Reine
In my early thirties, I started having terrible headaches, exhaustion and dizziness with no "spinning" effect. Originally my Dr. thought I might have encephalitis but not. I was referred to a neurologist who eventually came up with a diagnosis of TMJ. I have profound popping in my jaw joint and a tight, pressure filled feeling in my face, much like having a awful sinus infection. I went for years thinking I had TMJ. Moving furniture, dancing, etc. Eventually the pain expanded to my neck so severely that I requested an xray which revealed disk degeneration at C5-6. This has continually progressed. Now C 3 through 6 are degenerating and I have a bony ridge pushing into my spinal cord. The pain is irritating but the dizziness and exhaustion is what really has messed with my life. Plus, I'm terrified that one day I'll trip or get bumped in the parking lot and end up a quadrapaligic, severing or so damaging my spinal cord as to render me helpless. One neuro-surgeon said he didn't feel comfortable operating on me, I'm now seeing some others, wondering if I'm trading a dizzy life for one of constant pain and disability if they foul up. Oddly enough, alot of my symptoms seemed worse during the course of my menstrual cycle. Like PMS totally aggravated the condition or vice versa. Am considering a hysterectomy too to alleviate symptoms some. The same neurologist who diagnosed me with the TMJ changed his diagnosis to "panic disorder" (this is before my MRI's came in) and told me to engage in "aerobics", yeah, bounce up and down! I'm furious with him. If I had a correct diagnosis orginally I wouldn't have moved all that furniture, etc. and led a more careful life. I post this here as a cautionary tale. Don't know what my future holds now. Sharing on the same is appreciated.