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Michelle W. that is so funny because my last name starts also with a W what a coincidence! My name is Michelle Denise W. LOL.

Yes, I went to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN in 2004, and I saw Dr. Kevin Reid, who is the head of the craniofacial pain unit. I liked him very well. I had a CT bone scan done there prior to seeing him, which meant I had to go up a day early. I spoke with his assistant Sandy, and we had it schedule prior to seeing him. It saved us time.

I also saw a surgeon up there and a orthodontist since I have braces on. I basically went up there for a second opinion, because I had surgery a failed bilateral Mitek Arthroplasty in 2003. I was wanting to see if there was anything they could do for me since I was having so much more pain after the surgery than before the surgery. The only thing I gained from the surgery is more function in that I can chew better, but now that is starting to diminish.

I had Dr. Reid evaluate my medication to see if he felt I was on the best meds I could be on for pain control. He felt that I was indeed on good medication. Dr. Reid and the OS didn't really agree on the CAT Scan. The OS felt my disc were still in place, but Dr. Reid expressed the opposite when I saw him one on one. Basically, the OS at Mayo told me there was not anything they could do for me, but I felt okay about the visit knowing I had several of my questions answered by Dr. Reid.

Since that time my OS that did my surgery has requested I come back to him for a follow-up. He sent word through my orthodontist that "he wanted to see me." I had not been going back to see him, because he was not doing anything for me. I had continually went back to him telling him I was not better I was worse and what was he going to do about it? He just kept blowing me off with excuse after excuse such as: if you would exercise and control your stress, if you would lose some weight and get healthy, you need a new splint. I just gave up on him knowing that it was all a smoke screen.

Anyway, I went back to him per his request and he wanted another MRI. I got one for free out of the deal, and it showed dislocated disc on both sides just like Dr. Reid had seen when I went up there. Basically, my surgery lasted six weeks.

It may be possible the OS at Mayo saw this and did not want to get involved and maybe he didn't. I will never know.

Anyway, I am going back up there in mid August to see a rheumatologist due to having a Rheumatoid Factor of greater than 900. No one in my town can seem to give me any straight answer as to why I have this high Rheumatoid Factor nor do they seem concerned about it. Also, I am going to see Dr. Reid again I have several questions I want to ask him regarding a long-term prognosis of my TMJ. I am taking my MRI I had late last year, and he wants another CT Scan.

Mayo does not believe in arthroplasty they feel it does not work. Dr. Reid told me he wished I would of came and saw him before my surgery. I believe when they do surgery in regards to TMJ they truly believe it will help the patient. They are very conservative in the surgical area.

Mumsie I don't know how close you are to Mayo, but if you have not had any surgery I think it would be worth a shot. If you have any more questions let me know. I am sorry this got so long.

Well, I hate to rain on your parade, but I looked up Tramadol and it is generic Ultram. It was one of the first meds I took, and it is kind of expensive and didn't do much at all. I don't know how much Neurontin you were on. You have to be on a pretty high dosage to get any relief from it. That has been my experience and what I have read from others . I was on about 3,600 mg when I was getting some relief from it.

I tend to disagree with your TMJ doctor about the Cymbalta. They are using it for a lot of diabetic patients that have peripheral neuropathy in their feet. That is where they feel like needles are sticking their feet due to nerve damage. Anyone that has chronic pain is going to suffer some depression, and I don't think you have to be seriously depressed to take Cymbalta. I think people need to take the meds before they are seriously depressed and before they are in huge amounts of pain. It is harder to get massive pain and depression under control. It is easier when it is not a huge problem, but that is just my opinion and I am not a doctor.

I found that Cymbalta helped boost the effect of the medication that I was already on. It made it work much better. I think it would be worth a try, but I think you need to be on some other meds along with it. If Vicoden didn't help you then Ultram would just be a waste of your money. Ultram is a lot less strong than Vicoden.

The bad thing is that I have found that TMJ specialist don't really want to prescribe meds. I had to go to a neurologist/pain management doctor for meds and a psychiatrist for my Cymbalata. Everyone has there own little speciality they want to stick to in their area. It makes it hard on us patients.

I hope that helps some.

Hi Mummsie,

Intially when I started the Neurontin I did feel a bit foggy, but not real bad like some people complain about. I have heard some people complain that they always feel like they are in a fog and that it never gets better for them. My fog improved with time. I got used to the medication and the fog lifted slowly and after a couple of months I was okay with the Neurontin.

I quit taking it for two reasons:

1. My headaches became worse, and I felt I needed a medication that addressed my headaches more specifically. Topamax addresses nerve pain and also is used widely for migraine patients.

2. I felt I was gaining weight on the Neurontin. It seemed to increase my appetitate, but most people don't have this problem.

Althought if the Topamax would quit working for me I would go back on the Neurontin. I hope this helps a bit more . Let me know if it helps you.

Take care,
Michelle Denise

Becky M,

I am not too far away from you. I am in Missouri. We have one girl on here Sharon/Ellitoid up closer to you in St. Charles/St. Louis area. I am on the other end of Missouri in the southwest Missouri an area called Joplin, which is south of Springfield.

Did the doctor give you any adivice on what to do about the problem of constipation due to the pain meds? I hope so, but if not you might want to try taking something like a Colace stool softner one for each pain pill you take. That is what my neurologist recommeneded for me. The off brand tucks from Walgreens or Wal-mart can provide a lot of relief.

Also, if you can take in more water that always helps. I can't seem to eat enough fiber such as salad due to my jaw problems. It just causes me more pain. I do eat salad from time-to-time, but I can't eat it everyday. Also, it takes me a long time to chew it up, so I have to have plenty of time.

I had a MRI. I have had two of them and a CAT Scan. MRI is good for seeing soft tissue. The CAT Scan is better for seeing bone. I felt they were worth the money, because I finally had an answer to my question as to what is wrong with me??!!?? There is nothing worse than not knowing. I felt I was going a bit nuts, which is not a good feeling.

Most people that continue to have TMJ problems eventually end up having a MRI. It is really the only way to get an accurate diganosis to see what is going on in there. I just wish it weren't so expensive.

Also it most likely took me three weeks before I noticed any difference on the Neurontin, which is an older version of the Lycrica. Everyene is different.

Let us know how you are doing.