Sooooooooo why hasn't Raven posted since the weekend? Because I've been so damn nervous about todays appointment that I just couldn't concentrate enough to post. But it's done and over with, for now.
Today's appointment with the TMJ specialist. Dr. Clifford is an extremely gentle doctor. Of this I was suprised. Very suprised. His assistant totally rocked. Her name is Holly. I took my print out of all proceedures I've had done which includes a list of current meds with their doses, allergies, blah, blah, blah. These are the first folks ever to pay attention to this list. Dr. Clifford even thanked me for bringing it and said it was extremely helpful in determining his course of treatment.
The poop of today's appointment:
My condition is extreme, more extreme than these folks usually work with. It is far beyound what they are used to encountering and I'm going to be one of "THOSE" folks who are in the "I have this patient" catagory. The kind that develope new forms of treatment.
As the MRI diagnosed, both my discs are displaced or dislocated if you will in front of my jaw joints, keeping my mouth from opening as it should. They are as the doc informed me, stuck permantely. He had the COOLEST equpiment ever! He had a ditigal x-ray machine that in 20 seconds - which seemed like 20 minutes to me - took over 1500 images of my jaw and neck. This machine revealed that indeed there is very little space between the fossa and condyle (the joints of the jaw) the fossa being the upper part and of course the condyle the lower. There is also degeneration of the condyle, so much so that its ground its shape into the fossa which is another source of my pain and my bones are thinner than a "typical" bone mass.
NO OTHER doctors EVER diagnosed this. In fact every last one of them told me, there is nothing wrong with your jaw, you are simply too sensative. And since they told me this I did nothing except treat the symptoms accordingly. Dr. Clifford was a bit discourage that I've been living this way for so long and says because of it, not only are the discs NEVER going to be normal again but that I have built up scar tissue because of it. And I have so much inflamation that he cannot do any immediate treatment.
Sooooooo, the plan. Steriods. Bleh and double bleh to get the inflamation under control. Once the swelling has started to reduce then to work on getting the muscles TO RELAX! Which means more relaxants. PT to reprogram the muscles to stop working against me. More Bleh. I don't like PT. Once the muscles have started to relax then to be fitted with a new splint. Oh suprise. But at least it'll be ridge splint and one I'll wear on my lower teeth. The doc says my jaw will never heal but he wants to work to get the discs to work as they should thereby reducing the amount of pain. He wants me to continue massage therapy *yay!* and he sent me home with this medivial looking "therapy" device.
It's meant to get my jaw to open up, I am soooooooo not looking forwards to useing this thing. It's called TheraBite. I'm only suppose to start using it once my jaw relaxes enough to get the blasted thing into my mouth, hence the steriod script.
The doc's cool x-ray machine images of my neck were awesome! It shows my 4th cervical spine is twisted! It was cool! The images that is, not the fact the spine is twisted along with the actual degeneration of part of the spine body itself. But that's another matter that he'll address later.
In the end what he wants is to break up the scar tissue which he says is keeping the discs from working as they should, by using the most aggressive evasive methods possible. Surgery would be the absolute last resort because as I already knew, once you do surgery, there's no going back. There's nothing more to do even if it fails, besides there are no doctors in New Mexico that do this sort of surgery, another reason to stick to aggressive evasive proceedures.
So now I'm armed with new relaxants, steroids, a TheraBite and a script to start PT.
I will admit, this doctor was the MOST considerate I've been to thus far. He didn't force my mouth to open, when it started to hurt he stopped his exam and actually read what I brought with me. He was the first to read that I am lactose intolerant, the meds I take and the procedures I've had done. I was also very appreciative that he was honest, saying that I'll never be healed, the most to hope for is pain control which is what this is all about, right?
So Steroids - meh
new relaxants - eh...
PT - BLEH
TheraBite - UGH
Splint - Meh
A doc who actually listens to me, makes up for the suckiness of this whole mess.
6 comments:
I'm SO happy that you had found this doctor! Here's hoping that the steroids and the TheraBite put you on as speedy a path to recovery as possible.
You're in my thoughts...
The Steroids and TheraBit are only to get my mouth to open up so they begin the Real therapy. But ya, it's a start! Thanks dear Stephen!
Well good luck.I hope you get some relief from this new treatment.I know doctors often only half listen to you.I'm a nurse and often ive found myself speaking up for the patient and making them listen.Because they are often just so eager to leave.
I hate that you have to go through all of this but I am so happy that you have found a decent doctor.
I wish you the best of luck hon.
And watch out for those side effects when you take the steriods!
Glad you found a doc willing to listen...being heard is sometimes the best medicine of all.
{{HUGS}}
Anna:
I really was honestly surprise this doctor listened to me. But some how I think the PT folks are not going to be as considerate or gentle. :\
Whims:
Ugh, I hate taking steriods, the last time I took them, blehhhh, it was just awful. But these are different type/brand(?), but they're still making me nausious. I keep telling myself. 5 more days, 5 more days and then they're done.
Kate:
Indeed! It was like a huge weight off my shoulders when he actually listened and read what I had.
*Hugs you back!*
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