Hey all, jumping on wordpress this morning very quickly to give a brief update on the jaw situation. I have an appointment scheduled for late January with the surgeon to get the official word on my progress- but this is how it is from my perspective.
1. I’m not sure about my opening (which is just over 2 fingers, please see previous posts about TMJ to understand what this means), but I have full side-to-side motion and jaw jutting motion, as far as I can tell.
2. When chewing I do feel a bit of tightness in the left side, and sometimes the right side pops, but I honestly believe some of it is simply stress tension. I am prone to stress headaches, which gives away how my face muscles react to stress. Additionally, I actually pulled a muscle by my eyebrow so that it hurt as a sharp, stabbing pain in my temple when I raised them. This cleared up in two days with ibuprofin, but this also gave me the feeling that I am causing some of my own symptoms. Indeed, in the morning when I am not thinking about my jaw, I have no problems really.
3. I am now chewing crunchy and chewy things- read kettle chips and english muffins- with little to no problems. Still staying away from gummibears…
While this is my perceived progress, I will update again after my appointment in late January!
When In Turkey 