I have had TMJ ( or TMD ) for years . What is TMJ ( TMD) exactly ? A pretty good basic description is provided above . Just click on the picture .
I have a moderately severe case , which has only worsened since my Lyme infection . It would stand to reason as Lyme & Co-infections love to attack the joints and soft tissues of the body.
I initially think a rather severe car accident where i was hit head-on by a jeep that swerved out of its lane and into my Honda was what kicked it into high gear . I was rear-ended about a decade later on the Boston Turnpike by a kid who was texting in heavy stop and go traffic. Two NASTY cases of whiplash later and i had a chronic pain situation .
I had a dentist , chiropractor , neurologist , massage therapist and an acupuncturist all work on my TMJ issues over the years . All offered some measure of relief in varying degrees of success - at least to the point where i learned to live with it and be fairly functional , albeit with an abnormal amount of head/neck aches on a frequent basis.
The last few years it has gotten much worse and the pain has become intolerable. I just felt i had run out of feasible options . Surgery is out of the question as it has a very low success rate and i tend to be anti-surgery in the head/neck/back area unless one is completely immobilized and even then i think you should try other options first. Too much risk of nerve damage and not much improvement for the amount of trauma. My burnt out immune system and adrenals couldn't handle another surgery anyway . So what to do ?
I had thoroughly researched dentists for someone who was state of the art and more holistically inclined for Colin and a few TMJ specialists kept popping up - so i looked into them , too. It just so happens that the dentist i really liked for Colin has pioneered a new method for TMJ patients which he himself suffered from for many years. It caused him to go in a new direction in Dentistry and to further educate himself on less-invasive and healthier dentistry as a whole.
He became my dentist , too and on my third visit ordered an MRI after a lengthy interview .
It revealed that i had displaced discs on both side of my jaw - the right side much worse than the left . I have joint deterioration , worse on the right and 'adaptive arthritis' which curved my bone to prevent it from poking into my brain. WHOA. Having a hunch is one thing but having visual proof is another thing ! No wonder i have been in so much pain. So , once again , i have decided to place my trust in a pioneering doctor to try and heal what is still sick. A BIG leap of faith for me .
I trust him implicitly - he spent over an hour with me going over the mechanics of TMJ , connecting all of the dots and providing me with a lot of insight into how my TMJ has been slowing my progress in healing. He offered me several options for treatment and i chose his the method he developed with temporary orthodontics that re-train the jaw to allow my displaced discs to slip back into place. Being in constant pain drains your adrenals as they are constantly in 'flight or fight' mode , excreting cortisol and eventually not working at all. The endocrine system gets thrown off balance and hormones , thyroid , immune system - all can be compromised. Then the sympathetic nervous system kicks in and vision problems , dizziness , etc can start to occur. This explains the come-and-go nature of my remaining symptoms . Lyme cause all these things or can make them worse but it not always an active Lyme infection that is the culprit. After you get the beast under control , it is important to address the damage left in its wake and start working on rebuilding your bodies systems. That is my new goal.
My insurance has denied anymore medication to treat my Lyme or Co-infections - even though i still have bloodwork that confirms the existence of at least two of these infections. SO ... it is on to PLAN B . I will be taclking the TMJ , then the Endocrine system and pursuing Herbal remedies for my passive infections . Samento & Banderol here i come ! One more fly in the ointment ~ My Epstein - Barr Virus has been re-activated since my Lyme infection so i will be addressing that , too. An ever uphill battle but one that i am fully engaged in and committed to winning. Stay tuned for progress !
* i also want to dedicate this latest post to my beloved cousin V. who so generously supports my quest for health in more ways than one . I love you so much.
Posts
