Patient Diary:

Interview with Cherie about her experience with TMJ and Dr. Anna

Patient Diary is a series of transformation stories written by Dr. Anna’s patients – they’re raw, personal, and always empowering.

Cherie had been dealing with major pain in her jaw, temples, and migraine headaches. She was losing hope, she had tried everything and didn’t know what to do; until she found Dr. Anna!

Here is her interview about her experience coming to Dr. Anna Medical Aesthetics and how her life has changed since.

What is TMJ/TMD?

Problems with your jaw and the muscles in the face that control it are known as temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Some people refer to it as TMJ; this is named after the joint itself.

What are the symptoms?

Pain in your face, jaw area, neck, shoulders, around your ears when chewing.
A tired feeling in your face
Jaw-locking and/or jaw clicking
Issues when trying to open your mouth wide
Trouble chewing
This can also include toothaches, headaches, neck aches, earaches, hearing problems, upper shoulder pain, and ringing in your ears

What did you come to see Dr. Anna for?

I was experiencing TMJ which is a very tight and severe jaw problem that can also cause migraines.

My jaw pain started in 2014. I was working on a charity event fundraiser and then BAM, the back of my neck started getting sore, and then slowly after that, all the muscles around the jaw started getting tighter and tighter. This created migraines as well which were very painful.

I couldn’t speak very well, and people would have difficulty understanding me. If I went to the store and tried to talk, they just couldn’t tell what I was saying. I had to eat pureed food for six years, and people used to say that I looked mad and unapproachable. This landed me in the hospital because I couldn’t open my mouth, and I had to quit my job. I did physio for 6 years which was very expensive, and it would only last approximately three days of pain relief.

My physio recommended that I have a procedure using Botox/Dysport for TMJ. By this time, I was ready to try anything to help me.

How has your experience been at Dr. Anna’s?

I’ve been thrilled with my treatment from Dr. Anna and her team. The Botox/Dysport injections have significantly helped my TMJ condition. Throughout my experience with Dr. Anna, I felt that she was so genuine and truly cared about my wellbeing … this has been one of the best experiences with a medical professional that I can think of. She also put some filler in my upper lip because it had gotten so thin due to clenching, and there had been a lot of pain in my upper lip, and now there is no pain there anymore.

The best thing is the feeling of starting over and it’s as though my life is beginning again. I am finally understood, and I have hope for the future!