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Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself
Chronic Pain | Last Active: 7 hours ago | Replies (7051)Comment receiving replies
I developed earaches in September 2016. My primary care found no ear or sinus infection and sent me to an ENT, who diagnosed TMJ pain. I went to my dentist for help. He gave me weekly anesthesia shots into trigger points (OUCH!) and exercises to do, including massaging the trigger points and opening my mouth as wide as I could numerous times in the shower while my face was warm and wet. (I have been wearing a night guard made by my dentist for over 20 years; he replaces them as they wear out.) The pain continued and only got worse; it was at the top of my head, in my ears, in my jaw, above my palate (as though I'd eaten hot food). My dentist sent me to an oral surgeon, who did 360-degree x-rays and found no joint damage. He told me I was therefore not a candidate for surgery (YAY!) and prescribed Flexeril, a muscle relaxer. The pain only got worse, and I continued to wake up in the night with horrific pain. Ibuprofen didn't even touch it.
My dentist then sent me to a physical therapist, who didn't listen to a word I said. I came in on a "good" pain day: my pain level was about a 5 out of 10 (10 being the worst). After his examination and showing me how to do various exercises, he triumphantly told me that my pain level was now reduced. I said "No. My pain level is now about 7.5." He said he didn't believe me. He attempted to push me to go to his outside clinic to get "magnet therapy," and he tried to push me to see a friend of his who is a naturopath. Two days after this session, I was still in excruciating pain and doubt I'd ever return to this physical therapist, although he had me schedule 4 more 1-hour sessions with him.
I called my dentist again, and he called in a prescription for Tylenol plus codeine, which I can take every 4 to 6 hours. My dentist seems to have no further solutions for me.
My primary care is currently out of town, but I will see her when she gets back (in August); she may be referring me to a pain management specialist, which my dentist recommended--however, my dentist refuses to give me a referral to such a specialist, even though the specialist will take referrals from dentists or doctors.
I have been treated for many years for clinical depression and panic/anxiety disorder by my psychiatrist, and the meds have helped me immensely. On Monday I see my psychiatrist for my usual 6-month med check, and I'm going to ask him for help with the terrible TMJ pain. I have also had fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome for a long time. The fibro pain has greatly lessened over time and hardly bothers me, but the CFS continues.
The TMJ pain makes it difficult to concentrate. I'm self-employed, and I enjoy my work. But pain gets in the way, as it does in every single situation: work or pastimes. My dentist mentioned massage therapy, but I'm in too much pain right now to try it. Another friend mentioned using a TENS unit. I feel as though I'm not living; to be in constant pain is hardly living, at least to me.
Any other suggestions? Would a TENS unit help? I'm more than willing to purchase one. I'll try just about anything to be pain free. Sometimes I am pain free. But I spend about 2 weeks out of every month in serious pain. I am feeling very discouraged.
Replies to "I developed earaches in September 2016. My primary care found no ear or sinus infection and..."
I know, really! When I was in high school, I was in a summer program at Colgate, and a bus took us to Colgate Mondays through Fridays. I took a history class. I was so impressed by the school that it was my top choice when I was applying to college. My first year, there were 1800 guys and 132 women. I was often the only female in many classes. Some of the guys, profs, and alumni didn't like us being there, but tough. I think it made all of us much stronger women.
I used to take Nexium for acid reflux. Well, after I'd been on it way too long, my primary care persuaded me to get off it. She tried various alternatives on me, but nothing worked. Then she suggested NESS (Nutritional Enzyme Support System) Digest Chewables. You chew one or two before you eat anything.
NESS has been an absolute miracle for me, and my acid reflux is pretty much gone. And it actually tastes nice! Well, when I was taking a ton of ibuprofen every day for my TMJ pain, the acid reflux came back, but not so badly. I would suggest giving NESS a try--if your doctor says that it won't cause any problems with any of your other meds, of course. Just Google it, and you'll find various places that sell it.
If I don't take NESS before I eat, I find that I have difficulty swallowing. I can feel food going down, and it doesn't feel nice at all. I was supposed to get an endoscopy once a few years back, but the doctor was just "too busy" to get to me. So, I got off my gurney, got dressed, and left.
Hazel (@hazelblumberg)
@hazelblumberg, first class of women, that is a pretty awesome accomplishment to be part of!
@kdubois We probably should just change officially change our name to Med City! Or, I suppose you could change yours to Not Mayo Clinic Rochester?
I blush to admit that, all these many years later, I am still proud of being in the first class of women at Colgate. 😉
And proud you should be! That is a great accomplishment.
After I had my left ankle fused, I was on pretty high doses of dilaudid. I am basically the opposite of @kdubois, I process pain medications extremely fast and their effectiveness is short lived. Dilaudid was the only one that took the edge off of my intense pain for the first few months. Even though I have chronic pain, I only take opioids after surgeries. I worry about with how fast I metabolize pain medications how easy it would be to get addicted and the constant need to elevate my doses. Slippery slope right? It is a constant juggling act between pain relief, addiction risks, and quality of life. I just wanted to jump in and say that even though I am a moderator, I face the struggles of chronic pain as well.
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@jimhd Good Morning, Jim.
That's a lot of omeprazole. If the omeprazole works for you, that was the dosage prescribed, and it makes your life more livable though I guess it's what you need to do. I must admit, I adhere totally to what my post-transplant team tells me to do, I honestly feel they have my best interest at heart. Of course my best interest is also their best interest because the more their patients succeed the better their stats are. So, unless they say differently at some point, I will continue to manage without any NSAIDS.
That is definitely frightening about the possibility of Huntington's disease. I hope the tests prove to be negative and that's something more minor. I will say some prayers for you.
Off to my club for pool exercises. UGH, I would rather go back to bed.
JK