Hello, I am new to this group, although, definitely not new to chronic pain.I have had two TMJ surgeries with horrendous results. My discs were totally destroyed and replaced with the Vitek Implants....Teflon covered. They were recalled by the FDA and were removed after 5 years. I now suffer from arthritis on both sides and my condyle bones have been destroyed by the Teflon (Proplast) covering that was left after the disc replacement, the second time. They replaced the dysfunctional discs with part of my temple on either side. I have degenerative break down of the tissue in and around my jaw joints and chronic pain, mainly because my mouth only opens 22 mm ( normal is 50+ mm) and I have neck and upper back problems along with trigeminal nerve pain. So....that's a little bit of my story. Whew......tires me out just reliving it.
BUT, I am the eternal optimist. I try to live every day to it's fullest. I know there are a LOT of people that have it much worse than me. BUT, I do have pain ever single day....especially when the weather gets "muggy" and I have lost a bit of hearing in one ear. Fabulous, huh?? Ha!
I have suffered with this since 1984.......so, I do believe I qualify to be called a "chronic pain sufferer" Thanks for listening. If I can help anyone, let me know. It's nice not to feel alone with pain as I sometimes do.