What going on with me right now!

 Hi every one 

Right now i am counting down the days/weeks it is until i have my bilateral tmj replacement surgery:

About tmj -Temporomandibular joint every one has these you have one on each side of your jaw -

i have had tmjd meaning temporomandibular joint disorder for a long time i had the occasional clicking and soreness when i was younger and then when i was 18 i started to dislocated my jaw plus the disk/cartilage you have between the joint. This lead to increase pain and disfunction and issues with eating and being able to talk and sleep and everyday function. 

i use to suffer from close locks like this photo below 

i use to be able to put it back in myself with manipulation with my hand and snapping it back into place.

Over the years this has stoped as my joints now have osteoarthritis and both of my disk are now displaced and have perforations in them. i have tried over the counter pain medications and mouth guards, heat and ice and soft foods. i have had a total of 4 professional mouth night splints made over the past 8 years. i have tried special tmj physio and have under gone having my wisdom teeth removed to get my newest night splint and under went having bilateral arthroscope that flushed out my joints and removed debris and inflammatory by products and had scar tissue removed and cortisone injections put in. 

This unfortunate only helped me for a few months and the pain and disfunction have gotten worse as my jaw even though it's still lose and the joints experience subluxations it feels stiffer and causes me a lot of pain even when resting i am using heat and ice constantly and now on strong pain medications and nerve pain medications as well as muscle relaxants and using tens machine and massage both out side on my jaw and inter oral massage. i also use tropical pain gels and creams like voltaren and live off a soft diet with small bite foods. 

As this video shows how even though my mouth opens they is crunching and clicking that is very painful and is making life very difficult for me to sleep and eat and just be able to function due migraines and ear pain and tinnitus and pressure in my jaw. 

 Jaw crunching and clicking

I have been told i am on the Wilkes classification : 

  

I am have planned and made the decision to undergo a bilateral tmj replacement 

the joints my doctor uses are the OrthoTin joints they are custom made to fit my skull and face anatomy   

I am hopeful this will decrease my pain and improve my function with my jaw and improve my quality of life.

Rebecca Louise