TMJ Resources - Our Family - Patient Talk
My TMJ nightmare started back in 1971 when I was in the army. I was assaulted and sustained severe face and jaw injuries. I started having severe headaches and jaw pain and dizziness constantly. I was told no damage was found in x-rays and was discharged with this affliction. When I came home I started seeing doctors and just kept getting referred to some other specialist and was finally told to see a psychiatrist because they believed there was nothing physically wrong. I was committed to psychiatric hospitals four different times because I could not take the pain. I was given so many drugs in all my years of severe pain that I have lists of drugs tried to no avail. I have been seen by some of the best doctors in this field. I have been seen and treated by doctor XXXXXX at the XXXX clinic in Michigan for a number of years with hospitalizations for severe pain and the depression that comes with this debilitating medical condition. I have endured four TMJ surgeries, a maxillary osteotomy, in which my jaws were wired shut for eight weeks; my last TMJ surgery in 1996 was to implant a rib graft into my jaw. To my dismay the severe pain, headaches and dizziness goes on. The doctor has told me the extent of damage to the jaw due to osteoarthritis, nerve damage and scar tissue formation can cause a frozen joint with no movement. The doctor says I will have to live with severe and constant pain the rest of my life. I have lived like this since 22 years of age up to this point in my life ( I am now 50 years old). Many times I wonder what kind of a life is this having to suffer this way. Anyway I just wanted to let someone know that this is a very real and physically as well as emotionally debilitating medical nightmare. The medical costs have been staggering and I just feel like a robot going through the motions of life.
Frank(USA)
