Hi all~

I finally got a bit of time to do some posting, and posted responses to the SOM history section.

My two biggest questions for you all are

1) does anyone else have TMJ and has seen the SOM get worse with TMJ episodes?

2) has anyone had to change lines of work, or stopped working altogether because of this SOM?

 

Look forward to hearing from you other SOMers!

 

Diane

I have TMJ, but haven't any memory of it being worse in connection with my SOM, although that would be difficult to extract since I had surgery last July.  However, it is a very interesting thought, and I am very interested in hearing what other members report.

 

As for the whole work thing, yes, I have had to stop doing lots of things, including a few jobs.  I was fortunate to find a way to work through most of my work issues, but, going back to my surgery, the only reason that I did that was so that I would be able to continue to drive.  Without the surgery I would not have been able to safely operate a vehicle.

 

I can's speak for anyone else, but several SOMers have shared that they have had many activities, including jobs, that were compromised or eliminated because of their symptoms.

 

So, how about the rest of you?  This is an area where sharing would be extraordinarily helpful to every single one of us.

 

Oh, and nice to hear from you, Diane.

Here's a warm welcome, Diane.  No TMJ for me--just teeth that periodically cause ear pain because they need to be filed down a little.  (Kind of like what they do for horses!) Close--but not quite TMJ.  No relation to SOM as far as I can tell, but I do strongly believe that a nasty sinus infection following tooth extractions did possibly have part in this whole thing.  That whole area around the superior oblique has a lot of structures that are kind of vulnerable, and I wonder if sometimes trouble in that space can damage or sensitize the SO.

 

I was lucky to have a job that took me into many different settings in a day's time-desk work, computer reports, face-to-face interviewing, home visits, driving, meetings, etc.  Some of those things were definitely affected by SOM, and there were days when I needed to switch things around or get some helpful soul to do something like record what happened at meetings,  because I just couldn't do it.  Looking back at the handwritten notes I had to take very frequently, I can't decipher some of my own writing.  That's bad!  (Just plain couldn't figure out where the pen hit the paper and which way the line was going.)  Having the flexibility and the autonomy was such a help.  Had I been locked into one aspect of my job, I am not sure I could have done it--especially things that required computer work, form-filling, and driving.

 

I know that there are members of this site who have needed to change jobs because of SOM, and most of us have had to make some adjustments in recreational choices.  That information is back there in past posts, but not always easy to find without reading a little each day.

 

I'm glad you started filling in the History and Data option because our members really need to be able to access that kind of information.  In fact, you gave me a push to fill in another topic, myself.  Now, I can temporarily remove myself from the "Lazy Bum" category.  Glad you're here!            Annie 

Hi Diane,

1) Yep I have TMJ

2)No

 

I've had TMJ since I was a child and since this stupid eye thing I have wondered also if it had anything to do with it.

James