Leah B.
Servant of All
As you may recall, I have been suffering from jaw pain and intense jaw movement since 2017. I went to a dental specialist about two months ago. She wanted input from a neurologist. However, for reasons I will never truly fathom, the neurologist's office would not honor her referral. I finally gave up on pursuing this route and decided to try to get the referral through my primary care physician. It worked! I have an appointment with the neurologist on the 3rd of September. This being said and also in terms of update, I've been listening to the advice of a doctor on YouTube for several days and learning a great deal. Between the knowledge I've gained from him and his guests and also what I consider to be guidance from God, I took the following steps: Cut the dose of one of my rx meds in half. My plan is to micro-dose off the rest in a very slow taper. For now, I am leaving my other low-dose med alone. [Note: I also am trying to lower the dose in anticipation of a possible EMG.] Another thing I did was cut my caffeine intake in half, leaving me currently at two cups per day. My rationale for this is the stimulant effect of the coffee is aggravating my condition. Ultimately, I will get down to one cup. The result? On the down side, I have a slight headache and feel drowsy at times. On the up side, I am getting longer and longer periods of time with no movement whatsoever. Two days ago, it was five whole hours. Then as soon as I laid down and tried to relax, my jaw started moving and moving. I got almost no sleep. Then last night, I passed out from exhaustion. The thing is though, that I did sleep very well. Even better, I have been virtually movement free for ten hours. I just tried laying down, and I was okay. [As an aside, that posture seems to precipitate these attacks of movement. I see such a strong correlation, I just spent a small fortune on an adjustable bed. I want to keep my head up when I sleep.] All this being said, on to my observation: I believe I sustained a traumatic brain injury from taking too many RX drugs over a period of years. I may even be in a state of protracted withdrawal from some of them. [I will refrain from any rants against the FDA and also against some of these so-called "medical professionals" here. I will say I had ZERO informed consent and trusted blindly.] I believe I truly am getting better, but it's simply going to take more time. I also would like to add that I am noticing other improvements lately: My sleep cycle is regulating. I have zero brain fog and am sharper mentally, with my short-term memory improved to the point of excellent. Okay. Now, all this being said, onto my prayer requests, all in Jesus's name: I ask you to pray I communicate effectively to this neurologist and that she will put in a good word with the dental specialist about going ahead and finally making me that specialized jaw orthotic. [Oh, as an aside, I even found articles in support of the use of jaw orthotic to TREAT movement disorders.] But back to point: Please pray in Jesus's name that the improvement lasts and lasts. It would be SO awesome to really sleep again tonight. Please pray this time the jaw movement stays stopped for good. Like I already said, it's amazing already that I'm getting these prolonged periods of no movement. Finally, please pray this new bed helps me sleep better and helps me avoid precipitating these jaw movement attacks. It's due to be delivered this coming Tuesday. Please pray the delivery goes smoothly. Thank you for praying. Amen.