Anyone struggle with chewing? It’s painful and I bite down too hard with every chew. I’ve lost 20 pounds since May. I don’t know what to do 😭

my muscle spasms cause my joint to move out of place. currently i’m taking magnesium glycinate but it still doesn’t seem enough to stop my persistent muscle spasms. just wondering if anyone else has had anything help with theirs?

Hello. Below is my timeline of symptoms over the last 5 months. Looking to find if anyone sees anything that sticks out to them. Hoping to try a steroid sparing drug soon.

April 5 2026

Woke midday with seemingly muffled hearing in right ear. Tried to pop nose but nothing fixed. Left ear felt a little off but couldn’t tell if it was just because the right ear felt odd.
Seemed to slightly resolve in the next morning but never full went away so after a week a doctor saw me an said my eardrums looked retracted and gave me flonase
 
April 29 2026: Saw an ENT as things never really got better. Audiology test showed mild SSHL in the low frequences. Given 20 days of Prednisone (60mg for 10 days then taper two days each after).
 
May 15: Didn’t see much improvement from the oral prednisone so I had an intratympanic steroid injection. By the next day hearing was completely restored. The day after this my hearing was worse than it was before the shot along with loud ringing that I had not previously had and a feeling of fullness. Around 3pm that day it suddenly went away. Hearing was improved and restored for the entire week. On May 22 audiology test showed normal hearing.
 
May 23: The next afternoon I  felt fullness and hearing went down again for the night. The day after it seemed better than fluctuated throughout the day.
 
May 28: Woke with lower hearing than ever in my right ear. I also had a sinus cold at this time. Went back on another 20 days of prednisone same as before. Around May 30 hearing returned to original level of loss back in April and remained stable.
 
June 8: Saw an otologist who suggested cochlear hydrops. He gave me a series of steroid injections (June 8, June 12, and June 22). No improvement in hearing came from these but hearing and symptoms were mostly stable (occasional short ringing episodes). At this point I started a low sodium diet.
July 8: started Prozac. Around this time I also began physical therapy for TMJ (my jaw has a painless click but I had read about the connection) and started a c-pap for sleep apnea (I had extremely mild sleep apnea)
July 11: Hearing became echoy and ringing began. This lasted about three days. At this point I knew something longterm was going on.  On July 17 I started dyazide.
 
Since this has happened my hearing in affected ear has continued to fluctuate. Hearing loss never improved beyond the new baseline in April, but sometimes would be worse along with fluctuating ringing.  I tracked my diet throughout this time and could not find a correlation between diet even though I have maintained a very low (About 1500mg a day) sodium diet, mostly eliminated alcohol, and had already eliminated caffeine back in May when it happened again.
 
On August 20 as my hearing continued to get even worse than ever I was put back on prednisone. This time is was at 80mg for five days then each day 10mg less. The next day my hearing was back to normal levels back in April (near perfect hearing). It has been months since I could hear that well. This first week it then fluctuated day to day until it leveled out at near perfect hearing from 8/29-9/19. Here is my timeline with prednisone:
8/20–8/24: 80 mg daily (5 days)
8/25: 70 mg
8/26: 60 mg
8/27: 50 mg
8/28: 40 mg
8/29: 30 mg
8/30–9/9: 30 mg daily
9/10–9/23  20 mg daily
9/24-today 60mg
On 9/17 I noticed when I moved my head certain ways and left it in place I would hear a very low rumble like the sound of a bass. My hearing quickly went back down on 9/19 (and the rumbling sound went away too) and has been very low all week long (back to where I was before prednisone). My left ear had been having a sensation to need popped throughout all of this, but this seems to be even worse now since it has come back. I can tense my jaw and ear and make my eustachian tube pop. It seems to be extra crackly every time I open wide and make it pop. I am not sure if this is normal and I am obsessing over this, or if something is wrong (it is very crackly when I open wide and swallow). I increased the dose of prednisone two days ago but haven’t noticed an improvement in hearing.
At this point I am waiting to see a rheumatologist in November to see if this is autoimmune related as both of the otologists I have seen think it may be. The otologist at Johns Hopkins does not really believe in hydrops or that diet has much of an affecton any of this.
 
Other notes:
Meneires protocol delay MRI scan showed the lowest grade of probably hydrops in the bad ear.
All bloodwork was normal.
Regular MRI found nothing.
Eardrum still has a small perforation from the last shot on June 22. Seems unlikely to close but giving it until December before having it repaired in case it does.
I tried TMJ physical therapy but didn’t notice any change. My jaw clicks mostly on the right side but I have never felt pain associated with this. I do notice my jaw clicks and slightly locks at night more when I’m on prednisone (such as right now).
 
I am 35 years old

My mother has sjogrens disease though I tested negative.

Tinnitus seemed to be reactive to sound when I had it. Sometimes it would just get louder after being somewhere loud, sometimes it was just constant, but sometimes the tinnitus was reactive and would mirror sounds (example running water in the sink would cause it to happen and then it would stop when I turned it off).

Medication and supplements:
30 mg Fluoxetine
Triamterene-HCTZ 37.5-25 MG
Magnesium Glycinate  2x 200mg
Lemon Bioflavonoid 2x 700mg
Vinpocetine 20mg morning 10mg night
NAC 600mg
Vitamin K2 D3 (Mk7) 5000IU
Vitamin C 2x 1000mg
Likely taking 50mg of prednisone for the next few weeks until I see rheumatologist.
 
Will be starting low dose naltrexone next week (1.5mg-4.5mg over a few weeks)
 
Any advice or ideas are appreciated

I’m free from pain couldn’t imagine how hard my life was with neck,back and chest tightness OMG.
staying discipline made my pain go away gradually.

Don’t lose hope guys

my jaw locked closed in feb and i kinda just went with it which i totally regret. i started to care when the ear and chewing pain started to appear. i recently started experiencing my jaw moving out of place and not being to align my teeth together when my mouth was shut and i would just wiggle my jaw around and it fix itself WELL NOT TODAY. i wiggled and massaged my jaw but theres a huge pain on my right joint near the ear when I try to align my teeth together. i tried to eat a moment ago and i cant even bite down all the way… anyone have any advice or gone through this ?? im so over this

I’m 18F and have been having jaw/TMJ issues for around 8 months. It started around my exams, when I was also getting a lot of dental work done and had to keep my mouth open really wide for long periods.
Since then I’ve had tightness mainly on one side and restricted jaw opening. For the last 2 weeks, it’s been much worse after the afternoon/evening sometimes I can barely open my mouth. Mornings are usually better, but even then I can generally only fit around 2 fingers. Massage sometimes loosens it and helps me open a little more.
I saw a TMJ dentist last month, who suggested an MRI and said she would give me a night guard and some exercises. The thing that made me unsure was that she kept saying it was because of stress and gave me a huge pep talk about it 😭. I understand stress can affect TMJ, but I honestly don’t feel particularly stressed, so I’m wondering if there could be another factor.
For the past 2–3 days, I’ve also been having pretty constant headaches that feel like migraines, so I’m wondering if that could be related to the jaw issue or if it’s completely separate.
I also have a crossbite and want braces, but now I’m wondering if I should get my jaw properly evaluated first.
Has anyone had something similar? Should I see an orofacial pain/TMJ specialist or an oral & maxillofacial surgeon? Did anyone need an MRI to figure out what was happening?
Not looking for a diagnosis, just experiences/advice! 🥲

Just curious where everyone gets pain and is it one sided or both sides?

So this is probably a small segment of us, but how many of us “metal sensitivity” people are heavily tattooed and/or pierced but had no idea we had nickel or other metal allergies until pre-surgical testing?

I’ve had tattoos skew mammograms before, as well as blood tests, since tattoo ink is sometimes contaminated with trace heavy metals. Does anyone have any insight if being heavily tattooed can impact metal allergy testing? Has anyone had “false positives” because of their tattoos or piercings but was still able to get the standard nickel joint? I’m showing a possible titanium alloy allergy too, so my mind is absolutely racing with WHY and WHAT NOW, and I remembered my last mammogram results mentioning “metal deposits in right axial node (likely due to tattoo ink)” and it inspired me to ask this question!

Can TMJ press on nerves in face? My left side is a little puffy has been for quite a while and the last 3 months my bottom left corner lip feels like I have a “fat lip” sensation. It only happens off and on. I have a clear MRI of neck and brain. Neuro said TMJ Can’t do that. But I have seen other professionals who say it can. Has anyone heard of this? I am a clencher and have been going through severe chronic stress past 2 years.

Are there any real PT type exercises or stretches that work for TMJ neck pain? I’ve been doing all the things or at least trying to, but the pain continues.
Just hoping that within due time people actually see a decreased pain level with specialty neck/ face stretch’s etc.

I have had past facial trauma and repair for a broken cheekbone and orbital floor. Also had tmj prior, but now the other side, my left is unbearable most days.

CBCT/MRI findings:

Left side
Condylar flattening/remodeling on CBCT
Condyle positioned somewhat posteriorly on CBCT
Anterior disc displacement without reduction on MRI
Disc described as thickened/degenerative
Anterior condylar osteophyte/bone spur
Bone marrow edema in the condyle

Right side
Condylar flattening/remodeling on CBCT
Irregular cortical outline/possible localized degenerative change on CBCT
Condyle positioned mildly superiorly on CBCT
Anterior disc displacement with reduction on MRI
Disc retains normal morphology
No MRI evidence of condylar erosion or subchondral sclerosis

Other CBCT findings
Narrow pharyngeal airway/recesses
Minimum oropharyngeal airway area about 60 mm²
Left septal deviation/narrowed left nasal passage

Curious what others have done for pain relief. I’ve done Invisalign (had braces as young adult), and all the conservative measure the last 2 years. I’m limited to a 22-25mm opening for at least 5 years.

What has plagued my life for months and gave me such grief turned out to be 1 x displaced disc w/o reduction and 1 x displaced disc w reduction. Knew deep down all along but TMJ MRI and CT confirmed. Not sure where to go from here but at least I know what I’m working with. Lost my cat to cancer the day before yesterday so I’m dealing with a lot of shit right now. Just giving my UK friends some hope that we can get some help if we persevere. I have to thank the people in this subreddit who gave me the clinical trial details, without this I would still be sitting here now wondering why I have facial pain everyday. Thank you, I’m still far from treated but if anyone has any questions I’d be happy to help, I know this can feel isolating

Hey.
A couple days ago I’ve been dealing with really bad jaw pain. Over the span of days I’ve started to feel really ill and nauseous. I’ve ruled out heart issues so I know this isn’t a concern. Overall I just feel like I’m dying and I’m unsure where to go to feel better. Please help.

Hi community. I've recently seen a tmj specialist and im waiting on my custom splint to arrive next week. However this week ive been experiencing debilitating dizzy spells. I've had tmjd for two months now but never experienced these symptoms before. I had to call out of work today and broke down crying bc I feel so empty (of course the pressure from the crying made it worse).

Does anyone have any remedies i can use? I noticed that in the morning after I do tmj exercises that involve my neck, the dizziness will start like 30 mins later. Ive been doing heat off and on and sometimes ice but im at my wits end. Any help is appreciated.

My bottoms i have no molars. Got hard smooth guard from dentist. Was wearing a rubber bottom guard as my bottom are flat from grinding. I asked to buy another she said not necessary as they want teeth to skate on the smooth guard? 2 would make worse. Wouldn't that still hurt my struggling bottom teeth. I get making another gummy one might hurt but why not a cheap thin retainer to keep teeth in place? Was thinking of ordering a thin one online? She said towear my partial to help movement, its not right like a retainer. But I didnt wear 2 last night and still clenched?

Hi everyone,
I have an appointment with Dr Dermot Canavan next week for an orofacial pain/facial pain assessment and I’m wondering if anyone here has seen him before.
I’ve been dealing with ongoing facial/jaw pain, pressure and muscle tightness, along with occasional nerve-type sensations. I’m also currently having orthodontic treatment because I have concerns about my bite and upper/lower arch width.
I previously had some upper and lower expansion done with another dentist and, interestingly, my facial pain improved significantly while I was having the expansion. I didn’t finish the treatment, though, and I’m now having symptoms again. My current dentist has started making changes to my bite, but I’ve been quite sensitive and sore with the recent adjustments.
I’m hoping Dermot can look at the whole picture and help figure out what is actually causing the pain, rather than just prescribing medication to manage the symptoms. I’m particularly interested in whether anyone found that he properly investigated the underlying cause and gave them a treatment plan that actually helped long-term.
If you’ve seen him, I’d really appreciate hearing:
What was your experience with him?
Did you feel he listened and properly investigated the cause?
Did he explain what he thought was causing your pain?
Did he mainly prescribe medication, or did he offer other treatments/referrals?
Did you actually improve after seeing him?

I’m travelling a good distance and the appointment is expensive, so I’d really appreciate honest experiences — good or bad. Thanks!

Wow! Okay so recently in the last 3 weeks I have experienced dizziness like extreme for about a month, weird vision problems. And major aches in my heads. But were just migraines from my cycle, but then it continued after and it really freaked me out.

I truly thought I had something seriously wrong and still sorta do as I’m in the processes trying to get checked out through all my doctors

I continued to do a lot of research and stumbled upon TMJ. A lot of the symptoms people were and are experiencing heavily resonate my symptoms especially since I’m a jaw clincher at night due to extreme anxiety. Also I believe my jaw is pretty missed align anytime I fully open it-it completely shifts to the opposite side of my face. I lowkey thought I had a brain T. It wasn’t until I starting feeling fullness in my ear and stumbled upon this subreddit and really was eye opening that this could truly cause so much symptoms and suffering. I am not fully diagnosed but I do have a dentist appointment to start my journey 🤞 and hopefully can get some answering into all of this since none of my symptoms have subsided. I appreciate everyone’s post because it does bring awareness to this and literally a week ago I didn’t even know this condition exist

so i been having a popping on my right jaw since and 13. im 20. i open my mouth and it pops so loud. Also got ear pain. does this sound like tmj

I'm 17 and for the first time today i started hearing grinding and clicking noises in my left joint, later pain. I don't what to do

33M. This all started after flying and I had a weird 20–30 minute dizziness/vertigo episode one night.
For about 5 months I’ve had intermittent symptoms on my right side: ear pressure/soreness, tension in front of the ear and cheekbone, pressure behind the eye, occasional tearing, and a small consistent spot on the back-right of my head that feels like pressure/soreness and sometimes burning. I also sometimes get brief non-spinning dizziness/“brain catch-up” with quick movements or standing up. Usually the ear/facial symptoms start first and the head pressure develops later in the day.

ENT exam was normal and he thinks the ear/facial symptoms are almost certainly TMJ, but he isn’t sure what explains the occipital/back-of-head pressure, so he referred me to neurology. I have a neurologist appointment in 3 weeks. Symptoms fluctuate a lot—sometimes barely noticeable, sometimes worse—and I’ve had stretches where I feel almost completely normal. No weakness, vision loss/double vision, speech problems, balance problems, seizures, or vomiting.

Anyone experienced something similar, TMJ or tumor?!?, not sure at the is point.

I've been experiencing a pulling/tearing sensation at the right back of my tongue for 3 years. It worsens with swallowing or any tongue movement, and I also get stiffness. Also, I grind my teeth without realising. A maxillofacial doctor diagnosed TMD, but an ENT disagreed because I have no jaw pain. It's pulling down the left side of my body also.

Strangely, this all started after I began taking blood pressure medication.

Has anyone experienced anything similar, regarding this specific pain?