My Miserable Experience with Undertreated/Unresolved TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction)

Onset of signs/symptoms on left side: 2020 (shortly after surgery by ENT specialist)

Onset of signs/symptoms on right side: 2021 (after medical concerns were repeatedly dismissed)

Initial 2020 diagnosis: eustachian tube dysfunction (incorrectly made by me)

Updated 2021 diagnosis: temporomandibular joint dysfunction (correctly made by me)



List of various symptoms:

cracking/crackling/popping/crumbling (crepitus), especially when opening mouth widely

pressure/fullness/throbbing in ear canal

occasional tinnitus

pain after wearing headphones

pain after sleeping on left side

pain when brushing/flossing/rinsing

breeze/rumbling in ear (worsened by tilting head/bending body forward)

pain when touching left tragus/cartilage

stretching/expansion in ear (worsened by swallowing/yawning)

pain when turning/tilting/stretching neck

muscle spasms/twitching around left cheek

soreness/numbness around left cheek when/after smiling

frequent and seemingly random migraine headaches

tenderness/stiffness/discomfort around neck/left shoulder

frequent urge to salivate

fluid accumulation in left ear during/after strenuous exercise

choking sensation in throat when turning head sideways and tilting head back

visible and painful mass directly below right earlobe



Activities which (temporarily) alleviate (some) symptoms:

rest/inactivity

warm/hot showers