Pain...is it imaginary or real?

Pain…is it real or imaginary??????

Pain-noun

1)  physical suffering or distress, as due to injury, illness, etc.

2)  a distressing sensation in a particular part of the body:

Synonyms

Torture, misery, torment, ache, agony, anguish

I’ve learned of many people who have been dismissed by doctors who did not believe their pain.  If this is the case for you, find another, better doctor.  To sit in front of someone who does not believe you, and in essence, dismisses what you are telling him/her is a disgrace.

My dentist first diagnosed my TMJ.  I had a horrible toothache, and thought I needed a root canal.  I went to the specialist, who took the x-rays, and everything was perfect.  In fact, he couldn’t figure out why I was in pain and felt that it would just go away.  It didn’t.  It progressively got worse.  Mornings were horrible; it felt as though someone took a baseball bat to the side of my face.  Yet, according to the specialists, nothing was wrong.  This went on for several weeks until I went to a concert, ate popcorn, and spent the entire night screaming/cheering. 

The next day I went back to my dentist and he stated, “I think you have TMJ.”  He then spent about 40 minutes doing a complete exam.  It hurt when he touched the top of my head, my jaw wasn’t opening as wide as it should, and I had what I thought were migraines. 

Even though I didn’t grind/clench my teeth, I tried using a night guard.  I then went into braces for a little over a year. 

Shortly after my braces were removed, I began eating all the candy, chips, etc that I love.  I began to hear a strange sound in my ears.  A friend at work told me it was TMJ.  I didn’t believe her, yet she ended up being correct. 

When I went in for my first MRI, I was nervous.  What if nothing is wrong?  What if the pain is in my head? 

The results proved that bilaterally (both sides) my discs were dislocated.  I was not crazy!  Halleluiah!!!

Everyone with TMJ/TMD exhibits different symptoms and different pains.  There is not a day that goes by that I am not in pain.   What does my pain feel like?  Most commonly it feels like a never-ending migraine where my entire skull hurts.  On extremely bad days, the pain is so intense that it hurts to touch my head, put my hair up in a ponytail, breath, and/or to walk.  There are days that I do not want to get out of bed. 

How does this affect my life?  Well, I try to live as normally as I can; however, I do have limitations.  I am on a very soft food diet.  I cannot run, go jet skiing, boating, on roller coasters, etc. 

What do I do to manage pain?  I take over the counter pain medicine and on bad days I use muscle relaxers.  I have used heat and ice therapy in the past, but that does not help me at the moment.  Doctors have offered me painkillers; however, I am allergic to them.

Whenever I go to the doctor I am asked about my level of pain, and I believe this is an unfair question.  I have a high tolerance for pain, so is the number I give actually accurate?  I started looking this up on the Internet and there is an actual chart that will help clarify this for anyone.  Next time the surgeon asks me my level of pain, I will use this chart to give my answer.

Many people don’t understand the pain associated with TMJ/TMD because you look “normal.”  If you think you suffer prom TMJ/TMD problems, ask your doctor to do a complete check and/or get an MRI.  Remember, not all doctors, dentists, and oral surgeons are knowledgeable about this topic.  You might need to research specialist on the Internet.