of now im not working and I cant leave the house
I can only drive to the corner store .I have been stuck in the house for the last
45 days I just wish I could be me again and have fun and go places hang out with my
wife and friends again. Im sorry to go on like this but it hurts me so bad that I
lost my life I just dont see any hope of every getting any better . But Im hangin
in there with hope of recovering from this.To all the people suffering from pain
everyday Im so sorry you have to deal with that and I can understand If I could
help you I would ...
chris morgan
Dear Chris:
Believe me, you are not alone! I am a very healthy, fit 47 year old woman, with a life, that I once had, and a family that I thank the lord still have. I got socked with this TMJ stuff almost a year ago, and I have been thru living Hell. I have had every medical test known to man, some several times over. After 5 ENT's along the line, one told me if I ever heard of TMJ. I said yes, and he said that is what I have. My symptoms are as follows on a daily basis: VERTIGO!!!! CLOGGED EARS!!! ANXIETY!!! HEAD MUSCLE SPASMS!!! BRAIN FOG!!! need I say more???? I am exasperated also. I go to a wonder neuromuscular dentist who made a splint for me two months ago, and there is a dramatic change in my bite and my face is now symetrical, BUT..............the payoff for me at least is that the symptoms have gotten worse. I try to stay healthy, I go to a gym every single day and pump iron, and I go to a chiropractor twice a week. From the neck down I am wonder woman, but my head is a different story. Yesterday I went to yet another ENT far away from my home, desparately seeking someone to find fluid in my ear and nada!!! I made an appointment with a shrink to get medication, of which i had tried before, and it just exasperated the symptoms further. I am giving in and willing to try something because I hyperventalate constantly and it starts upon waking in the morning. All I have to do is stand up and it starts, the dizzy the clogged ears the brain fog, and I go off into a panic mode for the rest of the day. Tonight I noticed something really wierd when I was eatting my soy beans. I noticed that when I chew my jaw is moving back into my head more and the bite has changed remarkably. I dont know if this is a good think, but it seems the jaw is sinking further into my skull so to speak and I think the muscles are being exausted so they swell up. That is just my theory and I am seeing my doctor on Tuesday. I am wondering if you have a splint? You didnt say if you did, I dont think, cant remember to well these days, but if you do, maybe your jaw is moving in a new direction too! The way it was explained to me is that that joint lays 3mm from the inner ear and basically lays in the middle ear. If it is aggrevated in anyway, 30% of all nerves and blood vessels in the entire body pass thru the joint to the brain if you can believe that! That is what my NM dentist told me. Facsinating. Anyway, if the jaw is misaligned, then the nerves and muscles go into a spasm and hence the vertigo and clogged ears. Make sence? I hope this helped you, I know how you feel, I am also sick every day. I try to fake it around everyone, but sometimes, I feel like I have some wierd disease that no one has figured out yet. I feel detached from my body like a wierdo sensation and I freak out! Hold on buddy, we have to help each other, and maybe we can go on with our lives. Great that you have an understanding family. My husband is not to good with this, and only is nice to me when I fake being well. Otherwise he is lousy after 28 years of marriage. Oh well, such is life...........tata and take care of yourself.
Boy, do I know how you feel. I have suffered with brain fog type vertigo for over 30 years now. I know all about the fear, anxiety, low self esteem etc that goes along with it. Like you Chris, I was able to cope with it until 2 and a half years ago when I was hit with severe spinning vertigo. That is when my real problems started. I am now on splint therapy (5 mos) and like TMJgirl I havent't noticed much difference except facial and bite changes as well as less headaches but the dizziness etc is still here. I do believe the muscle spasm does cause alot of these problems. I have tried alot of treatments and so far I haven't found anything miraculous but my next step is trigger point massage therapy and hopefully that will help. My dentist says that it will take at least a month of treatment for every year that you have had tmj problems, so for me it looks like I need about 2 and a half years of therapy. He also said that when the facial muscles are being repositioned (splint), then the neck muscles must also be treated because they are affected too. Hang in there guys, if I can I know you can too. Here's hoping for better days ahead for all of us!
Hi Chris:
I'm so sorry to hear about the pain you have been in and that it has got you so depressed. I have been where you are, so depressed and in so much pain that I just wanted to die because I thought things would never get any better. I have had TMJ for about 24 years. It began in my teens right after getting my braces removed. At first the only problem I had was some clicking in my jaw but as years went on my symptoms progressed to where my jaw clicked every time I opened my mouth, my jaw locked, I had horrible killer headaches EVERYDAY until I just wanted to die. I had the dizziness, riniging in my ears, blurred vision. The list went on and on. A few months ago I began splint therapy with a orthodontist and I have made excellent progress. When I began splint thearpy my pain was a 10 on a scale of 0 to 10. But now my pain level is down to about a 2. I no longer have the daily killer headaches, my jaw rarely pops or clicks and it has not locked at all. The ringing in my ears has lowered to the place where I only have it sometimes and at a low ring rather than that high pitch ring I used to have. What I am trying to say to you is that there is treatment out there that will give you your life back. We will never be perfect, the way we were before we had TMJ but my life has improved so much. Finding the right person for treatment is more than half the battle. Since there are no guidelines for treatment and no set standards we are kind of at the mercy of these "professionals". We do our homework and learn as much as we can about our condition and treatment options so we can spot a phony. It's such a shame that we have to work harder and spend so much money because there are no standards for treatment of TMJ. But Chris, there have been several on this board who have found successful treatment for the TMJ and are now of out pain. Please don't give up hope. There is help out there and you can regain your life.
Tiffany
Hi Grace:
Me again....yes, this is truly a trying time in my life along with the rest of you. I hate getting up in the morning, I start to cry right away and my family runs away from me. I feel so alone. I get support from outsiders alot, ie: my NM dentist, chiropractor and personal trainer. My family doesnt seem to sympathize, they just want me to be like I was. I am frustrated with this so much, because I am not who I was. I was a vivacious person involved in my community and now I am a dizzy fool looking for a cure. My jaw got stuck today when I woke up and the ear immediatley clogged up. Then the panic, then the vertigo...and it is only 9AM. This is hell on earth. God help us...........
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