A month of 15 symptoms; only 3 are TMJ related

[Photographiczen]

I have posted in this forum before, but have gotten minimal response to my symptoms. I am hoping that there are others who have had 15 different symptoms on a daily basis for over a month. Since January 19th I've had the following symptoms:

1. Headaches (left side of head, migranes, ice pick type)
2. sinus pressure (frontal and Max; Sinuses are clear except for trapped mucus in right Max cavity(does not cause me problems)
3. Ear pressure, aches(possible cause from TMJ), ringing, sudden hearing loss (All on left ear, except for ringing, I get that in right ear too)
4. Nerve Pain (left side of head & face (possible cause by inflammation from TMJ)
5. Cold sensations throughout head (both left and right side)
6. Pressure in head (left side and frontal lobe)
7. Burning sensation through out head, face, neck, shoulder and arm (all on left side, consistent with bad headaches)
8. Eye pressure, physical eye pain, eye watering (left eye)
9. Severe headache with dizziness, disorientation and confusion (Happened 1 time)
10. Jaw Pain(TMJ)
11. Joint pain (elbow, fingers, shoulder - left side)
12. Muscle aches (tense shoulder and neck - left side)
I have just about all of the symptoms of MS and some symptoms resemble a brain tumor. This one in particular I have all symptoms of:

https://health.google.com/health/ref/Acoustic+neuroma

I find it difficult to sleep at night; I am being waken up from headaches on the left side of my head and most recently if I sleep on the left side of my head there is constant pain, but if I sleep on the right side of my head I find that there is a pressure feeling on the left side of my head. And sleeping on my back makes me feel like I am having vertigo.

If anything, since I was diagnosed with TMJ my symptoms have lessened in severity because I am treating the TMJ, but I am still having the symptoms and new ones have risen; like the one stated above.

Right now while typing this out I am having a pretty good sinus pressure "attack" in both my forehead and nose, slight pressure and pain on the left mastoid region of head.

The ENT recommended I see a Neuro for further testing as he says my symptoms sound like MS or a brain tumor. I have scheduled a Neuro appointment, the earliest I could get in was March 19th. So I will continue to treat TMJ and go from there.

[Dr. A. Srivastava]

Thank you very much for your question; although it is quite hard for me to give you a precise opinion here without being able to examine you, but I would try to provide you some relevant information about your health concern.

Pain at only one side of the head and associated symptoms like orbital pain (eye pain) could be most likely suggestive of facial migraine. One may experience throbbing headaches and could be worsened by normal physical activity. Other symptoms may be nausea, vomiting and facial pain. A doctor can diagnose the migraine after understanding symptoms and examining you. Sometimes it is difficult to treat the migraine by just medications or combination of medications. Avoidance of triggering factors of migraine such as stress, fatigue, certain medications, alcohol and certain foods can surely help in improving the condition. In another possibility of TMJ disorder that can arise due to excessive teeth grinding habits, dental problems, misalignment of the teeth and trauma to the jaws, patient may experience headache, facial pain, ear pain, dizziness and nausea. However, in TMJ disorder, MRI is a useful investigation tool to diagnose the condition and your normal MRI report suggests it is a less likely cause in your case. I would recommend you to see a neurologist who can evaluate the details of your case and could better determine the insight of your situation. Additionally, possibilities of trigeminal neuralgia could also be evaluated. Hope this helps. Take Care & Regards.

[ggreg]

I'm not so sure about the ENT's nondiscovery of your diagnosis.  You can get an operation for the TMJ, that may alleviate some of your symptoms, like all of those on the left side.  BUT I also think what's wrong is, even tho you say it's okay to have a stopped up nasal cavity, my understanding is something like that can get real infected and cause a lot of painful pressure in the head and make your head hurt, and also the infection can go into the ears and those will bother you, too.  By the way, typically MS will show itself by vision loss, among other rather major symptoms, which you can find out the top ten by doing a general search online.  Nevertheless, at least the neuro will be able to rule in or out any brain tumor or neuroma, as you suggest.  While you wait for his appointment, there are two items you can address:  One, since you got TMJ, talk less than normal and concentrate on relaxing the jaw as often as possible throughout the day, massage the jaw, and also a little heat applied to the area will temporarily help, but you may need an op.  Two, since I think the sinus main is the issue here, get a PLAIN saline spray for the nose from the drugstore and squirt that in both sides several times a day and stay well-hydrated.  I know, could be I'm all wrong, but that's how come you're seeing the neuro.  I'm just responding to your plea that you didn't get many answers before, and I'm giving you my best opinion of what's wrong with you.