Tag: Oromandibular Dystonia

Posted in Archive, July 2015

Jaw Acrobatics

Posted on by dystoniaandme

Oromandibular Dystonia was one of my first symptoms that I suffered from before the Dystonia became generalised in 2012. Working on a trial and error basis with my Neurologist at the time we tested which Botox routine would best work for me, as it was clear 12 weeks was too long a stretch. Eventually we found the magic number, 6. Since then I have had my injections every six weeks and it has only been on the rare occasion that I have had to deal with my jaw spasming.

Jaw spasms. Two little words, yet they strike so much fear in me. The small spasms at best are uncomfortable, the extreme ones dislocate my jaw and cause seizures. My little alien loves causing spasms that leave me crying, clutching at my face as it contorts. In all honesty I couldn’t tell you why I grab my face. It’s an automatic response, as if a small part of me believes that if I clutch hard enough or push in the right direction, the pain might all go away. A child’s belief really, but one I find myself immersed in every time.

You would think that after almost three years of Benedict pulling my body this way and that, that I would no longer feel embarrassed by the teething tummy I resort to using to help prevent my upper teeth digging into my gums during a spasm, that I would no longer feel humiliated by the fact that I have no control over the majority of my body. I deal with the embarrassment better than I used to. I now force myself to carry on with my life and go out when I’m spasming, whereas previously I’d have shut myself away.

teething dummy

I spent Sunday with my boyfriend, it was the first time he had seen my facial spasms. He was great, and helped me medicate myself. At first I dealt with it fine, but eventually as the day wore on and I got tired, the spasms got worse until I resorted to using the teething dummy. I’ve only met his family a few times, so my embarrassment levels sky rocketed at this point. It’s not how I want them to see me, though I know that for them to be aware of my condition is a positive. What 22year old wants her boyfriend’s mum to see her with a dummy?! These are all qualms I need to get over, and with time I shall do.

I have sent my old neurologist an email informing him of my rather disappointing appointment with my new neuro. I am hoping that he will be able to speak to my current neurologist, so that he will agree to do six weekly injections. It may be a long shot, but it’s getting hard to hold my head up as well now. My next round of injections is not until the 12 August, so until then my dummy and TENS machine are my best bet.

Posted in Archive, January 2015

Spasms Four Weeks Early

Posted on by dystoniaandme

For just over two years now I have had regular Botox injections to help control my Dystonia. It started off being every twelve weeks but we soon established that I need it more often than that. By the five to six-week post injection mark the spasms would be back. If I was lucky they would be minor spasms, if I was unlucky I would experience jaw tremors that were slowly loosening my teeth and extreme spasms that would dislocate my jaw. Thankfully my wonderful neurologist was willing to bend the rules a bit and has since been administering the injections every six weeks, which has worked well.

However as I am sat here typing this I am debating taking another Tramadol to help me deal with the pain of my jaw spasm. Normally when I reach this point I have a week at the most to go before my next injection is due. The knowledge that the pain will soon be but a distant memory is comforting. Today things are different. Its been only three weeks since my last round of my injections, and because I wanted to see if I would be able to last longer in-between injections my neurologist agreed on doing them at week 7. That’s another 4 weeks. I have spent the day wondering what’s changed. I know that becoming resistant to the Botox is a risk due to how often I have it, however my neurologist assured me that as I cope on a lower dosage that this risk was minimal. Now I know there is always going to be somebody  who has a side effect no matter how small the risk, but if this was the case I would expect my neck or my blinking to be starting to spasm too, as I also have these areas injected as well.

I briefly entertained the idea that perhaps he hit the wrong muscle this time after all no Doctor, no matter how good is perfect. I struggle to believe this though. If I cast my mind back over the last few months I am aware that I have spasmed earlier than usual on several occasions, admittedly however never this early. A glance at my symptom diary confirms this. A part of me wonders if perhaps I just need the dose upping in my jaw. I have much  higher doses to my neck, but still with enough room to allow more to be injected to the jaw muscles.

I have taken a Procyclidine tablet in the hope that this will take the edge of the spasm. Between Procyclidine, Volterol, Tramadol and if needs be Diazepam I am hoping to be able to control the spasms and pain levels. The idea of spending the next four weeks like this puts fear in me. I cope better with the majority of the rest of my symptoms, Jaw spasms I struggle with. Everything from a sip of water or eating soup, to talking can aggravate it when its bad. Diazepam is always my last resort. Even on a small dose I struggle to stay awake.

When discussing my worries with my mother earlier she pointed out that perhaps this is just a blip. Blips have occurred before, though normally this is because I have caught a cold or some other bug causing my body to go into meltdown mode. Right now I would welcome a bug, anything to explain the spasm and take away the anxiety of another four weeks of pain.

I am reluctant to give in to the pain and medicate myself anymore right now, as I know this could be just the tip of the iceberg and if it is I want to feel like the medicine has made a definitive difference. If I give in early and take them every four to six hours then when I reach the bad stage it won’t feel like they are making a lot of difference. In the meantime my medicine of choice shall be curling up and watching Jack Whitehall and Russell Howard. Nothing like some comedy to lift the spirits!

 

Posted in Archive, October 2014

Clinging To Hope

Posted on by dystoniaandme

Frustration. Worry. Pain. Hope. Joy. A selection of the emotions that over the last few weeks I have experienced. I have improved leaps and bounds since I started new treatment for Chronic Neurological Lyme Disease several weeks ago, there is a long way to go but the improvement are more than I could dared to have hoped for. Yet I feel like I am clinging to these improvements, that they might slip away at the slightest wrong move.

I must admit that on some level I am fuming that it has taken 16 years to get diagnosed. I have spent the majority of my life ill, passed from one specialist to the next, having test after test. The result of their continued ignorance is that I shall now have to live my life with Dystonia. I was not born with it, as far as we know it is not genetic, if I had simply been given antibiotics when I was six or in the couple of years after that I would not have to live with (a currently incurable) movement disorder.

I would not have to cope with the agony of my jaw dislocating due to spasms, or my neck twisting hideously. My ligaments throughout my whole body would not have been so stretched due to spasms that it shocks physiotherapists at the extent of the damage. I would not have developed pain triggered Non Epileptic Seizures if not for Chronic Neurological Lyme disease and Dystonia. I would not have spent 10 hours unconscious seizing in A&E on New Year’s Day 2013. I would not have collapsed and seized in the middle of roads, on the stairs, in shops etc. I would not have put my family, my friends, and myself through hell and back.

Although I have always been ill in one form or another it was not until 2012 that it became disabling, right at the end of my first year of Midwifery training. As many of you know, Midwifery is my dream job, and I hope to one day be able to go back to my training. More than Midwifery I dream of life without illness (I except I have to live with Dystonia). A life where my family don’t have to plan their activities around my health. A future where I can live life to the full without worrying about the impact it will have on my health! Without full treatment for Chronic Neurological Lyme Disease I won’t get better. I will continue to deteriorate rapidly. Lyme Disease has claimed the lives of too many people already I don’t plan on being its next victim. I need to raise £10,000 to fund vital treatment if you are able to please help or share this page/link! https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/erfg6/ab/04081d

 

Thank-you!

x

 

Posted in Archive, May 2014

Oromandibular Dystonia

Posted on by dystoniaandme

Oromandibular Dystonia affects the mouth area, this includes the tongue, jaw and lips. It is part of my Generalised Dystonia and I find it affects both my jaw and my tongue. I have often found myself in situations where I have found myself sounding like I am drunk because I am unable to pronounce my words due to the spasm going on in my tongue.

Oromandibular Dystonia often affects the sufferers ability to chew and speak. When my spasms are bad I find that I can only consume liquified foods and yoghurts, as the spasms that are taking place leave me unable to chew. Some people may just have Oromandibular Dystonia or they may have it with Blepharospasm (Eye Dystonia), or as part of Generalised Dystonia like myself. If it is a focal Dystonia (just on its own) then it normal appears between the ages of 40 and 70.

Oromandibular Dystonia was one of my first symptoms. I was at university, and to be honest I didn’t really think too much of it at first, but then when the spasms became extreme and caused my jaw to dislocate I began to realise just how much pain they could inflict. As there is no cure for Dystonia a combination of Botox injections and medications are used to manage it. I find Botox injections to be particularly effective at managing it. Botox seems to only work for around 5/6 weeks for me, luckily I have a very lovely neurologist who is willing to administer the injections every 6 weeks. This works fantastically well for me, as without this my jaw spasms are extreme. Some people find pressure points or chewing gum helpful in managing their symptoms.

I would highly recommend for anyone wanting to know more on the condition checking either out The Dystonia Society website http://www.dystonia.org.uk/index.php/about-dystonia/types-of-dystonia/mouth-or-tongue-dystonia or The Dystonia Research Foundation http://dystonia-foundation.org/what-is-dystonia/forms-of-dystonia/focal-dystonias/more-on-oromandibular-dystonia .

Posted in Archive, March 2014

Oromandibular Dystonia

Posted on by dystoniaandme

Since last Friday my Oromandibular (jaw) Dystonia and tremor has been rather bad. These spasms leave my jaw extremely distorted and the pain is constant. Unfortunately my Botox is a week later than usual, my appointment is not until the 18th of this month. Even though I know it is just under two weeks to go now, I am finding it hard to function due to pain.

However there is always a positive and I refuse to let this be a purely negative blog post. Despite the spasms that were severely affecting my jaw and neck last Friday I still managed to get into college. I cut down my workload as I knew it would not realistically get done without exhausting my body, but I managed to get in, which surprised me as I did not expect to in the state I was in.

It never ceases to amaze me just how exhausting pain is. Today my jaw has insisted on tremoring a lot. I use a teething dummy to protect my teeth and tongue, at the end of my last tremor however I was not quick enough at removing the teething dummy from my mouth, with the way my jaw then spasmed it got slightly stuck…I cannot even begin to describe how much this amused me, it took a whole hour before I was able to pry the dummy out from between my teeth. It really was hilarious.

It is moments like these that are vital. Dystonia is hideous. The pain that I am going through on a daily basis is enough that all I want to do is curl up in a ball and sleep until I can get my Botox injections. But sleeping won’t raise awareness of the condition, hiding away won’t beat the condition. Moments of pure hilarity are part of what makes Dystonia bearable and I am so thankful for these moments!

Posted in Archive, August 2013

Tremor and The Fantastic Effects of Reflexology

Posted on by dystoniaandme

Today my jaw tremor has returned, I’m not too pleased about this as it is earlier than I expected it to be, however I am having my Botox injections next Tuesday so it’s only one week of putting up with it. I do look rather silly as I have a baby teething dummy in my mouth to protect my teeth so that the tremor does not loosen any more of them.

I have had weekly reflexology sessions for a few months now and I cannot get over just how much of a positive effect it has on my body. My feet like to spasm in the evening and the pain in my knee and hip joints get bad, this normally means I will be lucky to get more than four hours sleep. However with reflexology I have found that I get between three and four fantastic nights of sleep, which makes a big positive impact on my energy levels during the day which enables me to handle my spasms better.

I tend to have my reflexology sessions on a monday afternoon. The night before the session my sleep is almost non-existent, I’ll spend the night strapped up to my TENS Machine, doing my meditation breathing exercises etc in an attempt to get to sleep. I have even started using rescue remedy night drops which have helped a bit. To go from almost no sleep to the next night sleeping dead to the world is the most amazing experience. If I could afford to have reflexology several times a week I would not think twice about doing so.

I rely on medication to try to suppress and manage my Dystonia. Whilst these medications are essential I would much rather not take them as it’s not good for your kidneys and your liver to be constantly bombarded with them. Therefore having an alternative to help me sleep and deal with my symptoms is such a giant relief as I was very reluctant to go back on to my sleeping medications. When you have Dystonia you are told to try to avoid stress as it can exacerbate your symptoms, now obviously it’s near impossible to lead a stress free life as Dystonia itself is rather stressful. Reflexology is so far my biggest stress reliever, I honestly do not know how I would cope without it.

I saw this quote earlier and fell in love with it, I find it rings very true.

 

Posted in Archive, August 2013

Harsh Reality

Posted on by dystoniaandme

September 2011 I started at Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford on a Midwifery degree. It was the most amazing experience of my life. July 24th 2012 I developed Oromandibular Dystonia and was put on intermission for a year. Today I was withdrawn from university on debilitating health grounds. You have no idea how much I wish to pull my little Dystonia alien out and scream at him.

My university was extremely kind about it all and I hope that in a few years time if I am well enough that I can reapply to do my Midwifery degree. In the meantime I plan on doing a Level 3 in Anatomy and physiology, and once I’ve finished that I will see where I  go from there. I have known for a few weeks that this conversation with my uni would have to happen, and have dreaded it. I had hoped that as I knew it would happen that it would not be too bad however the reality is that I am extremely upset and want to scream at the doctors until they invent a cure.

I struggle to understand how it is ok for Dystonia to upturn, stomp all over and turn inside out our lives. I struggle to comprehend why sufferers then have to fight for treatment and care. I struggle to accept the reality I’m living. I won’t ever accept it, because none of this is ok. I know one day a cure will be found and I hope it shall be in this lifetime so that I can reapply for uni.

On a brighter note my body is not too bad today which is nice and a DVD called The Host which I have excitedly been  waiting for has arrived – It is a fantastic book and an amazing film. I plan on doing nothing for the rest of the day other the watch The Host again (even though I only finished watching it ten mins ago), and then I am going to indulge myself in a bit of 50 shades freed as it’s an easy read.

Tomorrow will seem brighter, and I will get there eventually, one way or another.

Posted in Archive, July 2013

Fantastic Consultant appointment

Posted on by dystoniaandme

My appointment with my Consultant today went amazingly well! I was so relieved that I did not have to argue with him, some of my questions he brought up before I could ask which was fantastic. He has offered to do my injections every 6 weeks – Guidelines state 12 weeks so this is a fantastic offer. I have left with an appointment booked for the end of the August!

He listened to all my concerns and questions and was very understanding. Knowing that I will be seen every six weeks is so calming, I feel like a huge part of me has breathed a sigh of relief as this will mean no more weeks on end of being in agony and my seizures should stay under control.

At my appointment today he administered injections to my jaw and neck, which was thankfully relatively painless, though my jaw did decide to go into an even more extreme spasm after the injection which was slightly amusing. I raised with him the issue that I am now unable to wear my glasses (which I am meant to wear for everything but walking – or in my case being pushed around) as when I do it causes a spasm around my eyes that makes me look sort of permanently surprised, he was unsure whether this was also related to my jaw spasm so has agreed that if this is still happening when I next see him he will do Botox around my eyes as well – this would be fantastic as it could help some of my eye spasm as well.

I spoke with him also about having IV treatment for Lyme Disease, he was a bit hesitant about what to say as he was unsure on what meds I would need and for how long. I explained that all I needed him to do was give the OK to my GP and that I would find a specialist Lyme doctor to discuss IV medications and length of time with. He has agreed to write to my GP saying Ok, which is fantastic. Now all I have to do is find someone to treat me.

The appointment overall was excellent and I really felt he listened to me. I am ecstatic that I have left with an appointment for six weeks time. I am going to be having an early night tonight as I am exhausted from todays trip to London, but I shall be going to bed an extremely happy bunny.

Posted in Archive, July 2013

The Harsh Reality of Living with Lack of Treatment

Posted on by dystoniaandme

Days like today I wish someone could just wave a magic wand and fix all this! After spending half the night awake due to bad spasms in my feet, now my jaw and neck spasms have decided to be extreme today. The pain my Oromandibular Dystonia causes is pretty much indescribable. It feels like my jaw is dislocating and that the spasms are trying to force my jaw off my face. The pain often causes me to grab my face, as I feel like I need to try to force it to stay in place. The pain then leads to seizures, I have had many seizures today, and all of this mixed together consequently leaves me exhausted.

I have had to resort to taking my Diazepam today which adds to the tiredness and is currently leaving me feeling spaced out, which I suppose is a nice distraction from the pain. I have always said to myself that this blog will be nothing but pure honesty, and to be honest right now I would just like to cry due to the pain.

Knowing that I can have my injections done tomorrow afternoon is a calming thought . They say that you are to try to live a stress free life when you have Dystonia as stress can worsen your symptoms. How are you meant to live a stress free life when you spend weeks in agony? When your Neurologist, the person who is meant to help you, has become someone you have to battle? How are you meant to be stress free when your life is upside down and the medical profession who are meant to help you are making things harder!

I don’t have down days very often but today is a very bad one. I know there so many positives around me but it is very hard to focus on them when the pain is this bad. I have no energy whatsoever today. I am still in bed and am trying to muster the energy to get up and changed but I would so much rather roll over and go back to sleep.

I have well and truly had enough, my Neurologist is going to have to do a hell of a lot tomorrow to convince me to stay with him. 7 weeks overdue for my injections is ridiculous and I am not prepared to go through this experience ever again, it is just too much!!