TMJ CONCEPT JAW MOLD!

TMJ STORIES!

Candle of Love, Hope and Knowledge

This candle signifies the light we wish to shine on the

Knowledge needed, to continue our struggle against our

pain, suffering and injustices...Please, don't let the light go out...

FOR ANGELS UNITED WE STAND TOGETHER!

Angel's United On TMJ!

We need justice. We need toleration, honesty and moral courage.

These are modern virtues without which we cannot hope to

control the forces science has let loose among us.

-I.A.R. Wylie

Here is my My TMJ Concept jaw mold they used to fit the implant. this Photo was taken of me March 6, 2003 before the first surgery in April where they removed all the hardware so they can do the 3D scan of my Jaw to make the mold. So the TMJ Concept could me made to fit me. This is my cat Angel she is 17 years old at this time. I no longer have her.

Here are the 3D CT Scan Of my jaw!

I did go see my dentist the other day to have my teeth clean and he is happy about how far I can open and I was able to use a adult med. x-ray instead of a baby one! Now I do need some dental work done so bite is corrected so I don't mess this surgery up, So when I get that all done. I will show my new look!

I am not able to afford all the dental work that I do need, It is not covered by my

insurance company! I need about $5,000! If it is meant to be it will happn!

Here is the photo of me taken July 21 after all the hard ware taken out in April 03.

This one was taken a few days after I got home from the hospital July 30. I still have not got any photos of me since Sept. 03 those one did not turn out very well, the lighting was bad. I will try and get new one's on here as soon as I can. My face looks so much better now, I do have a chin, Even though I can not smile at all. My lower lip is still numb after a year. It is better then being in pain.

This photos was taken in July 2003. 5 days after my Surgery.

I am not able to get the braces or dental work done! My Insurance does not cover it and I don't have about 5,000 dollars in cash to get this all done, so unless some money comes in soon, most likely I will be back in surgery to have the TMJ Concepts removed! Which is not something I want done being this is working for me! Dr. Wilks is afraid that because of the way my bite is and I am only biting down on my 2 back molars on the left side to chew my food. I am placing more stress on the condlye and if that brakes I will be in trouble again! I could end up breaking the TMj Concept implant!

So God help me that this does not happen to me I don't want to lose these implants or live on a feeding tube. I want to live life without pain and without the stress of fear of losing this implant! I want to live my life to the fullest! There is so much I want to do but I can't do it because I need to avoid stress on my jaw so I don't break what is left of my condyles!

March 20, 2005.

I have now been out of pain for about a month now that I am on the right medication.

I did go down to see Dr. Braun in Feb.2005 and he took x-rays and everything is fine. So the implant is working all right and the pain is all Muscular and arthritis as well. Well that is good so what do I do about the pain?? Dr. Braun did tell me I still need to get the dental work done and that would help with some of the pain. But Chances of me coming up with 5,000 dollars is slim to none. But everything is fine the implant is working. and I don't need to see Dr Braun for another year unless I feel the need to go see him again.

I was telling my aunt all this and she suggested I try Aleve for the arthritis. So I did I took 2 the first time then one ever 12 hours, I also take Pamelor 25MG one in the morning as well as 2 Flexeril 10MG one in the morning and one at night as well as one Neurontin 600MG at night as well. If I have trouble sleeping I take one Abmin 10MG. To my suprise the Pain was gone!! WOW that made a big difference in my life! I was taking the Flexeril only at night but my Dr suggested taking it in the morning as well with the Aleve it took about a week before it really helped, But the Pain is gone!

t is now Aug 5, 2005

and it's been 2 years July 23, 03, and I am still pain free!! I still need the dental work done and braces, but I doubt that money will fell into my lap but I am pain free for now and finally enjoying my life!!

UP DATE Sept. 25, 05

Well I am still out of pain! This is so wonderful to finally have my life back!! And the timing could not be any better! I am going to be a grandmother! My daughter is now 22 and due to have her Baby April 15 2006! I am so excited! I can now enjoy my grandchild and not be in pain. My daughter grew up seeing me in pain everyday since she was about 6 years old! And because of that she turned to drugs and was stealing my pain medication! She was arrested several times for this. And was given a second chance, Now she has got past that and doing really good, She is not married yet but hopeful she will take her time and not rush into anything. I have gone crazy and got her everything she needs for her baby! Two of just about everything! One for me and one for her. Most of everything has been given to me. So she don't need to worry about buying a crib or stroller and car seat, I have 2 cribs 4 car seats! 2 Strollers 2 high chairs! This baby is going to have everything! I can spoil him or her and then give the baby back to my daughter! LOL!

I would love more then anything to just be able to work! But the fear of working and the stress it might cause me to go back into pain as well lose my SSD and all my medical insurance. That I can not take the risk of losing that let alone my Dr does not want me to work because of the stress of working, would cause more pain and could ruin the implant!

On another note here, I mention about my daughter was stealing my pain medication she starting doing this at the age of 14! How did I find this one out! My kid and 9 others took someone asthma medication at school!! I was called to the school to take her to the ER!! While I was there her best friend Amy was in bad shape she took 9 of the asthma pills! They were getting ready to transfer her to another hospital and I was outside her room talking to her mother when Amy yelled out loud so everyone heard the Doctors and the police that was there. Amy yelled this! "Tell Sheila not to take any more of your pills!!!! What a shocker!

I then I had to take all my medication up to the school so the police can see what I had and see if it match the pills they found in the rest room! I thought that that scare would teach them a lesson and they would not every do this again, I was wrong! I still locked up my medication.

I had found a small case and locked up my medication at that time, not knowing she had figured out how to get into it! Until I noticed that my medication was slowing disappearing and when I mention this to her she told me that I was crazy that she could not get in to it and that I must be taking more and not remembering what I was taking! She was arrested at the age of 18 then again at the age of 20 for selling OxyContin she stole from me!!!!

Please everyone if you have kids in your household and if you are saying to yourself not my kid they would not do that to me, well think again! They will if not there friends will talk them into taking your pain medication to either sell them or take them their self's! Be safe and get a mental box with a lock and chain it to something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or hide in a good hiding place, and they will look for it!! So that it can not be taken and open up elsewhere!! Watch their behavior! Check your medication, count your pills!! Write it down in a safe place so you know what you took and how many you took in one day! I can not stress that enough I learn this hard way and the hardest thing for anyone to deal with is seeing your child in a jail cell!!! THAT WILL TEAR YOU APART IT DID ME! To learn that she or he is there because they got the pills from you! You left them unlocked! Unsupervised! GUARD YOUR PILLS WITH YOUR LIFE!!!!

Up-Date- Jan 26, 2006.

I am still pain free; now please understand when I say I am pain free. I was told by my Dr that I would never be pain free, so for me, if I don't need to take any pain pills I am pain free! Now I do have some days where I am in some pain and a Vicodin will take care of that. That is when I am under any kind of stress or if it is too cold outside and that will cause me so pain other then that, I can say that out of 31 days at least 4 days a month I do have some pain but pain I can manage with a Vicodin! The pain no longer rules my life! I now have a life! And April 28 I am going to be a grandmother! My daughter is going to have a boy, Boy I can't wait to enjoy my grandson!

Up-Date April 6 2006

I went to see Dr. Braun for my yearly check up and everything is looking great! I don't have to see him for another year! I have a life now, I no longer let pain rule my life, and I rule the pain and now have a life! By that I have no pain as long as I limit the stress in my life; no longer do I have to cancel anything because I am in Pain. But I am still not allowed to work. I can now plan a head and go forth with my life. I am so grateful that I took the chance and had the TMJ Concept put in! Thank you Dave Samson for making this possible for me! Thank You Dr. Braun for not giving up on me! Since Sept 1993 one surgery after another. It was like I was in the OR every other year. Now Its been almost 3 years in July that I had the Concept put in and no surgery in sight!

Up-Date May 4 2006 Now that my daughter is out on her own and doing great and staying out of trouble. I am free to do other things! Like dating and not have to worry about daughter! She had her baby boy April 24, 2:56 pm by C-Section; the cord was wrapped around his neck. His name is Vincent James. Mother and baby are now home and doing great. Though she does need me to help her out till she gets back on her feet again. I will take him for the night Sunday so she can get some sleep.

This will be the last update for awhile, unless things change on my jaw but for now, my life is taking on new direction for the better. So this Grandma will be spending a lot of time with her grandson and I am dating now so this would not have been possible for me to do with out have the TMJ concept implant put in! This is one implant I can personally say, if your offer to have it put in. GO FOR IT! It changed my life it just might changed yours!

But please remember one thing; with TMJ and surgery try everything else first before going under the knife! That you can not undo! If it goes badly and it will lead to more surgery! But if your jaw is so bad and your Dr suggest this implant the TMJ concept, then do it. But if another implant is offered to you, please please check it out, find other's who have it in and do your research on it! Find out how safe it is! How long has been on the market! Is it approved by the FDA!

What worked for me, may not work for you! Everyone is different and if you read Shirlett’s Story you will understand why.

I do hope my Tmj Story has helped you in some way, and not scared you at all, with my life story the ups and downs but I needed to write it, so others can understand what tmj is like and what I had to go through in order to find what worked for me. Just don’t give up!

There is help and there is hope to a better life with out pain! I know this because I have been there and I made it through! I would have missed out on so much if I had given up! I am now starting my life over again this time without the pain!

GOD BLESS YOU!

Jackie

Up Date. Aug 20 2007

I have been so busy this summer with so many different things going on, plus watching my grandson who now is 16 months old and into every thing and talking up a storm.

June 14, I went to see Dr. Braun, I was having more pain then usual because in the end of May I had to have 3 Epidural Injection done, on my neck, one once a week for 3 weeks. The second one I had done caused my face to swell up really bad and put pressure on my TMJ joint.

I needed the Epidural injections for my neck I have 3 disk that is deteriorating. I did not go back to have the third one done, because of the pressure it caused on my jaw.

So when I went to see Dr Braun, my face was still swollen. But the implant was still in place and doing well. But he suggested PT 3 times a week for 3 weeks.

I was going to pt and my PT therapist is using a new treatment called Anodyne Therapy, Uses infrared light to increase the nitric oxide in your body which promotes healing. This so far is helping me. I had also notice that some nerves that were damage in my face I could start to feel them again. Here is the Website on this treatment.

Anodyne Therapy

So as of July 23 2007

Four years as gone by and so far The TMJ CONCEPT is a life savor for me! I am not in pain like I use to be, only when I am under a lot of stress and I take it out on my jaw, I still have a life, I am not taking any pain medication Other then Vicodin for my neck pain every now and then, like 2 times a week, 90 pills last me 6 months or more. So that is great news for me. Who use to go through 90 pills in less then a month and still was in pain!

I will go see Dr. Braun again for my yearly check up in June of 2008. I still can not believe that this is real I now have a life a life without living in pain. I can enjoy my grandson! Not be afraid to have him with me due to pain!

Up-date Aug 1 2008

This has been a very busy year for me! I have not gone to see Dr Braun as of yet, I have an appointment on Aug 7th. I had several appointments made that I have had to cancel due to being just being to busy! I am still out of pain, only in pain when under a lot of stress, right now the stress has been high, my dad is dying and we don't expect him to live much longer, he has cancer of the lung and the tumor is really big and starting to cut off the main blood supply in his lungs. I will post my update once I have seen Dr. Braun.

My Grandson Vincent James! He is my pride and Joy!

I have been watching my grandson now that my daughter is working and soon to be going back to collage in Oct. So I will be having him more, being that she will be in classes in the day and still working at nights. So this has kept me very busy, I don't have time anymore for the yahoo groups on TMJ at all. If you would like to drop me a message you can message me on myspace

Jackie on Myspace

I have also been busy working with our Neighborhood watch group in Oil City PA the Southside Neighborhood Association. I am now web designer for them. As well as be working on the website for the Northside Association and helping the Silvery Association on their website.

Check us out and see what we have been doing and don't forget to check the Oil City link page to the newspaper articles that have been written about us.

Southside Neighborhood Association

I am now getting all my poems up on line on this website now. I am also putting in the lesson I have learned in life. How God gave me the poems. So please take the time to read them or print them out. If you want to use them for anything please get my permision to do so. They can not be used to gain any profit from them, they are all Copyrighted.

Keep checking back to see what new poems have been added. I have 80 poems to put in and to share what Lesson I learned for that poem.

Up-date Aug., 21, 2008

I finally made it down to see Dr Braun. All is good and he is still surprise to see how well I am doing. So I am good to go for another year!

Now I did get a copy of my x-ray I took when I was down there, but for some reason it will not scan on my older scanner. So as soon as I get it scanned I will be posting it in here. So keep checking the site to see what my jaw looks like now.

Until next year, for my yearly update! LIFE IS WONDERFUL!

I need to share this with everyone, I could not have made it though all these years

with out my faith in God! The Father, Son and the Holy Spirit!

God Bless you!

Jackie

BUTTERFLY WINGS!

Walking through the garden of hope and feeling under the weather.

Not knowing where I'll find the strength to go on another day.

Feeling amiss in such a beautiful place. Seeing the flowers of all different

colors illuminating the day. I just wanted to end this day.

Turning to leave. I spotted the splendor of the day. Such a tiny butterfly in

all of it's glory. OH! So beautiful are the wings! Going from flower to flower,

then flying up towards the sky.

So delicate are the wings but yet so strong to soar into the wind.

Pondering this vision I just seen. Where is the strength in such delicate wings?

Quietly my Lord speaks to me. "For the strength you see in such a delicate

vessel is within the soul of every living creature."

"For I live within you. Call upon me everyday.

And the joy of the Lord is your

" STRENGTH!"

And you are my precious tiny butterfly!

DELICATE BUT YET SO STRONG AS THE BUTTERFLY WINGS!

"God gave this one to me in 1993"

I was very depressed and wanted to die. I was sitting out on my back porch one night and pray to God to let me die. Yes I wanted to die, I had a enough I just did have it in me to ever do this again!

I was weak and did not have the strength to go on!

I have TMJ and just had my 5th surgery and the pain was worst then ever before an my Dr.'s were not listening to me.

When God quicken my heart and told me to look at that butterfly!

What butterfly! It's midnight here and it's May there is no butterfly on my porch! He told me look up so I did, there was the butterfly by daughter made for me that day! She had cut it out and colored it and hung it out on the back porch! That is when God showed me the vision of the butterfly flying into the wind! That tiny little butterfly changed my life!

The depression left and God gave me the faith and hope in him that I will have the strength through him to make it through all the surgeries. I have had 21 jaw surgeries through the years and the last one was July 21, 2003. I have been pain free since then. Other then when I am under a lot stress then my jaw will hurt. I am to avoid stress at all cost so I have to really watch out when I am under stress. When my Doctor first told me this, I asked him to rise my daughter for me! She was the one causing more stress on me that all my no's I gave her she would keep bugging me so much she knew I would give in which I did.

Had I taken my life I would have never known the plan God had for my life let alone see my wonderful grandson.

And you are my precious tiny butterfly!

DELICATE BUT YET SO STRONG AS THE BUTTERFLY WINGS!

"Copyrighted 1995"

Jacqueline L. Greek

This poem cannot be reproduced, copied or altered without the consent of the writer.

THE SUN WILL SHINE WHEN IT SHINES SO THINK OF THE TOMORROW'S AND

SMILE!

Thank you for reading my TMJ story!

"Copyright 2008 -2009"

Jacqueline L. Greek

This TMJ Story cannot be reproduced, copied or altered without the consent of the writer.

Now don't forget to SMILE! For there is Hope and there is HELP!

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My Favorite Links!

FDA-Goverment Teflon-Proplast Implants

Management of Temporomandibular Disorders.

Find A TMJ DOC IN YOUR AREA.

TMJ CONCEPT IMPLANT.

Anodyne Therapy

God In Me - Life's Lessons!

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GOD BLESS YOU!