Ow

Last week I woke up with ridiculous killer eye-popping pain in my jaw.  I rode it out like an idiot until it was unbearable, and my cheeks were swollen up to Cabbage Patch Kid-like proportion.  Then I finally went to a dentist, and found out I have TMJ disorder.  Sometimes, people, the fact of diagnosis can be worse than the disease itself.

Because TMJ is not a genetic or viral condition - it's brought on by stress.  That means that I worry about sh*t so much that it is actually affecting my health.  AND I let it get worse by not seeing a doctor about it, so that I was on a fast route to grinding my teeth into little nubs, because I was too damn busy.  AND the muscle relaxers they gave me make me a friggin' zombie all day, even if I take them the night before, so now I can't even FIX the problem, because I have to WORK MORE.  What the HELL, life?

AND I can't eat crunchy or chewy foods.  What kinds of food are those, you ask?  Only the BEST kinds!  Popcorn, bagels, baguettes, pizza, gummy bears, steak tacos - basically all my major food groups.  So now I'm hungry, swollen, in pain, unmedicated, inflamed, stressed, and busy.  Killing it!



Haha Google image search TMJ = 80's mullet model.