effective treatment for TMJ = nothing, says research cited in NY Times

Interesting New York Times article on TMJ. Check it out if you are a fellow TMJ patient. (My jaw problems come and go and seem to be doing okay these days.)

how TMJ dysfunction can ruin a cheesy couple shot

Here's a photo I took of me with the beau this afternoon. (Thank you, iMac webcam. I love you and your lack of judgment when I take fifty thousand self-portraits.) I started to make a silly face when my jaw popped loudly (and painfully). The camera took our photo RIGHT as I was reacting to the TMJ pain.

Candid TMJ dysfunction photo op! This doesn't happen every day, eh?

(Photo is a bit garbled because I was trying to use a special feature.)

helpful treatment for TMJ dysfunction and migraine?

I was perusing the comment section under Jeff Tweedy's insightful blog on The New York Times site when I saw that one of the inventors of the Face Caddy had posted. I rarely follow people's self-published links to websites that profess to know the answer to my pain, but this was different. First off, the writer didn't annoy me with any obnoxious claims that the product would definitely cure a migraine or TMJ pain. Second, the website (http://facecaddy.blogspot.com) for the product doesn't reek of shameless self-advertisement. The guys who invented this product initially made it for those recovering from a common operation we like to call "the mini-facelift." I have a family member who suffered for weeks after her operation, and something like the Face Caddy would've come in handy.

But let's not go off on a tangent just yet. The folks at the site then went on to say that they didn't have the response they'd expected from plastic surgeons. Surely the doctors they spoke with would be happy to recommend a lush, stay-in-place recovery tool instead of the usual "hold a bag of frozen peas to your face" remedy. Right? Wrong. The plastic surgeons they spoke with didn't care one way or the other for this implement and the inventors hadn't gotten any further with their creation. That is, at least, until they happened to speak with a chiropractor, who said he wanted to order several of them for his patients who suffer from TMJ dysfunction and migraines.

I took the bait and ordered one on the spot. You see, another reason I was so ready to buy a product I'd ordinarily dismiss as another false promise was this: the pain in my jaw and near my right ear hasn't let up for well over a month now. I used to be an occasional sufferer of TMJ dysfunction, experiencing pain only for brief stretches of (usually stressful) time. Not the case now. Weeks straight of not being able to open my mouth as widely as I should. Jaws cracking and popping at the smallest yawn or bit of food. I started wearing my mouth guard again and even have some muscle relaxers I pop now and again before bed to decrease the chances of my grinding my teeth.

But to have something I could wrap around my head and fill with either heat or cold, cold relief? Whenever I was feeling especially bad? Even if this product wouldn't rid me of TMJ pain entirely, at least it would soothe it in doses. Right? I hope so.

I just got back in town from vacation and my Face Caddy was on my porch. To the delight of my boyfriend, I wore it the entire time we watched a movie last night, alternating between the heat packs and the cold packs (you have to order an extra set of packs to be able to switch 'em out quickly like that). It felt gooooood. And when the boyf woke up in the middle of the night with extreme shoulder and neck pain, we wrapped the Face Caddy around his shoulder so it became a shoulder caddy. It's so much softer than a traditional rubber water bottle.

I think this means I like it. And it brings me much pleasure to say "face caddy" as many times as possible in a brief period of time. Face Caddy, Face Caddy! Ha. A cheesy but entirely apt name for what seems to be a soothing product. I'll let you know if there are any significant updates either way.

muscle relaxer for TMJ dysfunction: an experiment

I've mentioned my trials and tribulations (more trials than tribulations, of course) with TMJ dysfunction. In the past several weeks, I've had daily pain and can't open my mouth too far--bad when you're an outspoken, semi-ridiculous human like me. On Monday, my neurologist gave me a prescription for Baclofen in the hopes that I could wake with less pain each day. I took one pill two hours ago or so and don't really feel anything except slight boredom (watching bad TV while you're typing is the reason for that), an achey back, and the usual jaw pain. No headache to speak of, though--that's a good sign.

the ol' TMJ switcheroo

I have TMJ dysfunction, and it often exacerbates my Migraines--sometimes it's a trigger or at least a contributing factor to my pain, but mainly it's an annoyance.

Lately, as in the last 4 weeks or so, I've had steady pain in the right side of my jaw, right near my ear. This is odd in that my jaw used to crack and hurt on the LEFT side. Has anyone else had their jaw pain switch sides? I know that the side of the head your Migraine occurs on can switch, but this TMJ pain switch is unfamiliar and unpleasant. It HURTS!!

Merry Migraine!

Holiday parties are coming. Strike that--holiday parties are here. And it's only the first full weekend of December. Friday night there were two parties, and I had a slight Migraine headache before we even got to the first get-together, which started at five or so. A funny thing happened at the first gathering: I hung out with professors from the graduate program I finished a while back and did a lot of the obligatory catch-up talk. Somehow I had the energy to do this, putting my headache on the back burner while I laughed and talked with old classmates and teachers. The moment my boyfriend and I left the house and walked to my car, the pulsating pressure returned to my temples and the left side of my forehead. While most of the pain was gone (I'd taken my Relpax before the party), I didn't feel ready for the night ahead.

Instead of looking forward to the next party, I merely felt overwhelmed by the social commitments that lay ahead. As we drove toward the next party, I thought to myself, "I'm only 25% done with this weekend's parties. And I've barely scratched the surface of all the December obligations!" My head pounded more insistently. I thought about driving the car home and just staying there.

I trucked on, though. And the Migraine came back full-force the next morning. And the morning after that. (Granted, I'd had a few drinks Friday and Saturday nights, but the drinks were vodka and I drank in moderation. Usually clear alcohol + water consumption + not overdoing it = no Migraine!)

The holiday season doesn't seem like it should be particularly stressful for me--I have a laid-back family and no one obsesses over gift-giving or party-throwing or keeping with meticulous customs. But I tend to get pretty headachey each year anyway. Why is that?

Paying for medication is extra-stressful when I want to spend my money on plane tickets to visit loved ones or gifts for friends and family (or myself, dammit!). But extra headaches mean extra calls to the pharmacy. More $120 charges for Relpax, here we come! Another $135 neurologist appointment is coming up, as is more monthly medication.

But let's look on the bright side. The holiday season doesn't have to mean focusing on others, what they want, parties they're throwing, commitments we're expected to fulfill, etc. What is it we're told over and over again? Oh yes--the season is about giving. Let's learn from this.

1. Give to yourself.

If you're not up for a party, don't go. Pushing yourself could mean you make yourself sick. Maybe it won't, but why risk it? You are THE most important thing in your life. (Or one of the most important, if you have others you're very close to!) Take care of yourself. Don't stretch yourself too thin.

Maybe you could pamper yourself a little bit. Have you ever had a massage? Oh, I highly recommend this. A tip for you: be sure to tell the massage therapist about your Migraine patterns and any spots on your body (esp. back or neck) that when tight and in pain might be triggers. An experienced masseur will know how to treat you. My massage therapist is a TMJ specialist and dons some latex gloves so she can massage way back in my cheeks, relieving my TMJ like you wouldn't believe.

2. Expect that others will be there for you, too. 'Cause they will!
Your friends want you to be well. I'm guessing that they're aware of your Migraine disease (or whatever chronic pain disorder you might have). If you need to bow out of get-togethers, if you're overwhelmed and need to leave a party early, or if (as in my case), if you can't afford to get as many Christmas gifts as you'd like because your "extra" money goes to prescription drugs, that's okay! And your friends will understand. That's why they're your friends. Trust that they'll be there for you.


Merry Christmas to me! I guess I'm buying myself some drugs.
I wish you all well.

*If all goes as planned, this will be part of the HeadacheBlogCarnival. Link to follow.

a month of headaches

This.
month.
has.
been.
awful.

Every day marked by at least a little pain; every few days (at the least) marked by a throbbing Migraine headache. The hot weather, the impending afternoon rains, the menstrual cycle that comes around like clockwork. I think the TMJ is rearing its ugly head again as well--perhaps this is a side effect and a cause of the increased anxiety surrounding the ever-increasing headaches.

My Migraine headaches have been worse this month than they have in YEARS. I have become a hermit again but am determined not to get me down. GRRRRR...