Well, I've been working on my TMJ issues for the last couple of years now. I have sleep apnea which means I have to use a CPAP machine at night. At least I was using it until it started affecting my TMJ and not in a good way. So I went to my doctor who told me to stop using it and sent me to my dentist for a mouth guard to see if that would work for me. It only made things worse, causing my jaws to hurt when I'd get up in the morning. I went back to the dentist (this part happened around May of last year, for those that would like a reference) who advised I go see a specialist. I believe he was a Prosthodontist? Or something like that. Anyway, he saw me and made a mouth device that I had to wear for a certain amount of time so that he could determine if it was a musculature problem or the joint itself. I've known for years it was the joint and not the muscles, but no one listens to me. Apparently this device proved it was indeed not the muscles that are the problem. Then the specialist guy shrugged and said he couldn't do anything for me because "my problem wasn't bad enough". Excuse the fuck out of me. If I can't get good sleep because of it, we have a problem.
I went back to my regular physician who put me on a regimen of various sinus/allergy meds to try to keep my nasal passages clear so I can sleep. This worked off and on but I still had varying degrees of problems with my ear. It would feel (and even now does) like it's stopped up. Kind of like when you get water in your ear that you have to shake out? Except the doctor couldn't see any fluid buildup in there. When I had my regularly scheduled cleaning in November, I talked with my dentist again about it and he recommended me to yet another dentist, who treats TMJ and TMD problems. I had the appointment set for last week, but with the inclement weather, I had to reschedule the appointment. For today.
Never mind that I had to drive nearly to downtown Atlanta to see this guy, and anyone who knows me well, knows I hate driving down there. So I get there and get taken back to speak with the assistant (who is a cutie, but alas, married). Then the doctor comes in and starts speaking to me. Behold! He actually says things that make sense to things I've paid attention to regarding myself. He doesn't just pay attention to my jaw, although the diagnostics he did with it made sense to me for the issues I've been having, he also checked out my neck muscles and how my bite changed against resisting pressure placed on my arm.
He looked at the positioning of my jaw and said that it is back too far and torqued slightly to the left which causes my mouth not to really have enough room for my tongue, which means when I sleep and my jaw goes slack, it also adds to they symptoms for sleep apnea. He said that due to all of this, and the fact that this has been the case ever since I was young (which is true), my clavicle bones are s-shaped due to my having forced myself into a position which would allow for better breathing (head tilted back to breathe and neck tilted forward so I could see). This has also led to the small hump I have at the spot where my back meets my neck. He also said the problems with my stopped up ears is from this as well because my jaws are clamping down on them, which is about as bad as listening to loud music. 24/7. Teh suck.
He pulled out a book regarding respiratory allergies and showed me the symptoms that I have and gave me the listing of a book he suggested I read. For $3 on Amazon, it couldn't hurt to get it to read. He said that the allergies are a large part of my breathing problem and that it is very likely I have more allergies than just what showed up on the skin test I took a few years back.
Now, down to what it would take to fix my jaw. 6 months of 2 different kind of mouth guard/devices. And on top of that, probably physical therapy or chiropractor visits to ease the realignment of my neck and back muscles and to fix the joint problem in my neck due to my jaws. The cost: almost $4000. AND (this is the kicker) I'd have to pay his office directly and then try to get reimbursement from my insurance company. I have no earthly idea how I'm going to do this, even though I know it needs to be done or I'll end up with lock jaw. Which is NOT what I want. *sigh* Well, one thing I can say, he couldn't find one normal thing about me. I have always told people I'm weird. Now I have proof.
No comments:
Post a Comment