TMJ

I mentioned TMJ in my huge catch-up post on Saturday morning. By that night, it had gotten truly unbearable. If I dared chew on the right side at all, I got blinding, burning, shooting pain at the jaw joint, and then with all the one-sided chewing and general misalignment, my teeth began to ache.  It was horrible.  So in an act of desperation, I googled pregnancy TMJ pain and one of the top hits was a YouTube video. I followed along with the video using just my fingers (he uses tools). Then I went to bed.

Next day- no pain. Not at breakfast or lunch, but both of those meals were relatively soft and not chewy. But dinner was leftovers from the night before (when I'd been suffering), and I still had no problems at all.  And no problems today either. Thank you, YouTube chiropractor!  I can't link the video from my iPad, but it's Dr. Phillip Yoo and the video is called Jaw Cure (TMJ) for Jaw Pain in Pregnant Woman.

Today, I had an appointment with Dr. Long. She confirmed that my right jaw joint is a little tight and pulling my jaw in that direction, but since I wasn't having any pain, she didn't adjust it. She did show me how to address it myself if it starts again, which was very similar to the video, plus an additional stretch from inside the mouth, back by the molars. 

So, for now at least, TMJ is off my radar. I really think that's the worst pregnancy side effect I've ever had, so I'm not sad to see it go.

My cold is also in its end stages- a few symptoms linger, but nothing is making me feel run down.

And otherwise, my adjustment with Dr. Long went well.  We both suspect A and B may have switched positions. I'm feeling more kicks in the middle on my right side, but still feeling kicks down low.  She thought she felt a head up high on the left. However, we both agree that it's all just a guess and we really have no clue. It's just impossible to guess position when there are so many babies in there!  I have another adjustment on Friday at 12:30 and then an appointment with Dr. Carpenter at 4:00, so we will know then.

After my appointment, I took myself to lunch at Whole Foods. Not really the same as our home flagship store, but still yummy. Grilled chicken, kale salad, and a twice-baked sweet potato.  And I bought myself a piece of cake, because... cake.