EMERGENCY TMJ AND DISK SURGERY NEEDED

  I, first and foremost would like to thank you all for taking the time to read this, it means a lot to me. I am at my ends wits and don’t know who to turn to anymore. It all started in November, 2006. One morning I woke up with an extremely severe pain on my right side of my face that radiated to the back of my head and neck. I don’t think I have ever been in so much pain in my life. That being over 8 years ago, I can tell you this problem has gotten worse to the point I can not leave the bed in the mornings. I am not one to take pain medication, but my days now consists of 6-8 Tylenol’s with Codeine, 4-6 Advil’s, Emtec, Cycloprine and Zopiclone (to help me sleep) per day, Emtec every 6 hours, ice pack 12 minutes at a time 6 times a day and 4-5 days a week Maxalt for Migraine relief. It brings tears to my eyes daily to live like this. I cry daily and have no life in me anymore because of this severe painful jaw disorder (I have slipped jaw disks, my jaw joints are out of place and my jaw is class 3 and out of place). I am afraid of overdosing on pain medication to rid my pain so I bought a journal to write down every time I take my medications so I can track and make sure that I am taking them properly. It has gotten to the point that my jaw pops out, locks and the pain is so severe on both sides of my face, neck, and base of skull and back of my head that I have lost weight now being on an all liquid diet. I can’t eat food like a normal person, laugh, smile… nothing anymore; it makes the pain much more severe. I have gone to several doctors, gone around in circles for 8 years now and have been diagnosed with what they call Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome/Disease with severe migraine disorder and now Osteoarthritis because of it. I require two major surgeries for my jaw and disks to fix this severe problem. If you were to research this on the internet, as well as with our medical system, or talk to Health Canada, they look at this as a Cosmetic procedure. This is by FAR a cosmetic procedure, this is an actual medical problem that needs immediate surgery now (even surgeons and doctors know this is medical, but by the “system codes” they do not cover this at all). Every doctor and surgeon does not agree with this and have written uncountable letters to Health Canada stating it is an emergency Medical condition which requires surgeries right now. Even with the several letters I have from them stating it is Medical, the Canadian Medical system will not cover it at all. It has gone too far that my bones are now scraping together, grinding together that there is barely anything left. Our Family Physician, Neurologist, doctors and Surgeons can attest that my problem is far from being cosmetic that it is all medical as I stated before. The doctors have sent me to get Botox injections in my Jaw, head and neck to supress the pain and migraines as much as they can. The duration of each injection is about 3-4 weeks. I then have to go back for more. I have been doing this for over two years now and each time it costs $200.00-$450.00 (medical will not cover for “TMD/TMJ” disorder disease for Pain Injections of Cortisone or Botox, which no Doctor can understand). I have tried everything to get all of this covered along with my surgery but Health Canada turns it down no matter what the Doctors or myself submit, even when it clearly states it is a Medical Condition I have. Just writing this is brining tears to my eyes, I am lost and have no idea where to go, what to do. Because I am unable to get this surgery done it has been slowly damaging my nerves and my Jaw bones are deteriorating. I have had the run around, in circles for years now from various Dentists, and then they refer you to orthodontists. The first thing they always say, instead of caring about their patients’ health, is “ You are looking at one big fee and surgery, then braces to wire your jaw shut for 4-6 weeks after surgery, so how would you like to pay”? What happened to those days when people use to help each other to make this world a better place? Finally after about 4-5 years of research, pain and uncountable emergency visits at the Royal Columbian Hospital for locked Jaw and Pain, I was referred to a Doctor at Royal Columbian Hospital who is facial surgeon. He had a consultation me and I was told again the same thing; we were told either pay $25000 (which includes my braces before and after operation as well as my hospital fee) to get the operation done. The other option I was given is to suffer from pain for the rest of my life and I can see that month by month I am getting worse. I don’t know how much longer I am going to be able to deal with this. I am human being like everyone else and I have not been able to enjoy the last 8 years of my life, let alone live. It was really hard for me to write this and reach out as I am the one who is always helping others and trying to be strong for others. Doctors these days care about whose pocket is heavier or who drives a better car instead of trying to help people in this Country who are truly suffering from various issues and diseases. I ask for all your help, if there anything you can do to help me as I am all out of options. I keep telling myself every morning before I am fully awake… there is someone out there who still has a heart and I pray that day will come soon. It’s a dream of mine smile again, eat solid food again, have happiness instead of tears and finally be able to have a child which is every woman’s dream (I am unable to have children because of all the medications I have to take on a daily basis). This means the world to me, thank you all for reading!