For the past 4 months or so I have been having terrible pain on the left side of my face...it is mostly in my jaw,ear, and sometimes neck..It seems to come and go, but I have it at least 3 times a week and I cant seem to get any relief from any meds..my doc says it is TMJ, but I am starting to worry it is something worse..any suggestions??
2006-12-24 19:24:52 · 6 answers · asked by Maggie 1 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Pain & Pain Management
Do you chew alot of gum? Are you a teeth grinder at nite? Most likely your doc is right and it's a TMJ problem, it's a highly underdiagnosed condition that's caused by increased use of the jaw muscles either brought on by conscious use (ie - gum chewing) or unconscious use (ie - teeth grinding). Giving your mouth a rest by not using it and getting a mouth guard for sleeping are a couple things you can do to make it go away.
Very RARELY is pain ever the first sign of cancer. A lump or bump that has grown very fast in the past two year timeframe is the most common presentation followed by changes in voice (usually getting lower or more hoarse), coughing up blood or an overall feeling of extreme 'unwellness'.
Pain meds like ibuprofen, tylenol, etc will do very little to dull this pain as it's an OVERUSE and not due to inflammation.
Hope this helps.
2006-12-24 19:32:51 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Have the doctor take more tests to make sure if its not TMJ.....Its basically about your jaw bone is not strong enough and thats why it could possibly be TMJ. And if your doctor thinks you have TMJ, then u need to see a dentist and get evaluated just to be on the safe side...Try not to worry so much because its going to stress u out even more, just think positive and wait to make sure. Hope u feel better........ ;-)
2006-12-25 03:36:36 · answer #2 · answered by LaLa 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well it still sounds like TMJ to me. No meds will cure it, just ease the pain. You may be grinding your teeth at night making it worse. Try stress relief, and a heating pad. I don't think cancer pain would come and go.
2006-12-25 03:35:37 · answer #3 · answered by confusedmom 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you notice anything else different during these peroids? A more or less rapid pulse, a headache?, nausea?
I would suggest that your first step here is to wisely ignore your doctor and call your dentist. Have xrays. If your dentist finds nothing wrong, you need to tell your doc he needs to at the very least run a good blood screening and get you an MRI.
If he resists..........get a new Doc.
2006-12-25 03:31:35 · answer #4 · answered by Norton N 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are lot of mri and other medical imaging clinics that just do mri and other scans. Insurance probably won't cover it, but you can to go one of those clinics and have them check.
2006-12-25 03:35:21 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yup sounds like he is right
2006-12-26 22:24:47 · answer #6 · answered by usamedic420 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋