TMJ

Nearly a year ago, I was enjoying a post-Thanksgiving dinner with good friends, and laughing my butt off. (Michael's suggestion of a possible sign language interpretation for "concentration camp" cracked me up.) All of a sudden, my jaw locked up. I could hardly open my mouth.

I was alarmed, but as this had happened a few months earlier and remedied itself the following morning, I figured it would get better pretty fast. But it did not.

I consulted with various doctors, dentists, chiropractors, and even a cranio sacral therapist over the next few months. I received conflicting advice, though the common factor was large amounts of ibuprofin.

I dosed up. I applied heat. I applied ice. I massaged. I meditated. I avoided chewy foods. I wore my nightguard religiously. Nothing worked.

In April my GP said that, though it might take up to 18 months, it would get better by itself, so I abandoned the ice and ibuprofin. It hasn't improved yet.

Josh thought that my jaw would loosen up once we separated. He was wrong. It's been six months now, and it's tighter than ever. And it hurts! Oh yes, it hurts.

I'm getting pretty tired of my temporomandibular joint disorder. I have no clicking. I just have tightness and pain. Oh, how I would love to be able to YAWN. Any magic cures out there?