Parus, you've got that right! Although I do admit that I do whine about it. I'm usually pretty stoic about pain, and I'll put up with a lot of it for quite a while before I actually do something about it. My TMJ pain started in about September 2016 as earaches, and of course I just ignored them, thinking, as usual, "Oh, they'll go away." When they didn't, I finally went to my primary care. She found no signs of an ear infection or a sinus infection, but just in case, she prescribed antibiotics. They didn't do anything. That's when she sent me to an ENT, who diagnosed TMJ pain. Since then, the pain moves around all over the place: the top of my head, my ears, my jaws, inside my mouth, you name it. OUCH.

I'm learning a lot from the folks here already, even though I, too, just joined. I think I'm going to order an inexpensive TENS unit today. I found one that some doctor in some article (I've been reading so many articles that I lose track!) really liked, and it's only about $30 or less. Once it arrives--and I figure out how to use it--I'll definitely let you folks know.

I was mentioning my TMJ pain to a friend today. She said that her daughter-in-law has migraines and had some sort of bar put into her ear by a body piercer (who's also a nurse). The bar seems to be helping. So, she's going to talk to her DIL and let me know who the body piercer is, and I'll call and find out if that might work with TMJ pain.

The friend also mentioned "whole tones," music that she's listened to and liked and that's supposed to be calming. I'm going to Google that and see what I find.

Anyway, hope you find relief from your pain!

Hazel

@hazelblumberg Hi Hazel, if you find out anything more about this ear bar please share, I would love to pass the info on to my daughter. Thanks.
JK

So far, I haven't heard back from the friend whose daughter-in-law got one. I know of someone in town, an RN, who does body piercing, and I'm wondering if he's the one who did her ear bar. I'm going to go check to see if he has a website.

I still haven't heard from the friend about her daughter-in-law's experience with the ear bar. I looked up the only certified piercer I know of here in town (Tallahassee, Florida); his business is called Piercings by Bink. He's also an RN and a licensed massage therapist. I sent him email to ask about ear piercings/bars and would they help TMJ pain.

He wrote back quickly. He told me that he has read no literature and had no experience with ear piercings/bars helping TMJ pain. He said that he doesn't do massage work relating to TMJ pain but referred me to the person who's the head of Florida licensed massage therapists, in hopes that she can give me information about who in Florida does this kind of massage. Bink knew of no one in the Tallahassee area who did. Soooooo, I got some information, and I certainly won't be going the ear-piercing route. (I already have three piercings in one ear and two in the other!) And I thanked Bink profusely. I've heard that he's a totally honest guy and a true professional, and he certainly revealed himself to be so.

Today I saw my psychiatrist for my every-six-month med check (for clinical depression and panic/anxiety disorder). I took up a lot more of his time, because I wanted to talk to him about my TMJ pain and ask what he'd recommend. Turns out that his daughter, who's 30, has had TMJ pain since she was a teenager, and so far, she's not had any luck getting help for it. That's discouraging.

I told him that I was leaving my dentist because he's been so non-helpful. Once my psychiatrist ascertained that I definitely wouldn't be going back to this dentist again, he gave me his opinion: if you have any problem that's slightly out of the ordinary, this dentist does NOT want to help you. (He used to go to the same dentist.) So, he pretty much ignores you and hopes you'll go away. That's what's been going on with my interactions with my dentist, and I'm sending him my official "you're fired" letter tomorrow.

My psychiatrist did recommend another dentist in town who actually _has_ studied TMJ pain extensively and gotten certification in it. So, when I got home, I looked this dentist up online. Yes, he's got some sort of official certification/licensure in both TMD and in sleep apnea treatment.

Then I looked at reviews of this dentist. Boy, they were NOT good. A few were positive, but those were written over three years ago. The more recent reviews said the dentist was nothing more than a mouthguard salesperson (I already have a mouthguard, made by my dentist, and I've worn one for years; as they wear out, my dentist, er, now ex-dentist, makes another); I wonder if he'd try to talk me into getting his special brand of mouthguard? (I'd refuse.) Other patients said their experiences with this dentist were "bizarre" and "surreal." He'd hollered at them, sometimes in the waiting room. _Many_ former patients talked about this. Hmmmmmm.

A guy who goes to the same church that my husband does has started going to this dentist for TMJ pain, and yes, the first thing he had to do was buy a mouthguard. Jim had the email address of this guy, so I wrote to him to find out what his experiences with the dentist had been like. I'm eager to hear what he has to say. Given that this dentist doesn't take our insurance, his website tells me that we'd have to pay everything upfront, and his office would provide us with forms to file with our insurance provider. Sounds VERY expensive. Of course, if it works, that's terrific. But if it's a nightmare scene, then I don't want to even go to him. One doctor I went to years ago yelled at me, and I stood up and towered over him (he was very short) and yelled right back at him. I told him that no doctor has permission to yell at me or any other patient, and that I was definitely NOT paying him for this visit. And I left.

I swear: is everyone in the medical profession nuts?

Hazel