TMJ 'dysfunction' - Health implications

Ella's first visit to Dr Amir's Surgery was on the 9th of October 2012. Dr Amir noted that she did not have a problem with her Atlas but that her jaw needed alignment and he has agreed to treat her and is very hopeful that this will lead to improvements in the MS symptoms. Her next appointment is on the 23rd October. I look forward to hearing about her treatment and hopefully progress.

Ella now has her brace and is really excited about the prospect of discomfort and moving teeth... Well what she is really looking forward to are some improvements, but even getting her brace is a step forward from nothing. What we were both impressed with is how quickly from her initial evaluation she is up and running... well hobbling.
Michele

Very exciting to hear! I look forward to more details as they happen! Mobility improvements are really exciting. I had changes almost immediately, although they didn't all persist. It has been a winding path with ups and downs, but I am definitely in better shape than when I started. Maybe we'll meet sometime in Putney!

Michele, when Dr. Amir's patients first start out with braces they can take one or two minor adjustments sometimes before things "feel" right.

It is important if Ella feels the brace is uncomfortable that it is adjusted, it's unusual to get an absolutely perfect fit right from the word go.

I'm delighted she's taken the step to See Dr. Amir and I look forward to reading the updates.

Thanks Thelka and EJC for the benefit of your experience, it will help us to know what to expect. It did cross my mind to ask whether anyone had heard whether thumb sucking was significant in the situation. Ella sucked her thumb until she was 5.

I have just spent a week with Ella. She is struggling with her speech, this is particularly important when she is at work where she uses a speech recognition program. Also because her teeth hurt she is not eating as much as she should and has lost weight which she finds worrying. Eating is a problem for her, unlike me she does not see food as comfort. In fact the opposite. Getting food for herself is tiring and difficult to manage. Whilst I was with her we worked out that small snacks that don't need cutting or forking are the easiest for her to manage, so we stocked up on crisps and cheesy biscuits and small things she can put in her mouth without biting with her incisors. No noticeable change to her condition up to this point, but it is only been a couple of weeks with her brace and her teeth have certainly moved.

It's more or less three and a half months since Ella started treatment and although other people seem to get signs of improvement quite early on in their treatment it does not seem to have happened to Ella. In a way she is lucky that she does not suffer pain with her MS, but on the other hand pain and its disappearance is a good indicator of progress, so she cannot judge any improvements in that way. Ella has probably had MS symptoms since she was 17, that is about 16 years of damage that needs to be rectified, added to the her recent break in her perlvis which definitely affected her core muscle probably means that he progress will be slower than most. She is quite determined to carry on through these doldrums as she was impressed by the simple strength test that a physiotherapist demonstrated to her when he manually straightened her jaw and she believes this is the best chance she has of maintaining her health and even maybe improving her condition. If she could get rid of the fatigue and muscle fatigue it would make a great deal of difference to her. As soon as she notices any improvement I will post about it here.

Thanks for updating Ella's treatment Michele, it is interesting to note that just as everyone's MS manifests differently, so too people's response to a particular treatment varies. I'm sure Ella will start to respond very soon too. The important thing I feel is that we are on the right track at last. I have never before experienced the disappearance of so many symptoms with any other treatment I have tried. And I witnessed Ella's arm tremor all but disappear when I last saw her in the surgery with Dr Amir. Hang in there Ella!

Looking forward to your next Ella update Michele x

Thanks Jenny, I'm sure we will see some improvement soon, I think she is trying not to be too hopeful having been disappointed so many times before. Keeping fingers crossed. Michele

HELP- tips for my breathing and swallowing.

Postby ellamyf » Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:56 pm
Hi Everyone,

I've been keeping to the shadows on this site in an effort to maintain a degree of cautious optimism (had my heart broken too many times) but after a hard appointment with Dr A I need your help! I'm struggling to get my exercises correct. Dr A. try's to explain and encourages me but I struggle. I practice every night before bed and as I drive to work 3 days a week (not on way home- too knackered). So if you had a break through could you PM me I'd be super grateful.

I'm sure i'm feeling improvement in areas, bladder, balance and a little improvement in my tremor but I want Dr A to be happy too.

Any advice would be fab. Thanks, Ella.