Peaches & Cream and TMJ

This month is TMJ awareness month. I am sure you are asking yourself, "What is TMJ? And why do I care?" Well, I am Ashlee Marie Simons and I have TMJ dysfunction. TMJ stands for TemporoMandibular Joint, or the jaw joint. You have two TMJs, one in front of each ear, connecting the lower jaw bone (the mandible) to the skull. The joints allow movement up and down, side to side, and forward and back—all the mobility necessary for biting, chewing and swallowing food, for speaking and for making facial expressions. These normal everyday things become painful and difficult when one is suffering from a bad episode of TJM. The body will heal itself basically through lock jaw for a few weeks or months.
Normally it does not affect my life other than the occasional achy jaw after a day of talking or eating too much. But after I have dental work done . . . watch out! Because I usually get a bad case. Right now I am going on three weeks of trying not to move my jaw. Yes, that is right, trying not to move my jaw. This wouldn't be a problem, you know, if I didn't have to eat and (since I don't know sign language) talk! My worst bout lasted for three months and I lost ten pounds many years ago.
I am extra impatient now a days deep in a three week episode of what is nothing less than a living hell. (I tend to swear more than my normal amount when I a suffering from TMJ. All it takes is for one of my children to climb over me a pop me in the jaw to send me to the other room for a sentence full of nasty language that I am certain is not appropriate for a mother of three, let alone a mother in Zion to use, but we all have our weaknesses and swearing happens to be mine. But it does put me over the edge I will well admit that.)
I asked my dentist the other day if we could just wire my jaw shut to get it to heal faster. I realize this is an extreme measure, but, so extreme is the problem. Am I a little frustrated? Agitated? Irritated? Oh yes, that sums me up right now.
But bringing us back to peaches and cream. I have five boxes of it in my house right now. I fixed tacos for the clan tonight and then sat down with my bowl of instant oatmeal, which, by the way, I had for breakfast too . . . for the past five days. I guess I will have to shop my way through Christmas, because as you can see, I will certainly not be eating much this holiday season. :)