Okay. Not the level of agony she experienced with gallstones, or childbirth, or a broken arm, or torn knee cartilage, or a finger slammed into a car door that then locked. But still... agony. Mid-level agony.
It's that sinus congestion nerve pain again. I'd say it was a bad tooth, but that's not it. The symptoms are wrong.
Thursday night, I made myself tuna salad for supper. Not to eat as a sandwich, but with a fork, and some Ritz Crackers on the side. It only contained tuna, a tablespoon of mayo, diced baby dills, and diced Vidalia onion. Mmm. I was happily innernetting, dining on my delicious tuna salad, when a bolt of pain shot through my left back jaws. Upper AND lower!
Well, now. I have a broken lower tooth, but it's been that way for years. Doesn't give me trouble. Same with one on the upper jaw, a bit more forward. I had bitten down on a piece of onion. Felt like it was a dagger piercing two nerves!
The pain gradually abated to a nagging ache. It went away during sleep, then returned upon awakening. When I took my lisinopril blood pressure pill, the pain backed off. After my daily aspirin, it went away. A few hours later, I took an ibuprofen as I do before my town trip.
By the time I started home from town, that pain was building again. An acetaminophen at 11:00 p.m. did NOTHING to help.
I can only surmise that this is sinus related, like has happened before, on the other side of my mouth, and more forward on the left side, as well.
In fact, Thursday evening when I came home, I told Farmer H that I was not feeling well at all. My knees were killing me, and I had so much phlegm I couldn't seem to get rid of. I had harrumphed all the way home from town. And at times, when I leaned a certain way, my nose would run with abandon.
I'm guessing that our spot thunderstorms over the past few days are the result of a low pressure weather system, which has affected my sinuses and my joints.
There is no pain when I clench my teeth together, as these teeth fit just fine in my mouth. But when chewing, it's like my tongue feels too big, and sometimes gets caught between the teeth. Which is agonizing! More shooting pain, a bit of throbbing, and then the dull ache. Using my vibrator on my head gives a little buzz that eases my pain. But when I stop, it's like a rebound effect that makes it hurt more.
As in the past, I figure the only thing I can do is wait it out. For the weather system to pass, with high pressure once again returning things to normal, and for my irritated sinus-squeezed facial nerves to relax.
4 comments:
It is likely the low pressure related to pending thunderstorms, as you said. I have the same problem. I am also affected much more than ever, by pollen. Whenever I am outside attempting to corral some of the prolific weeds we have, I come in and make sure I wash my hands and forearms and I wipe my face off too. I also blow my nose. All of which helps keep the pollen from irritating my sinuses. I can get messed up just being outside when someone is mowing the lawn. We had storms blow through here yesterday morning and last night. I have been so sore - my knees and lower legs and even my shoulders. I feel much better today even though we are supposed to get another round tonight, into tomorrow morning. Then it is supposed to be dry for a week or two. It had done a complete turnaround from drought to plenty of rain, even causing flooding in some areas. Whenever my joints hurt and my sinuses start causing headache pain, I threaten to move to Boulder City Nevada. We were in the area during a vacation, out West and I loved that community. It's also dry and low humidity. Who knows? It could happen. Ranee (MN)
Rae,
Yes, I think the low pressure is a big factor that triggers other things that might alone not have been a big deal. The mold counts are really high, since our bout of post-hurricane rains that moved across up here. Now the new low pressure is making my sinuses expand, combined with all the snot generated by the mold in the air when I go to town. Even the door jambs are swollen, making the kitchen door and garage people-door stick. Humidity is high.
Your joints and sinuses would definitely throw you a thank-you party if you moved to a dry climate!
Not sure what to say here. Mold is a huge trigger for my asthma and certain pollens for migraines, so perhaps wear a mask when out and about to minimise any intake? Perhaps Rae could wear a mask when gardening too, as I do if there is potting mix involved.
I don't know about the low pressure thing, but won't discount it.
I do think maybe you should have those broken teeth checked in case they have deteriorated enough to expose a nerve and cause pain when eating.
River,
That is sound advice. But the exposed nerve thing would also be painful with heat and cold, and air passing over it. I don't have that. AND it's both top and bottom jaw at once, from back to the canine teeth. I also feel tingling in my top and bottom lip on that side. So it's something to do with the nerves, not specific to just two teeth. The pressure of biting down on food or even my tongue sets it off.
As for the air pressure, the barometric pressure falls, bringing unsettled stormy weather, and rises to make clear sunny days. My joints and sinuses sometimes seem to expand and contract in accordance with these weather systems.
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