Judith Proctor's Journal

adelheid  suggested I try vestibular rehabilitation exercises - here are the Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises.  I've been doing them for the last few days and they may be helping a little - they need to be done over a period of time for maximum effectiveness, so I'm going to carry on with them.  They've also made me decide to try and learn juggling as a couple of the exercises resemble very basic juggling moves.

Another angle I've been following up on is a connection to all the toothache I used to have.  Bruxism, night-time teeth-grinding is due to TMJ  (TemporoMandibular Joint disorder).

Having a BRD (bite-raising device) fitted removed the tooth pain, but did not stop the actual grinding.

Acting on pure suspicion, I Googled for links between vertigo and TMJ (on the grounds that the pain in my jaw is very close to the ear canal) and promptly hit pay dirt.  There is a connection and many people suffer from both.  Here's one person talking about it.

So, what can I do?  Well, I'm seeing the doctor again next week, but I've been looking for suitable exercises as it seems logical that anything caused by tense muscles will have exercises that will help.  Here's the best one that I've found. A video on You tube.

And, brother, the muscle that she predicted would be sore, was indeed very sore.

This one was also useful (I prefer NHS sites when I can find them as they're less likely to have an axe to grind for an dubious therapy).  It commented that TMJ Is often related to the jaw opening to one side and I think I may do that a bit.  I'm pretty sure that I chew more on one side than the other, so I'm going to try evening that out and see if it helps in any way.

Will report back after a day or two of trying the TMJ exercises and let you know if they help.

I'm feeling a lot better today, and managing to get a lot done as well. My email backlog is down to 40 which represents serious progress over the last couple of days.

The BRD (bite raising device) aka gumshield, has made a lot of difference to the toothache. I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and the tooth pain is virtually non-existant now. I even find it comfortable to floss and I'm starting to eat on the other side of the mouth again.

The steroid tablets have been doing wonders for the asthma. They have slight side effects in that I'm sleeping a lot lighter and have mild stomach cramps, but it's worth it.

I've been down the gym every day for the last three days and that's helping too. I can do a heavier weight on several machines than I could two weeks ago (though in at least one case, that's moving to the lowest weight setting from no weights at all...)

Today has been another day of toothache. Not totally crippling, but very draining.

I find the best way to cope with days like this is to make lists of things to do. If I break everything down into do-able jobs and tick them off as I go, then it helps me focus when I'm fuzzy and it means I actually get things done (and feel better for doing them) rather than collapsing in front of the TV.

I've now managed:
2 drainer loads of dishes
washed and pegged out and brough in a load of laundry
cleared 5 emails from my backlog (ie. cleared out any new ones and made 5 progress in addition to that)
Sorted out a Redemption membership problem.
Cleared 5 items of paperwork from my desk (5 items tends to be a good target. Aim too high and you don't start because you know you won't make it)
Mowed the back lawn and done an hour of gardening.
Next one should have been phoning gaspodex, but he's out, so I get off the hook with that one.

I think I'll do a quick bit of concertina practice instead (If I can hit the keys at speed, it'll be a miracle, but if I can do it at all, then it's good for not thinking about teeth...)

I've got this low-grade toothache which is driving me crazy. The dentist said it's due to very sensitive gums (often triggered by flossing - but skipping flossing is not an option) and I'm using one of these toothpastes for sensitive teeth. It helps, but it doesn't eliminate the problem. ( Read more... )