My teeth hurt. It isn't just one or two teeth, it is pretty much the whole right side of my mouth. And it isn't just a little annoying pain, it is a deep, throbbing, mind-numbing pain.
This pain reached it's peak while I was at work on Friday. I couldn't talk right. I couldn't concentrate. It was bad.
So I tried calling my dentist. I called for an hour and the phone was busy the whole time. Finally my co-worker J called the phone company and they said something was wrong with their line, but they didn't know what. (He said "Like a beaver chewed through their line?" That at least made me laugh through the pain.)
So I tried emailing them but got no response. So finally I couldn't take it and left work at like 3:15 to just drive over there. But when I got there, the office was dark and the doors were locked. I went out to the car and I was freaking out because there was no way I could deal with this all weekend!
I called the orthodontist he had referred me to and explained the situation to them. They said there was nothing they could really do and gave me the number to another dentist in their building I could try. I called, but of course they closed at noon on Fridays (must be nice to have off every Friday!).
At this point I am crying and freaking out because I don't know what to do. I love my primary care doctor so I decided to give that a shot hoping she could do something. I was on hold forever waiting for a nurse. The office wasn't far so I started driving. I got there before anyone picked up, so I went in.
By the time the receptionist asked "How can I help you?" I just started bawling. I explained the situation and asked if there was anything they could do. Luckily my doctor had a 4:30 appointment available.
She asked me to describe the pain and asked how long it had been going on and felt around my face and my gums. She said she doesn't think the pain is dental related. She thinks it is Trigeminal Neuralgai. She said it could also be an atypical migraine though, so she gave me some pain medication and told me to take that first to see if it goes away. If it isn't gone by Monday she wants me to go to a neurologist to get an MRI.
Well all weekend I have been doped up on pain meds and it still hurts like crazy!
It is just so ironic because I would have never gone to a doctor for this pain. I thought it was something only a dentist could fix. It took all that drama on Friday to send me to the doctor.
I guess the good news is I may not need braces after all!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
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7 comments:
Ugh this sounds awful! I hope they figure this out and get you feeling better soon!
That sounds awful. I hope they're able to figure out what exactly is wrong soon!
guess there was a silver lining to the dentist drama. hope you feel better soon.
Ohh I hope you feel better sooon!
Ouch! I hope your pain goes away real soon.
Oh no! That sounds just awful ....thanks goodness you ended up at the Doctor, though -- it sounds like it could be the right place to save your pain issue ! Please keep us in the loop as to what happens...
Oh, boy. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. My sister has gone through something almost exactly the same just a few weeks ago. First she went to a dentist but they thought she had TMJ. They sent her to a cranio-facial specialist who specialized in TMJ but he diagnosed her with something called Earnest Syndrome. She had to have a few injections and then it started to get better. Turns out, they think it was caused from her sleeping with her hand and wrist under her lower jaw (been doing it for years) which was putting pressure on some of the nerves in her jaw. Now she has to wear a wrist brace to bed to keep her from putting her hand under her jaw at night. But it's better than braces!
It sounds to me like you might have a jaw issue going on and it may have nothing to do with needing braces. I'd see if your doctor can refer you to a cranio-facial specialist who focuses on jaw pain. He may be the one to give you the answers you need.
Hang in there, darlin.
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