Chronic Pain

I just found this site, so I hope I'm using it correctly. Are there any teachers here who have TMJ? If so , has anyone had to stop work because of the constant talking?

I am a special education teacher and
YES I am taking time off as I am typing because of the same reason and more. I am sorry to hear that it is happening to you but releaved to read someone else is out there too.

Hi weepony!! So good to hear back from someone. I too have a specail Ed background but recently have been working as a Literacy Support Teacher. Great job in most aspects which made it hard to decide that I just couldn't do it anymore. Ive been off since mid January and will be off the rest of this year. I've been surprised that I continue to have as much pain as I have. Tell me your story!

I am sorry it took me so long to get back to you but I forgot about writing to you. I got busy doing other things. My story is long...It started 13 years ago, so I will try to give you the short version.

I started with TMJ and wore night guards. I was headache free for a year when a child that I was working with at school was sitting on my lap sat up quickly and struck the left side of my jaw with his head, dislocating it. I was at the time an ed. assistant. I quit my job and went back to school to become a teacher. I went back to work after getting my degree within two years only to find my headaches to return horribly. Everyday the got worse. The talking, the bending forward, the picking up little ones....the list goes on made it all get worse. 10 years later after braces and several attempts to get the headaches to stop by nightguards, Hebrst appliances, and therapy, I elected to have surgery by a fantastic man in Portland, Or. by the name of Dr. Yanney from the suggestion of him and two other doctors. He did a bilateral replacement of my joints along with moving my muscles back into place. Some of them had moved in front of the jaw where they were not to be while others were shoved out of place. I was off work for only three months. WAY TO SHORT OF TIME. The joints broke to pieces and I had bone on bone and pain the was unbelievable! I made it somehow through the remainder of the year teaching. I honest to god do not know how because the pain was excruciating. My reports were poorly written and my work was not up to my normal standards except when I was working with the students directly. In August of that of 03 I couldnt take it anymore and I went back for surgery two.
This is where I will need to stop for now and because I have hit my 15 minutes for the hour on a computer and write later. I hope you don't mind. Sorry about that. I will expalin that later too. I hope you are feeling well today and look forward to talking to you at a later point. Please write and tell me your story.

I'm so glad you wrote back. Your surgery sounds awful! I have backed away from surgery because I have heard too many horror sories, but I'm sure they sometimes work wonderfully.
This is so interesting -my story started 13 years ago too. It was a stressful year -class composition wise and family illnesses and my jaw simply went into spasm. I had bite plates made, and had phsyio therapy, and the pain eased somewhat. about 3 years later I had a strep A infection in my scalp and was hospitalized and put on massive antibioitcs. 2 weeks later I was extremely fatigued and had unexplained pain throughout my body. Luckily the infectious disease dr who had treated the infection quickly dianosed my fibromylagia. I had to take 6 months off work . 1 benefit was that he put me on flexeril at night -and my jaw improved immensely!! The fibro has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, but for some strange reason myTMJ flared up 2 years ago , at the same time as I had to start a beta blocker for my heart. Anyways, I just don't seem to be able to push through it. I have a wonderful job at present -less stress than a classroom -I work as a Literacy Intervention Teacher -but I just coudln't keep up with that. I have been off work since January. I'll be off until the end of this school year. I'm having trouble with meds now because my heart seems to react to them in unhappy ways. I get trigger point injections to release the spasms in my jaw, neck and face -they hurt like heck, but man do i enjoy the release they provide -for as long as they last. I hope to go back to work part time next fall. I am 3 years from retirement -but not ready emotionally yet to retire. I have missed the structure of work and the being needed -feeling like I've made a difference in someone's life. After my trigger point injections I have about 1 good week -and then I feel so guilty being home and not working. There -that's my basic story. I look forward to hearing the rest of yours.

It was great to read your story...always sad to hear of another person going through the same but nice to know someone else is out there that has experienced what I feel or understands what I am talking about without having to explain myself.

So part 2: Are you ready for the mini novel?
In Nov of 03 Dr. Yanney a great surgeon, did a bilateral replacement of my meniscus. It was constructed from the cartilage from both ears, mistake number three. I now have difficulties sleeping on my sides since there are sharp edges in the sections they took from, which then tends stabs me in my sleep. After this surgery I took a year off, thinking I would avoid talking and do all the right things in order to return to teaching the following year in perfect form. No such luck. After 224 therapy sessions, acupuncture or trigger release, manual manipulation of the jaw joints, Botox injections-which work wonderfully for up to 3 month on my headaches and facial/neck/head spasms but hurt like heck at the time they gave them (3 separate times-27-36 shots each time), 4 years 3 months and 6 days of liquid or no chew diet, I had the harebrain idea of going on a airplane, which sent me in a downward spiral. The pressure change on the flight did something and my headaches became worse along with everything else. My teaching was greatly affected. It was taking me 23 hours to perform my duties. I wasn’t able to sleep due to the pain. My ears were hurting and itching constantly along with the migraines. The doctor wanted to take me off work but I refused, silly me. I thought I was doing the right thing. My reports kept getting worse, if they even got done. The students would ask if I was going to fall asleep because I was so sleepy and I was taking pain meds and muscle relaxers ever 3 to 4 hours to survive. So in June, two days before school was to let out, I showed up missing. I just left. I couldn’t take my boss hassling me anymore, the pain was too much, and it was at the point of thinking life was worth living either. My doctor sent me to a pain clinic which made my pain worse because it was for back patients who can get down on the floor and lay on the back, which I can’t. They would have me lift things-that I can’t and it ended up hurting me more. So here I am off work not able to do much of anything. I have a limit of 15 minutes on a computer because any leaning forward posture hurts the jaw/neck/shoulder. I use to be very craft oriented and found out that I am unable to do that anymore. I took me 7 months to sew a tiny blanket because of all the looking down I needed to do. My C1 and 2 are very messed up and cause most of my headaches I am told. When I read that you take flexeril and it helps, I was very happy for you and wished I was there. I take two at night and my face still spasms. I sleep on a slant to assist me to get sleep and I have to sleep on my back. I just went to the doctor this week and they are now talking of a third surgery to cut away the fibrous build of tissue so I can open. My mouth opening is 22 mm. A normal opening is 47mm. I am still on a soft food diet-mash potatoes, pancakes, oatmeal, soups…They are also talking of going in and replacing the damaged disc again but this time with rib cartilage or epidermis for the stomach, which scares me. I am so tired of all of this. As I am sure you are.

You talk of guilt when sitting home after getting your injections and feeling better, I know what you mean. I want to work so badly. I didn’t go to college and work my tail off in my late 30s to become a teacher for 9 years while I was raising my family to sit at home now and do nothing except sit with my heating pad and take my meds, I am only 47. I just paid my college loans off this Jan. too. Its very hard to knowing I just paid $25,000 off to do what….sit on my duff. I am a good special education teacher and want so badly to be back with my students. It crushes me to even see them so I have yet to walk back into my school since I took leave. I did go into a different school to visit a friend and it was so easy to slip back into the teacher mode and teach. It felt so right. But that evening after just an hour of being there, my jaw/ears/neck hurt along with having a headache. I am not ready to give it up. When the doctor mentions the fact I should consider looking into a different career I tear up and become very emotional because there is no other career in my opinion.

I have a few questions for you if you are still with me after that long dissertation. Do your ears itch as well? Does your scalp get tingling sensation causing it too to itch? What do you do to relieve you jaw pain? Or ear pain?

weepony, you situation is much worse than mine at this point. I do not have ear pain most of the time. My scalp hurts sometimes, but I always assumed that was from my fibro -as all my skin hurts at times. In January I statred with a new physiotherapist who really seemed to help with the back and neck muscles -he went at it totally differently than the previous 2 physiotherapists I'd had. I also worked with an occupational therapist last fall - and got her input into the chairs I use, postion of my computer, etc, how to hold a book so that my neck and arms don;t get sore, etc. There was no magic , but lots of suggestions that have helped me manage the pain better. I think the trigger point injections (Lidocaine injected int eh muscle spasms in my face, neck shoulders, jaw) have been the most helpful. At this point they are lasting about 2 weeks. Horribly painful to get -i sometimes require over 60 injections, but it seems to be the only thing that hleps. I am now off all muscle relaxants as they seem to be interferring with my heart. So I find sleeping very difficult now. I will use Ativan, Benedry or gravol to help sleep, but it doesn't help as much as the muscle relaxants did. So right now for pain I take ibuprofen, tylenol, tylenol 3 , ativan (if I'm anxious) and I have a topical preparation of a muscle relaxant and an anti-inflamatory that I rub on my jaw and face. I'm hoping the doctor and I can find something else I can take to help me sleep, as the fibro has flared up since I've gone off the muscle relaxants. I use heat like you do also.
What do you do to bring some sunshine into your life? Sounds like you had to give up crafts. Do you have a pet ? I have 3 dogs. I hope to get back to oil painting. I can do that on an easel and not have to look down, so it shouldn't aggravate my neck too much . I try to walk every day -the dogs help make that happen. And I try to visit friends who make me laugh. I try to limit the time I spend with people who bring me down _ I need those happy brain chemicals to sue as natural pain killers. I'm not great at cooking good meals for my family - but I'm trying now that I'm off to cook a couple simple healthy meals each week.
You need to talk to someone who has had surgery on their jaw. When it was first recommended to me, I got a second opinion and chose not to have it, so I don't know much about that part of your pain. I see a catergory on this forum for TNJ surgery -you might want to try to post some questions there. You are in a whole different ball park with the surgery than I am in. I suspect some of our pain is similar, but you have a lot of issues I don't have and I'd love to see you connect with someone who's been there and can share their experience.
You certainly can't teach at this point, but I understand holding on to the hope that you can return to it. That is my hope to. I'm hoping to work part time next fall. Then if it increases my pain a lot, I'll have to rethink what to do.
Take care. Good to hear from you!

Things that bring happiness to me: my husband, who we tries very hard to keep focused on the positive. I too have dogs. My two labs-one yellow 3 and half year old and a choc puppy of 7 months, both females keep me busy walking and active around the house. I talk to them as much as I talked to my own kids almost. My husband thinks I am loosing it but it keeps the girls and I occupied. I have a wonderful daughter who is my best friend and keeps the sunshine shining when I think the clouds have rolled in and won't go away. I do have another lady friend who recently went through breast cancer that has shown me thelighter side of life. My husband and I do traveling on his motorcycle during the summer. We hook me up with a heated vest and pants and I am good to go along with my pain meds. In fact we have a trip planned possibly up into Canada this summer. I am looking forward to getting out of the house in some ways.
As far as pain goes...pain is pain.The levels doesn't really matter, its how nagging long it is with you. Sure the intensity plays a role but after awhile when it has been hanging around it melts into one. I fo find that going and doing meditation has helped temendously for the quick intense moments. My husband tells me to go to my "happy spot".
I usually works. I will go check out the stuff you talked about and see if there is someone who give some advice. It has been nice chatting with you too. I wish you well. Weh I have time Ill write back and tell you about the short teaching I did this week and what happened, for now though I think I will try and get some sleep. It hasn't been a great night. AlsoI have some names of lotions for you to try that seem to work for me anyhow on pain. later today I will try to get that to you. take good care.

I'm so glad that you have lots of love in your life, weepony!! And there is nothing like dogs to provide unconditional love!! I'm glad the pain has not robbed you of all the sunshine in your life.
You mentioned loving to ride your husbands motorbike. Again a similarity. I got my motor bike license when I turned 49. I found the adrenaline from driving helped with the pain. Unfortuately I developed tachycardia and I sometimes start to pass out, so I haven't felt comfortable on my bike for 2 years. I will probably sell it this summer -but that feels like defeat. On the ohter hand, we bought Kayaks. I figure if I pass out in that i will get wet not dead. :-)
Hope someone can give you some good feed back about the surgeries. I saw your post there. I read a bit of that stuff and it sounds so scary!!
Take care -I still have lots of snow in New Brunswick Canada, so there will be no biking or kayaking for a while. Hopefully it's warmer where you are.
Bev