For 'before' photos, see the last July post.

(or the first July post for a summary of what was wrong to start with)

15 week photos

Here I am 15 weeks later.

Feeling pretty good. My chewing is improving I think. The changes are gradual so it is hard to know. The TMJ joint is still a problem but I have made an appointment with a physiotherapist for 11th November. He specialises in TMJ and sounds very sure he'll be able to fix it for me, probably in just a couple of visits. He says he'll probably do some accupuncture as part of the treatment.

I had an awful headache today. I had hoped they'd all vanish after my surgery but they haven't. I have had hardly any though. I think some, like todays, are migraines. I do feel a bit 'spaced out' during those ones.

These photos make me very glad I've kept the braces on to have the top teeth moved over to the centre. I get the necessary device put on on Nov 12.

By the way, my bite is still feeling GREAT. I really, really appreciate it, too.

My new blog

I have another blog as well, as of tonight! It's about our chickens, which arrived yesterday. We have three backyard chooks (NZ word for chickens). How's that for a good distraction from a mere jaw. It is lots of fun and I have been far too busy watching them to worry about my disc.

Here's the link: http://ourownchooks.blogspot.com/

3 1/2 weeks after arthrocentesis: update

The pain in my joint has returned a bit. Bummer. It's maybe a third of what it was before, so that's not bad, but it has got worse gradually and I am very scared that the decline will continue.

My mouth opening's a bit better now though. I can easily get two fingers in (but not two knuckles). I know it's still pathetic. I have slightly more side to side and forwards and back. Probably even more pathetic in those areas though.

It makes eating a bit hard. I can chew but not well. I am probably at 70 or 80% of full chewing capacity. Even fibrous stuff like an orange is difficult.

The scraping noise in the joint has been mostly replaced by something that sounds a bit like a thick gel with small crystals in it moving around. And even that is on the wane now, things are quieter in there (as the pain increases! Bizarre!).

It's hard not to get down about it. I do NOT want to be someone who had orthognathic surgery only to destroy her otherwise healthy jaw joint. This HAS to get better. It has been over 3 months since surgery now. But I guess that's really still early days.

On the bright side, my bite is still excellent.

Note to Cece: I know October 13th has been and gone. I wait in suspense and check your blog nearly every day!

Goodbye pain!

Yes, indeed, my jaw joint pain has all but disappeared! That arthrocentesis really did the trick! And my bite - lovely, centred, comfortable - I am blessed. I absolutely love the way my lips come together easily and my jaw can sit relaxed, nearly closed, and when I do close it all my molars fit together beautifully.

My mouth opening is a bit better now with hard exercising of it. I can get a big fat grape in between my front teeth without bursting the skin if that is any indication. But still forwards and sideways is fairly dismal.

I can still hear the bones in my joint scraping.

However, I think it will come right.

And Dana, yes the time does seem to have gone really fast. My life is full and busy and it is nice not to have my mouth totally dominating it!