tmj pain is no fun at all

May 20, 2014

Lots of people regularly tell me how chipper I am about this whole EDS thing. Well, I don’t feel so chipper today. My face is turning into a shriveled up prune from all the pain my head is in and while I am not giving up by any means, I am questioning how much longer I can do this and stay sane. I have a new homeopathic pain killer I am going to try tonight and if it doesn’t help, I may need to resort to ibuprofen. I react badly to meds and switched from the allopathic world to the herbal/oil/homeopathic world years ago. Also, I don’t like taking painkillers for my hip or foot because I think the pain sensations are great indicators to tell me what those joints should and should not do, but this pain seems pointless.

When I fell 2 1/2 weeks ago, I was mostly worried about my feet and hip. That is where the pain was. By that night, my ribs, neck, back, and shoulders were of far greater concern to me, but I kept thinking they were bruised and sore and would get better soon. Then Jeremy found all the ribs shifted out of place and the cervical vertebrae shoved forward and all sorts of other problems. I have been in five times since the fall and while he keeps assuring me we are making progress, I am feeling pretty discouraged. My jaw aches something fierce – every swallow, chew, yawn, or turn of the neck hurts the TMJ area and sends pain up and over my eyebrows, then around my head. I never get headaches and now that they are a constant reality, I think I may lose my mind. My head feels like it weighs 20 pounds and needs to be whacked off so I can get some rest from hauling it around.

I have decided I can no longer chew. It hurts too much to open and close my mouth and it seems everytime I eat something else starts popping or clanking around in there. So, we are going to try out a liquid diet for a bit and see if we can get these muscles to relax. Preparing food is NOT my forte and the thought of eating smoothies, however delicious, 24/7 seems a bit repulsive to me, but Kat, my food guru, insists she will hold my hand and help me come up with some creative and delicious options including a variety of soups, bone broths, and curry.

I know it’s a bit of a downer to read these endless rants. For those of you who are sticking around, thank you. It’s nice to not be alone, but boy, howdy, I feel for you. Your patience levels with my complaining deserve a gold star.

In other news, we are gearing up for Swim Camp, trying to keep the transplanted grass from Kat’s yard alive (she dug up 2200 sq. ft. of her lawn to build her new garden), playing with our seven adorable puppies and one little kitten, grading WUBA papers, learning my duties in my new church calling in the Stake Primary, reading The Red Keep for family read-aloud, and working to stay close and connected as a family. I’ll try to have Blythe take some photos of these cute puppies tomorrow.

I’ve been drinking my Great Lakes Collagen for the past few days in my smoothies and herbal tea. It dissolves well and seems to be tasteless. I don’t even notice it which is super convenient for my extra-sensitive gag reflex. As soon as my shoulders are working well, I will make some fruit snacks with the gelatin. Last night Richard put it in some Yogi Cocoa Spice tea and it was delicious. I think this will need to be my new nightly ritual!

If you have any great liquid diet ideas, PLEASE send them my way STAT. This jaw needs a break.