Washingtonians

[Chickielady]

sure right, what ever you say.... We know you are in the hooch again...lol

I am on a liquid diet !!! LOL

 

[yorkchick]

Feels like something is stuck inside my L ear, and the left feels like it has a bump when I compare it to the other, though it is only a little sore if I press.

I'm thinking that all the talking I am doing now is aggravating it. I never had a job where I had to talk so much! the pain worsens as the day goes on, and by the evening I sometimes can't open my mouth right away, or wide enough. I worked 9 am to after 9pm today. We are entering our traditional peak weeks and I have already completed half of the number of tax returns they are expecting me to do for the season. I am taking tomorrow off so I don't go any crazier.

Hi, Ogress, I'll just give you my two cents on TMJ disorder. I'm a dental hygienist so we see patients all the time with this sort of problem. It's one of those chronic issues that can have multiple contributing factors and no one sure-fire answer. But there are a lot of different strategies to try, and I'll mention some that have helped patients I've known. Another poster mentioned seeing your dental team (Love that! Dental team! Hey, that includes me! ) and that's a good place to start. Some dentists automatically want to fit you with a bite splint/bite guard/occlusal guard to wear at night. This works great for many, many patients but not all. First of all, you have to be in some fairly significant discomfort (or be doing damage to your teeth from clenching or grinding) to be motivated to wear a piece of plastic in your mouth all night. People who find this relieves their pain love them, would never want to sleep without them. But if your symptoms are mild, or occasionally bothersome but then resolve on their own, that bite guard will probably just sit in a drawer. And oh, they are expensive. Worth it of course if they fix your problem. Occaionally also there are people who can't sleep with the thing in their mouth, or who manage to take it out without realizing it in their sleep. Or can wear it fine, but it doesn't actually relieve their symptoms. A few patients have reported their jaw feels worse after wearing the appliance because somehow they bite down harder when it's in their mouth. All those exceptions aside, the bite guard really can work. There are fairly inexpensive models you can buy over the counter at a pharmacy. Occasionally my dentist will suggest these to people who really can't afford a custom-made one. The effectiveness of these is much less, from what I've seen. They are much less comfortable and don't stay in as well. They are also more likely to change your bite at least for a short time after you take them out in the morning (your teeth won't close together like they usually do). (Bite change also happens with the custom made ones, just not as much, from reports I've heard from patients). All that said, I have seen the over the counter devices work for a few patients, and they are certainly more affordable. If you are doing a lot of clenching during the day, but little or none while you sleep, a bite guard may not help you at all. Since you report your pain gets progressively worse during the day, I suspect you have a tendency to tense your jaw as a response to stress. And hey, tax professional dealing with the public, working 12 hour days, during tax season, under pressure to complete return after return? Yikes, stress! Probably not all the talking per se, but the effort to hold your tongue and project a professional response no matter how crazy/impatient/irrational/ill-informed your clients are. (As a personal note, the only time I have had significant/prolonged TMJ pain was as an adult when I would make extended visits home to see my parents. And really, that is probably more than you need to know about my relationship with my mother... ) Now, some people who clench during the day (doesn't even have to be a true clench, just habitually keeping your jaw tighter than a normal "at rest" position) do find some relief with a night-time bite guard because at least they can't add to the stress on the joint all night too. But the bite guard may not be your first choice if you feel it's a daytime issue. I'm sure there are effective therapies out there that I am unaware of. But here are the top non-bite guard strategies I have personally seen work for patients. Some have great results with massage therapy. Another poster suggested an oral surgeon can do this, but we refer people to a massage therapist who is experienced with TMJ issues and will massage the area from both outside and inside the mouth (gloved up, of course!) A few paitents have also had good relief from chiropractic adjustments. Ask how much experience the practitioner has with TMJ issues or ask your dental team if they have recommendations. Some people also get decent results with self-massage, so that's worth a try. Have you been taking an anti-inflammatory? If you can tolerate ibuprofen or the like, that can lessen your discomfort. Some people are sometimes able to control the problem through self-awareness/relaxation techniques. Throughout the day, monitor the position of your jaw. Is it completely relaxed, or is it tensed/partly closed down, or even completely closed with top and bottom teeth touching? It gets to be an unconscious habit, so you will have to continually check in with yourself and deliberately relax your jaw. If you can substitute another habit like pressing your tongue up against the roof of your mouth or putting your tongue between your back teeth (so you can't close down without biting your tongue) that can be more successful than just trying not to clench. I hope you find something that helps. It's a miserable thing, jaw pain. If nothing else, I hope after April 15 things will get better!

 

[Chickielady]

you think there is no white ink pen ??? go to JoAnn store and you will find white gel pens designed to write on dark color paper and fabric ...

CR has quite a few WHITE INK PENS and PENCILS & CRAYONS that he uses to write on metal before he cuts stuff out.....silly boy !

 

[Chickielady]

First post: Right on YorkChick !
I am a retired Oral Surgery Assistant, so X 2 to your post above..
and second post :

Thanks to chickens4gramma for the washing machine to T-Hi !!!!!

 

[RedRoosterFarm]

I am on a liquid diet !!! LOL

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Last connectivity test (last night) at 8:40 PM was:
1.22 Mbsp download and 3.20 Mbsp upload speed

This morning at 9:30 AM, same test:
17.85 Mbps download and 3.25 Mbsp upload

Wow..........everything seems to be going alot faster & no brain dead issues now....I am keeping a log so I can present it to Comcast.

WOW you have it good. I did several tests and got an AVERAGE .084 mbps download and 0.43 mbps upload. I am supposed to be geting 5.0 mbps. Basically they have over sold the system in my area and said it may be several months to solve. So they are going to credit me monthly for the next year.

 

[Chickielady]

I am getting into juicin' LOL !!!!!!!!!!!

So far, it is helping.....I get jello, green tea, broth & a sprouted rice protein shake..........but I can add 1/2 banana, or scoop of my apple butter, or apple sauce...yum.

My guts were all po'd about something...not sure what.........it is always an adventure trying to figure out what upset the system THIS TIME

 

[Chickielady]

WOW you have it good. I did several tests and got an AVERAGE .084 mbps download and 0.43 mbps upload. I am supposed to be geting 5.0 mbps. Basically they have over sold the system in my area and said it may be several months to solve. So they are going to credit me monthly for the next year.

wow, is that your ALL DAY/ALL NIGHT speed ?
My gets worse all day, goes WAY bad at 3:15 PM (school is out) and gets even worse at 5 PM and goes down to near nothing by 7 PM...then you saw what happens after that.
I do not get it cuz I am the only person on this road !
Well, not the only one, but this is very very rural, way less than your area.

 

[yorkchick]

CL--Oral surgery assistant! Yes, sorry, couldn't remember who had answered Ogress before, and done it so well. Now I remember it was you. I suspected the person was one, a dental or medical profesional based on the detail of the answer, and two, not a DDS or MD based on the respect implied by "dental team"!

 

[Chickielady]

Just tested again:
was at 9:30 AM:
17.85 Mbps download and 3.25 Mbsp upload

is now at 10:39 AM:
18.69 Mbps download and 3.17 Mbps upload

so it went up in download speed & down a bit in upload speed.........

It really T's me off when this is supposed to be "high speed internet" and by 5 PM it is as slow as a slug & by 7 PM it stops functioning altogether !
Compare it to Electrical utilites...
What would happen if we had power all morning but by afternoon it is flickering and goes out altogether by 7 PM ?
Think THAT would fly ?