tension headaches

I'm so sorry Niku!  That's horrible!  My aunt had her jaw broken several times in the name of healing her TMJ.  It runs in the family, and I have a minor case with all the teeth grinding fun!  I get some really bad tension headaches and dh just doesn't get that.  I haven't tried to actually access help for it here yet.  I'm bad though, even when I get them, I just usually try to get by with ibuprofen, not good I know. 

niku2,

I'm so sorry about your situation. Compared to you I literally have nothing to complain about. I'm really sorry! This may sound dumb but eventually will they reconstruct your jaw or something? I don't mean to sound stupid or anything worse but there has to be something they can do? Or would any bone put there fall ill as well?

reconstruction is personally not an option for me. as great as my specialists have been in trying to make it better, i don't trust anyone enough to surgically tamper with my jaws. there is absolutely no medical proof that surgical reconstruction does any good; in many cases it's actually left people worse off than they were previously. there is no room in my life for that kind of risk. besides, i've already spent $30,000 trying to fight this disease--don't get me started on insurance companies & tmj. there's no way i'm going to pay for experimental surgery with an unpredictable outcome.

the japanese are currently doing a lot of research into tmj. my hopes at the moment lie with them. but i fully anticipate having this for the rest of my life.

LOL about the beer. What have you been actively doing to help with your grinding? I know I've started doing that at night too.

I haven't actually been doing ANYTHING purposely.  It seems to be cyclical with me - just another symptom of being super stressed (as opposed to my usual baseline level of stress  ).  I think wearing the nightguard does really help, though, even if I end up taking it out sometimes in the middle of the night.  I can always tell when it's really bad because I get these gross ridges on the sides of my mouth.

I can always tell when it's really bad because I get these gross ridges on the sides of my mouth.

you are the only other person i've ever heard mention those--i thought i was the only one!

you are the only other person i've ever heard mention those--i thought i was the only one!

We're long lost twins, I tells ya!

We're long lost twins, I tells ya!