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Fibro & TMJ

Posted , 19 users are following.

camnia
camnia

Hi All,

Just joined this site today on recommendation of my Dr. Today I have been diagnosed with TMJ, after suffering extreme pain for 6 weeks. It has really began to get me down.

I was diagnosed with fibro 2 yearsago and cope fairly well as my wonderful hubby does a lot around the house. I work from home as a childminder and tbh, some weeks I don't know how I do it. But I am learning to pace myself.

I am looking for any help or advice particularly with the TMJ pain altho would like to get to know other fibro sufferers too. Lou x

0 likes, 49 replies

49 Replies

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  • pookie64
    pookie64

    Posted

    this is weird,i have tmj and fibro all my troubles started 13 yrs again after a bad extraction,where i was literally lifted up to sitting and the tooth coming away and me crashing back in the dentist chair,it started with a whiplash injury,then i went to leeds dental institute(on the n.h.s) to see a dr.pedlar who diagnosed me with tmj ,told nothing can be done about it ,they made me a plastic hard splint you put over your bottom teeth at night (to stop you grinding teeth in sleep) worn it for a long time but never felt any benefit so am just stuck witht.m.j, but you could always ask your dentist if he could or make you one ,or to refer you to a maxillo fascial specialist on the n.h.s as they have also made me one in the past(if your dentist is private your g.p should be able to refer you) it may help you,although it didn't me good luck,
  • Lollypops
    Lollypops

    Posted

    I also have TMJ and also suffer with fibro, with my TMJ my dentist fitted me with a guard for my bottom teeth to wear at night time, and if needed during the day to. He also stated that I should have a soft diet. It is common to have this problem and it is linked with fibro.

    My guard has worked, sorry it didn't work for you pookie64. I don't eat chewing gum now or sweets like toffee chewy ones - I tend to stay away from any kind of trauma to my jaw by chewing excessively.

    So it's up to you really I would see your dentist though just to rule it out and get a mouth guard and try it out, or just stick to soft diet.

    Kind regards Lorraine smile

  • stevesmith
    stevesmith

    Posted

    I have recently been diagnosed with fibromyagia,feel i have had it for years back and forward to docs.

    I work full time as a tour guide in summer,and do maintenance work in winter,Iam finding it hard to get through each day,dont know what will happen if i cannot work.Have been told to claim dla but how can i when i work fulltime would feel a fraud,any info would be kind Stephen Smith

    • nitropilot
      nitropilot stevesmith

      Posted

      Please don't feel like a fraud. Fibromyalgia in itself can be extremely disabling. I have mine under control well enough to where I don't usually even have to take medication. Yet there are some nights I wake up screaming.

      My best advice is to do searches on the internet. I start every search with "natural ways to treat".

      There is still an ongoing dilemma in the medical community as to whether fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disease or a neurological condition. and I do believe it is well established that there is a genetic predisposition to fibromyalgia.

      Based on my research and experience I actually believe it is an endocrine dysfunction that aggravates the peripheral nervous system creating hyperactivity in the nerves, which obviously severely affect the muscles...and just about everything else. Ironically, the larger percentage of people that suffer from fibromyalgia have the opposite personality type of the fibromialgia stereo type of being lazy. We tend to be type A, motivated, active go-getters.

      No, we are not wimps and can tolerate pain very well. Unfortunately, fibromyalgia does create a condition called hyperalgesia which is where we experience pain so much more intensely than the average person. It doesn't mean that the pain isn't real it just means that our brains are experiencing it differently. Because of what we have to put up with., we are tougher than the average person. So dont let that part make you feel bad or weak. It's quite the opposite.fford to, see a massage therapist & ask how your sacral and psoas muscles are doingEvidence I've been hanging out with Aubers a lot. So test I had a spasm from my left shoulder all the way down to the back of me knee. Like a huge charlie horse. I was a mess. This is what I sent P this morning...  FYI. Ur momma is doing much better. No limping. I can even spin around like a pretty princess. OK. Hanging out with Aubers too much. Lol. Mine can make me feel like I'm wearing burning socks.

      If you look up the HPA axis and all the hormones, not the girly ones, you will see how one hormone out of balance that could come from a gland in your brain or from your thyroid or even a dysfunction in hormone receptors can completely destroy the proper functioning of your body.

      I also urge you to type in any medication you take in an internet search and add adrenal fatigue or endocrine dysfunction in the search. you will be utterly shocked at how many medications make it so if you continue taking them your endocrine system will never ever ever work the same way again. I'm not saying not to take medications, I'm just saying to educate yourself.

  • Lollypops
    Lollypops

    Posted

    Hi Steve

    I felt exactly the same about claiming, but at the end of the day I was having a lot of time off work due to fibro and CFS. So I reduced my hours and put a claim in for DLA. I am awaiting for the reply. Its quite a lengthy form and you have to fill it in about your worse day only and what assistance you receive from family, friends etc..... Don't put the word help it has to be assist otherwise they reject it, that happened to my friend.

    Personally i would say apply for it they can only say no. Apparently on website 70% are refused but appeals usually get it. Just tell them its 7 days a week because as you know with fibro its unpredictable no day is exactly the same. Pain, exhaustion, fibro fog and so on......

    Go ahead you have nothing to lose.

    Regards

    Lollypops

  • 2357
    2357

    Posted

    Hi, I have Fibro and have TMJ.

    Ask your Doctor about Lyrica. (pregabalin). I take 300mg a day.

    Do some research on it.

    It's now being used for Fibro and can help the TMJ.

    Or, gabapentin for the TMJ.

    Sorry this is brief. I'm new to these forums. and having a bad day with the fibro.

    • peta99573
      peta99573 2357

      Posted

      hello 2357  I was finally diagnosed with firbro and cfs and I thought I just had - haha - just had them but recently got what I thought was fibro in my left side of my face.  it is SO painful all the time and i have lost so much weight because i can't chew and can't sleep on this side which adds to the joys of trying to sleep!  I looked up TMJ and I think this is what is causing the pain. re taking pregabalin - It makes me feel dreadfull and i only take it at night - but here I am at 1.30am - unable to sleep because of the fibro. ho hum.  you take care of your self.  i have had a really bad month with the fibro and stressing out because of crap GP but had a better day to day and hope tomorrow will see me feeling a litte better each day.  

    • nitropilot
      nitropilot peta99573

      Posted

      The only things I know to help with TMJ is Chiro, massage or Physiotherapy.
  • clair4
    clair4

    Posted

    Hi, I have TMJ and I have today started at a chiropractor, he thinks he can help. I found this out from another forum, I never would have thought about this before and certainly knowbody advised this. I have four more sessions booked within the next 2 weeks. I'll let you know whether it is a success!! I hope so, I've had TMJ for 10 years!! ;-((
  • bredburygirl
    bredburygirl

    Posted

    Hiya, I suffer from TMJ Fibro and ME, and was wondering how you went on at the chiropractor, as I am in agony at the moment with TMJ pain, would be grateful for any replies.

    Thanks x

  • clair4
    clair4

    Posted

    Hiya, gosh it was amazing!! Never felt so good. I have only pain in the area now, so much better. I haven't taken any paracetamol since I've had treatment. I used to have awful headaches, feeling sick, aching shoulders and neck when it was bad and lived on paracetamol. Now I massage the area where I've been shown if the aching in my jaw and face is bothering me. I would recommend you try it. It does cost, I pay £33 a time, but I think for the time I've spent in pain I don't care. Honestly, it's the best thing I've ever done. I'm off to see him again tomorrow. I'll give you an update after that.

    I hope I've helped you.

    Clair x

  • bredburygirl
    bredburygirl

    Posted

    Hiya Claire,

    Thanks for replying, I am going to try it , I will have to find somebody who is reputable I will have look on the internet, to see if there is anybody local, I live in Stockport. I am like you living on paracetamols and Ibuprofen. I have had treatment at our local hospital, acupuncture, but the effect only lasted a few hours. I don't think £33 is too bad if it helps.Look forward to your update.

    Joyce x

  • clair4
    clair4

    Posted

    Hi Joyce,

    Just come back from the chirpractor and I now don't have to go back for a week, so I've gone from twice weekly appointments to weekly, great! I just had my 5th appointment so it took just over 2 weeks to really make a difference to me. I've been given tips to do before my next appointment, for example, which parts to massage and to use an ice cube and/or hot flannel on the painful area should it flame up again. I did have and still have a sore spot right in my left jaw hinge, feels like a tooth ache. Not really painful, just a little nigly. and swollen. I'll keep you updated how I get on for the next few days. I'm in North Lincolnshire BTW and couldn't believe that there was a practice in my town, very handy! Let me know if you find somewhere you can try.

    Clair x

  • bredburygirl
    bredburygirl

    Posted

    Hiya Clare,

    I am glad all went well today with the chiropractor, I think that I might of found some one local who is good.I know about the hot and cold, I use a wheat bag, I put it in the freezer or the microwave, it does work, and feels really nice, especially, when it is warm. Does he do manipulation on your jaw, or massage? I was terrible yesterday, I went out, and there was a really cold wind, and it was so painfull all day. Today I put my hat on, and I am a lot better.Do you have this problem with the weather.I get a lot of pain in my forehead and temples too.

    I look forward to hear from you

    Joyce x

  • clair4
    clair4

    Posted

    Hi Joyce,

    Glad to hear you may have found a chiropractor. My chiropractor massages the jaw area, inside (inside my mouth) and outside on all the muscles, he presses on the muscles and also rubs them. It can be a little painful, but it subsides as he's pressing. There are lots of areas that I didn't even realise were connected! He also massages parts of my face and neck as that's connected too. Have a look at some pictures of the inside of the skull it might make more sense to see the areas and how they are connected together.. After my 5 sessions he's now only massaging the area directly on top of the jaw joint hinge, so there has been progress! I've now got a week before I go again, so there's an improvement for sure from my initial twice weekly appointments.

    Yes, I've read about the hot and cold thing before I went to see the chiropractor. There seems to be mixed feelings about it though, so was a little sceptical. I tried putting an ice cube in my month as he said and that wasn't very successful for me as I couldn't stand the coldness!! I find the warm flannel the best I have to say. Gosh yes going out in a cold wind is awful, I have a large selection of hats, never without them in winter. The pain you are getting in your temples and forehead is just like I was. Amazingly, I haven't had any pain there since my first session though. Difficult to imagine I know, but true!! All the jaw areas are connected to those areas you mention, so the pains directed there.

    Today, I feel much better after my session yesterday, my jaw is a little sore afterwards generally. I just have a bit of a fuzzy head today, no headache and hardly a glimmer of pain from my jaw. I'm now working on massaging the other side of my face and jaw, as working on the left has left the right a little tight. I'll see how I feel tomorrow!!

    Clair x

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