Hello,

Some medical information about me is that I have a jaw that pops in and out of its socket. I have dealt with this for about seven years now.

Recently I have been getting facial swelling and neck tension where I was having trouble swallowing drinks and food.

I ended up losing a lot of weight from that which is very dangerous when you already tend to not eat enough during the winter months.

What I was trying to do to soothe the neck pain and my jaw discomfort was to ice and heat it. Though I also don't have much temperature regulation, so I don't feel when to stop applying either heat or cool because I was in so much pain.

The reason I waited so long was because I personally knew so many people with similar disorders where I assumed I could handle it on my own until I had that issue.

Though obviously I needed medical intervention because of how severe it got for me, as well as my fear of developing arthritis or damaging my teeth as well.

I was recommended a mouth guard for my jaw clenching which does put a lot of pressure on my jaw muscles, though to be honest, as a twenty-three-year-old I do use my retainer to keep my teeth in check. My dentist/ orthodontist said I don’t need to, but I plan on using it until I crack it. Though getting an OTC mouth guard, which they suggested, should go on my to-do list.

I really suggest seeing a medical professional if you are having any issues if you have the ability to since things can change so fast.

I entered the exam room and they went over all the side effects with me. They were along the lines of local muscle soreness and having trouble opening your mouth wide.

I'm a certified yapper so I know this will be a challenge because my occupation involves a lot of talking. But at this point I will take anything to release the pain.

The doctor set me in this chair and prepared the needles outside the room, so I was waiting for a little bit.

When he came back, he gave a quick explanation of what I am expecting, I am not afraid of needles seeing that I donate blood and my brother is a diabetic, either way I wasn't thrilled.

He said they were going to inject three areas in my jaw joint. So, six pokes in total.

The first one didn't really hurt because I was pretty sore from dislocating my jaw all day, the rest were uncomfortable but not at all painful, though I've experienced much more painful shots.

I think it was mostly because of the fluid that they put in because it was inflamed afterwards for a while. Though my skin tends to inflame a lot easier than other people.

After the shots I was informed that it would take about two weeks for the effects of the Botox to come into effect. Which I am very anxious about because of the out of pocket being so high. I haven't received the invoice yet so hopefully BCBS will cover more than the pharmacy anticipated.

I had some soreness when eating afterwards, but nothing that I wasn't already used to at that point. So, my mum was kind and got me a salad and a coffee for me since I was having trouble.

There is a chance that the procedure will not show any effects, but that's a chance I'm willing to take because of how much pain I have been in. Though we'll see the results in a few weeks.

I will follow up with the ENT in a few months to see my progress. Hopefully it yields the results I want.

Disclaimer: I am by no means a medical doctor, this is just my experience with my medical issues and is not meant to treat or diagnose anyone. If you are experiencing any medical issues, please consult a licensed medical professional for any treatment.

-Uggledamen