Talk about your troubles

[Ellen]

Well you name something after Ike Turner, then what do you expect???

That's funny how we perceive names. Whenever I hear "Hurricane Ike," I associate it with Eisenhauer.

[Missyboxers]

I worked with a girl who had TMJ. I am so sorry for your pain. She had a few flare ups when we worked together and she was so miserable. She did finally have surgery and it seemed to work for her. Not sure which surgery she had though.

Thanks Melitta! On one hand, I would love to never have to deal with this again, but from what my doctor mentioned when I had my wisdom teeth out, the surgery would involve wiring my mouth shut... so for now at least, I'll probably continue to avoid chewy things and hope that keeps it at bay. I'm not going to lie, though, I miss gum!

That's funny how we perceive names. Whenever I hear "Hurricane Ike," I associate it with Eisenhauer.

Me too!

[MRD]

Missy, my dad had TMJ and he was fitted with an orthodontic device that helped him immensely. He mostly just had to sleep with it.

I think I thought of Ike Turner because he recently died and his name had been back in the news and therefore in my subconcious I guess. That and I may be one of the few people that uses Eisenhower instead of Ike, but that could be coming from more of a historical perspective because most histories refer to him as either General Eisenhower or President Eisenhower and not by Ike.

[buglover]

Well mr buglover called yesterday very upset. He had taken off his bandage to wash his foot and noticed the bunion lump on his big toe really hadn't gone down at all. He panicked a bit and when his father saw the foot he called the surgeon right away to ask him what exactly he had done to the foot. The lump on the big toe was what hurt him the most and it looks as though it hadn't been touched. The surgeon explained he shaved as much as he could without hitting any nerves in that area. If he had gone any further, he may have made the foot unusable. He is scheduled to have more xrays taken in town on Monday to see exactly how much bone was taken out. He's really upset because he fears this doctor really didn't do much for him at all. I asked him to calm down and wait until Monday. The foot is so swollen I can't imagine how he could see anything at all. I feel helpless because I'm here and he's all the way over there but I'm sure once he has the xray done, he'll see how much work was really done.

[pineapple]

Sorry to hear of everyone's troubles.
Unklescott, I'm glad to hear Zac is doing well. It's so sweet that he was worried about not being able to spend time with you.
onei0091, sorry to hear of your loss and I also hope that your face heals well & quickly.
Missyboxers, sorry that your TMJ is flaring up. I hope that your pain goes away soon. I don't blame you for missing gum!
buglover, I hope that xrays will show more work was done than mr. buglover thought.

[MRD]

Buglover, I hope the dr. is able to allay his fears. I would think that his foot would be swollen so it would be hard to see how much was done.

Hope all is well soon.

[schmoo2]

Well mr buglover called yesterday very upset. He had taken off his bandage to wash his foot and noticed the bunion lump on his big toe really hadn't gone down at all. He panicked a bit and when his father saw the foot he called the surgeon right away to ask him what exactly he had done to the foot. The lump on the big toe was what hurt him the most and it looks as though it hadn't been touched. The surgeon explained he shaved as much as he could without hitting any nerves in that area. If he had gone any further, he may have made the foot unusable. He is scheduled to have more xrays taken in town on Monday to see exactly how much bone was taken out. He's really upset because he fears this doctor really didn't do much for him at all. I asked him to calm down and wait until Monday. The foot is so swollen I can't imagine how he could see anything at all. I feel helpless because I'm here and he's all the way over there but I'm sure once he has the xray done, he'll see how much work was really done.

I had bunion surgery last December. It takes a little time for the big toe to adjust to straigtening out. Mine didn't look much better in the beginning, but it is really flat now. The toe was still crooked for awhile, making it seem like it was still sticking out. It should get better.
However, I had nerve damage and am still dealing with that. The bunion pain, however, is completely gone.

[buglover]

Thanks you guys. I'll let him know tonight when I talk to him about waiting it out. He says it doesn't hurt him like it used to before the surgery so something must be done right!

[onei0091]

Glad to hear Zac is doing well with his treatments!

My troubles are surely small potatoes compared to what others are going through, but anyway, I have TMJ, and it flared up a couple days ago and it's beginning to drive me crazy. I get a dull ache in my jaw and my ear whenever I chew, yawn, talk, or open my mouth more than half an inch. I probably shouldn't complain, because this hasn't happened in awhile, but I also hadn't been eating the foods I'm supposed to avoid (anything chewy, pizza crusts, etc) so who knows.

I feel your pain (literally and figuratively) - I have TMJ too I know what you mean, it sucks, but it can get better. Mine got really bad last winter - I had ear pain and headaches, and my jaw made a popping noise when I'd chew on the left side. I went to a 'facial pain' center, and they made me a night guard. You wear it when you sleep (I grind my teeth in my sleep and clench my jaw, which makes the TMJ worse) and it's supposed to help. I have to admit, I rarely wear mine. I have so many orthodontic devices I seriously have to pick and choose which ones to wear - retainers, night guard, etc. They are all uncomfy and I sleep best with nothing, but occasionally I wear the night guard.

The thing that helped the most was this: when you are not eating or talking, your teeth should never touch. When you are not eating or talking, your lips should be touching, but your teeth should be separated, and the tip of your tongue should be sitting on the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth as if you are saying the letter 'n'. Say the letter 'n' and then close your mouth so that your lips are together. That is how you should be all day. At first it's hard to do but after awhile it becomes habit. Hope that helps you.

[Missyboxers]

Onei, thanks for that tip. I've been practicing all afternoon, hopefully it helps! I'm surprised the oral surgeon didn't suggest the night guard when he was talking to me about TMJ and the surgery (which he recommended I try to go without), I'll have to ask my dentist when I see him next. Fortunately I seem to be turning the corner on this flareup--the swelling seems to be going down and it doesn't hurt quite as much to chew, finally! Five days of that was enough.

I hope Mr. Buglover's conversation with the doctor went well!