Seeing the Doctor today...

[cnote]

So I've been having major anxiety about a neck ache and jaw pain when I yawn or chew on my left hand side of my mouth...

I keep talking to my family and friends and wife about it... and my aunt said i need my widsom teeth probably takin out.. etc.... so i was getting that set up... and my wife stopped me... and said..

"honey... you need to get your anxiety under control before you start getting oral surgery on wisdom teeth that arent even impacted..."

she thinks if i get my anxiety under control maybe these aches and pains will relieve?

could this be possible? i do dwell on my neck stiffness and head pain... all day.. and am constantly moving my jaw side to side up and down just to wait and feel when it hurts... where it hurts etc.

could anxiety be causing this? im gonna get back on the lexapro today... it has always seemed to help with anxiety for sure. ive been on it twice in my life...

Thanks guys... and please tell me i'll be fine... =)

My wife asked me lastnight "honey, what are you so scared about? so what you've got a stiff neck? and the side of your head hurts when you yawn/chew...... Why are you SO scared?"

And I responded to her "You know... I have no idea... lots of people get pains in thier necks and jaws... and they go on with life... and don't worry as much as I do. I guess I get to thinking of the worse scenerio... "neck cancer... or a brain tumor.. or something"...

My wife calmed me down, and said "honey, you don't have neck or brain cancer sweety... you need to get your anxiety under control... and maybe your pain will elevate?"

I think she's right. =) That way when I go to the Dr. I can tell him about my symptoms... and also address my anxiety... and I'm sure he'll make a connection... and or tell me if there is something wrong with my neck/jaw/wisdom teeth... atleast I'll know what it is... and I can move on... and get rid of my anxiety/irrational thinking..

Thanks for listening.

[cnote]

thanks everyone for your responses. =) im actually feeling better.. =)

[birdie0907]

I had a doc tell me I had tmj so after that I was careful to eat soft foods and not overchew for a few years. It went away but came back with very serious pain. This time I had to get an orthodontist to make an upper splint which he swore would work which surprisingly to me it did after 4 months more of pain.
He told me to avoid yawning, or to at least suppress it from turning into a big stretch with a quick closing motion. Thus, if you have any possibility of tmj, the last thing you want to do is aggravate it by opening your mouth any more than you have to. So give up the constant testing and you will get an idea of whether you have a problem or not.
If you do have pain after this, don't trust the doc and have a dentist skilled at tmj look at it. My dentist said he was skilled at it but wasn't, so beware the first diagnosis.

As far as the neck pain, make sure you have good posture at all times including this weekend and if that doesn't solve it, get some professional such as a physiotherapist to review it. There are many things that can cause that kind of pain including anxiety, often the solutions just involve a few short stretching exercises.
Like I say, get a professional to review and they can tell you which stretch to do. I have seen some amateur stretchers do scary things to their neck that are not safe and won't get rid of the pain either.

[txdave35]

With anxiety, the fear of having something serious wrong is a lot worse than the physical ailment itself.  I went through something similiar several years ago.  I just started noticing this clicking noise in the back of my neck when I went walking.  Click click, like fingernails rubbing together.

it drove me nuts, and I was so anxious about it.  Went to a doctor who xrayed my neck and left it at that.  Couldn't find anything wrong. The clicking disappeared when I just refused to give it any attention or worry.   Our bodies can really be our worst enemies sometimes.

[cnote]

do you think my neck stiffness will go away over time? do you think my temporial pain when yawning will eventually go away over time?

thanks!

[cnote]

oops caught a typo above!

"he heard NO popping or cracking and i wasn't experiencing any pain"

[tigereyedjames]

Glad to hear you don't have TMJ ;)
Also glad to hear that you are doing ok.
Keep us posted with your progress...don't forget us when yer feelin' fine and dandy, wondering how you are!
But really, great news....keep up the good spirits!

[cnote]

Thank you again for responding. =)

The thing is my anxiety isnt that high like it has in the past... where it left me in crying spells.. nervous stomach.. rapid heart rate... constant pacing around... it was terrible...

i do know though that i am having symptoms of anxiety... just not THAT BAD.... I don't have much of an appetite at all... but im making myself eat... my stomach though isnt that nervous this time around which is nice... i do have a rapid heart rate from time to time but only when i worry about my neck.... im not pacing around too much either...

the Dr. said to see him on monday if my neck and head/jaw still hurt... he thinks its just tense etc. he think my posture could be causing this due to my new job at work, which involves driving around a lot during the day... and sitting in a computer chair the other half of the day...

he doesnt think my jaw pain is caused by tmj... i still think he's kinda wrong...  but i have to trust him hes my doctor... he did the test where he put his two index fingers on the side of my head... and had me open and close... he heard to popping or cracking and i wasnt experiencing any pain... i do however still get a pain when i close my mouth after i yawn... i think its the way my jaw shifts to the left a little as i close my mouth...

But I cannot worry about it! im hoping the lexapro he gave me (again) will help me relax and not worry as much... will help me stop thinking so irrationally.

thanks again for listening.

[cj29]

I am glad you are realizing that the anxiety is back.  You are doing the right thing by going to get help, which is a HUGE step in dealing with this in my opinion.  When my anxiety flared up after years of not having any issues at all, I was at first VERY frustrated, scared, and confused why it was back all of the sudden.  But once I calmed down and applied what I learned the first time, it was much easier to get through it again.  You have the knowledge...just don't forget to use it....you are taking the right steps in my opinion!

[cnote]

Thanks buddy. I'll get through this.

[tigereyedjames]

Way to go man, that is awesome that you are going to a doctor, that's the first step to getting this back under control...and hey, you beat this twice already, you DEFINITELY can again!!!
Keep us updated...let us know how the Doc's visit goes, and how you are feeling.
Come on man, I am counting on you to give me hope that I can get through this... ;)