Facial pressure August

I’m still experiencing my facial pressure issue. This has been going on since late April… so rounding, let’s call it three solid months.

There’s no reason to believe it’s a sinus issue anymore. A CT scan was done at the beginning of July and reviewed by a radiologist and ENT, along with a visual inspection by the ENT using a scope, and everything looks great there.

I’m now of the opinion that it has to do with my jaw, and have an appointment with a maxillofacial guy downtown on Wednesday morning — an appointment that took me 3 1/2 weeks to get. It’s my sincere hope that he can poke and prod and me and either 1) make a determination and recommend a treatment, or 2) exclude the parts of my face that are within his area of expertise and refer me onwards. Clearly I’m hoping for #1, but would accept #2 if it helps get me closer to a final determination. The not-knowing is the worst part. If he said that I needed to wear bulky head gear for a month while only eating soft foods, I would sign the authorization immediately if it would make this problem go away.

The medical bills aren’t funny any more either, even with health insurance. The total bills have gone from Nice Dinner Out to Moderate Car Repair and are approaching Decent Computer. I’m praying they don’t approach Beach Vacation or Child College Fund.

The summary I’d give the doc at this point would be:

• Persistent facial pressure since late August
• Ringing in my ears, though usually masked by ambient noise
• Pain is moderated somewhat by using a drug store bite guard
• At one point I had fairly significant pressure in my upper neck
• There’s nothing wrong with my sinuses or ears
• Pressure intensifies if I rest top and bottom jaw together
• Nose or jaw sometimes feels twitchy
• Phrenilin Forte or naproxen offer no relief
• I still have all of my wisdom teeth but the dentist didn’t believe it was a root cause here

We’ll see what the doctor says on Wednesday.