Just diagnosed on MOnday after feeling off for 4-6 months. I have no joint pain...primary symptoms are ear, eye, GI, and sweating. My ENT originally thought I had Labyrinthitis and I went to a Chiropractor to get neck / jaw adjusted. Since then my jaw has been hurting and I have suspected TMJ, so now wear splints.
Now that LYme appears to be the root, I'm wondering how many people also have jaw pain? Do you also have ear "fullness" and ringing?
I definitely have Lyme. What I"m trying to figure out is if I also have a real case of TMJ causing my ear symptoms. Or is it just Lyme related ear symptoms (not related to TMJ)? or all of the above?
Posted by gatorade girl (Member # 24896) on :
ear ringing and tmj were one of my original symptoms. I have Lyme and babesia. They got better with treatment for the lyme.
Posted by EyeBob (Member # 12572) on :
Ear fullness and ringing came to me after treatment and lasted a good 6-8 months. It's resolved now. Very common symptom, like having to pop your ears constantly.
Posted by bcb1200 (Member # 25745) on :
That is exactly what I have. Constantly popping them.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Fullness, ringing, hissing, roaring, pulsating sounds or sensations in the ears:
You can look inside this book and read customer reviews here:
Ototoxic Drugs Exposed: Prescription Drugs and Other Chemicals That Can (and Do) Damage Our Ears
- by Neil G. Bauman -
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- MAGNESIUM is the major support for TMJ and its main behavior cause, bruxism (which can be a lyme symptom &/or from magneisium deficiency and adrenal exhaustion). Be sure to see the EAR thread as that has lots about TMJ, too.
Be sure to look over every med regarding ototoxicity, too. Even OTC products like acetaminophen and aspirin are ototoxic and, therefore, can cause tinnitus. And, if a med is absolutely necessary, there are some things to mitigate that (again, at the EAR thread).
I hope the adjustment was a gentle one and not a "twist and shout" sort. UPLEDGER INSTITUTE (Google) is a wonderful gentle technique for cranial sacral.
I also hope your mouth splint is from very HARD plastic, not a "gummy bear" type. Those are much worse as people tend to chew on them at night.
Biofeedback would also be in order as you will need re-education of how to chew and even hold your mouth and jaw at all times during the day.
But nothing is as helpful as magnesium. I had to go up to 2,000 mg a day - even shots at one time. It was the best help of all.
You can take magnesium to bowel tolerance and back down. Calcium, too, in balance. -
Posted by bcb1200 (Member # 25745) on :
THanks all:
Keebler. I don't grind my teeth, fortunately. Before I knew I had Lyme I went to a Chiro to get some releif suspecting an old jaw injury from college 16 years earlier was the cause. It was a "Twist and Shout" adjustment to the neck, as well as an "activator" adjustment to my jaw. Ouch.
I really regret doing that as it still feels off and most of my ear symptoms (but not all) got worse in the weeks after this.
I do have hard MORA splints from Tufts in Boston. I wear one during the day on the bottom and one at night on the top. They are helping, jaw feels better, but ears are still very full and ring.
Looking back, I think Lyme as the cause. Then I had the adjustment and it sent everything out of whack and now it is sore due to Lyme.
Posted by bcb1200 (Member # 25745) on :
BTW...I don't see an "Ear" page anywhere. Am I missing it?
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Lyme really attacks the neck and the brain. That is why only very gentle manipulation should be done there. It took me the better part of a year to recover from a "snap, crackle and pop" on my neck (before I knew I had lyme). Lyme changes everything and what works great for 98 % of the population often has opposite effects on a lyme patient.
The "activator" also caused me major problems, many times. I really tried to make that work. But I've since learned that only something along the lines of Upledger works for me.
There are different styles of adjustments and of cranial-sacral theraphy . . . Upledger is one that has worked so well for me. See their site for those trained in this. And then ask about other techniques done by your local D.C.s They all vary, so get detail from each one about their training and styles.
Your LLMD may know best which D.C.s or D.O.s would work for you.
=================
Here is what I call the "EAR THREAD" -
Specific for LYME patients - lots of details about ears and what can help:
Topic: TINNITUS: Ringing Between The Ears; Vestibular, Balance, Hearing with compiled links - including HYPERACUSIS
-
Posted by bcb1200 (Member # 25745) on :
I have had Axis Orthoganal adjustments recently from an upper cervical guy. Very gentle. No movement.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- I came back to mention something like that. Not sure what it's called but my D.O. put his hands into my mouth and moved stuff around to open eustachian tubes from inside the mouth while also working on my skull and jaw bone.
A couple sessions of that worked very well. Yet, ultimately, getting treated for lyme or other infections - and liver support are key to resolving jaw and ear issues.
Mentioned in the ear thread, a diet free of gluten, dairy, corn (and maybe soy) is also of tremendous help. Most ear doctors require that of patients - and many lyme doctors, too. It's that important. -
Posted by bcb1200 (Member # 25745) on :
Thanks...my only concern is my ears tend to ring more after I chew / eat. And most (but not all) of my ear symptoms arrived AFTER the Chiro adjusted my jaw.
Ug.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Borrelia often affects all cranial nerves, especially CN VII, regarding the ears.
Borrelia often eats away at the outer insulation-like layer around the nerve fibers, the myelin sheath.
That is possibly part of the reason for this. I get it, too, when chewing, etc. And, it took many months to settle down after past neck twists.
With the help of your LLMD in addressing infection(s) head-on, concentrated study from ear links provided and attention to nutritional support & self-care, this will likely get better. Focus on the anti-inflammatory supplements. Liver and adrenal support methods are also vital for the ears.
Your ears need rest right now. And be sure to avoid all music headphones or ear "buds" - wear ear plugs when around noise (even a vacuum, hairdryer, dishwasher, traffic, etc.)
It's also best to limit your time on the telephone and then use only a corded land-line phone. Cell phones and digital phone systems are extremely hard on ear nerves. Don't even be in the same room as a cell phone, even if it is off. The pulsation when charging does affect the nerves in our ears, brain and heart - and not in a positive manner.
Encourage those who talk with you by phone to also use a corded land-line phone as the digital and cell phone transmissions coming from then can also really tweak your ears - and that can last for hours or days.
Good luck. -
Posted by greengirl (Member # 25316) on :
Hi,
Same for me...ear fullness in one ear started about 18 mos ago, but jaw pain started after some adjustments.
It's all gotten a lot better since I've been on dox (2 weeks).
I abandoned the chiro and now get CST, which helps relieve the pain, too.
As an aside, I always wondered if the adjustments "moved" or "released" the bacteria into my jaw area??
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Greengirl,
you "wondered if the adjustments "moved" or "released" the bacteria into my jaw area??"
Yes, sudden or aggressive twists can do that. That's why the gentle approach is best for lyme patients.
Glad the Cranial-Sacral Therapy is helping. -
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
One treatment I tried stopped the tinnitis for six hours. It was a PEMF magnet machine (pulsed electromagnetic frequency) called a Magnapulse, at 500-700 gauss strength.
It's easy to do. There's a white coil extending out from the machine. We hold it around us while it clicks away, sending out its magnetic impulses.
We're electromagnetic. When we're sick, that gets interfered with. So this reboosts the body's electromagnetic energy.
So, it's interesting - providing electromagnetic energy can stop tinnitis, even if briefly.
The first time, I did 20 seconds before my throat closed - I think that's a lymph system response, with toxins going into the lymph system. The last time, maybe the 10th time, I lasted an hour.
It also relieves pain and gets you high. And it's easy and simple, as a treatment.
Posted by bcb1200 (Member # 25745) on :
Keebler...that is exactly what I think happened to me. I already had some symptoms, but then got a lot worse after Chiro. I thought I had a stroke..but now I think it just "squished" the lyme into my ears and other parts of my head and I got worse.
Posted by veourtzigx9 (Member # 25094) on :
My jaw is constantly popping and causes migraine headaches on a regular basis, but is not always the cause of my headaches.
There are times when I will simply open my mouth and my jaw with crack and it feels like a bone broke for a brief second- with a loud crack and searing pain.
Lately as my Lyme symptoms have gotten worse, my TMJ has become increasingly tender and whereas I only had intermittent issues previously- it is a daily problem now.
Ringing in the ears is also a pretty common thing for me and has been, to varying degrees, since my early teens (around 12 or so).
It is noticeable mostly when the room is quiet, but I have times when a loud ringing appears and relents quickly. The ringing was more intense when I was younger.
However, I have always had the feeling of air blowing through my ears. An example would be when I take a deep breath- I can not only hear air in my ears, but also feel it. I have always found this rather strange.
Doctors however seem to ignore this whenever I bring it up.
Chalk it up to our Lyme-Illiterate medical system.
Posted by littlebit27 (Member # 24477) on :
I can stand my ears feeling full and clogged, it drives me nuts! It's been going for a long time and I just thought I was going deaf or something. I've actually lost a lot of hearing though too. I'm constantly saying huh??
My ears ring and buzz as well. I have some jaw pain but it's not bad compared to the rest of my pain. Although I hate pain in or around the mouth more than any other pain. For leg pain you can elevate it, ankle pain-wrap it, back pain -heat it....jaw pain?!? nothing works!
I am also constantly trying to pop my ears. I think they've been clear 1 or 2 times in the last 1 to 1 and 1/2 years, it's really irritating.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Please do not try to pop ears with force. That can cause infection to go deeper into the middle ear &/or damage very tender tissue in that area.
Gentle yawning to release ears can help but the holding one's nose & simultaneously blowing with force at all so as to pop them open can cause lots of damage.
Damage can also occur by trying to hold back a sneeze (sneezing, but not allowing the full sneeze to naturally play out, sort of shutting down the mouth and nose, forcing the sneeze to explode into the ear canals. Really harmful).
I never knew that until, one day, I started to pop my ears in front of my neurotologist. He nearly tackled me to the floor to stop a pop ! I will always remember the look on his face and his full explanation. Minutes later in the same appointment, while trying to be polite and dainty, I tried to block a sneeze and learned why that can destroy ear tissue.
I was glad that ear specialist taught me about all this. Yawning is good. Chewing to swallow, too. Some cranial-sacral maneuvers to open the eustachian tubes can help. Some yoga postures, too.
Ginger capsules, garlic/allicin and a hot mustard can also be good remedies. A gluten-free, dairy-free diet helps me the most to avoid stuffed ears. -
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