Mandolyn Monkey Munch

I was put on Cymbalta because I have severe TMJ symptoms. I was on a soft diet for 5 weeks and still am and I am slowly getting better but was told I have arthritis in my jaw joints. So because I clench my teeth at night (due to anxiety apparently) I have Xanax I take when needed, but only use it a few days a week and only .5 mg. I am taking a muscle relaxer before bed and about 2 weeks ago started Cymbalta. I was told this treated osteoarthritis as well as anxiety. My insurance does not cover it so my doctor is having me try it out with samples. He wants me to see it through because he thinks it's the best thing for me. I got sick to my stomach on it the first week and then started taking it at night time and never got sick again. I am not feeling any different though, well, my jaw does feel somewhat better. Does anyone have any problems on this medicine with weight gain or loss? Do you feel it is helping you and if so, how? Why are you on it?

I have seen three doctors in the past week concerning my tongue. All of them said it looked normal, not thrush. But every day it has felt super dry and chalky even some tingling and burning sensations-- has a thick coating on it that WONT brush off. Sometiems my throat feels tight too, especially after I eat ANYTHING. I am not sure if I am allergic to certain foods. I don't even know where to begin to test for this. I have spent so much money on dr. visits and allergy meds. But this tongue thing is driving me INSANE. It's sticky and dry and biotene mouth wash doesn't really help. I even stopped brushing it for a few days to see if that helped but it made it worse. I've never had this type of thing happen. I've had ear congestion along with it and was given a steroid, but the steroid doesn't help. NOTHING is helping. I'm afraid to eat. Anyone else dealt with this kind of thing?

Let me remind you that ALL THREE doctors said this is NOT THRUSH. My temperature is normal. It gets worse as the day goes on. It's like my tongue swells a bit and has this whitish/yellowish coating on the back and when I try to brush it off that tingling burning sensation gets worse.

my nose is NOT stuffed. but i keep getting this pressure/tightness at the bridge of my nose and ear pain that comes and goes-- when i yawn i can hear crackling, like fluid in the ear. my doctor ran some blood tests, put me on nasonex (even though no stuffiness) but my tongue feels dry and rough and tingles a lot. i also have eye flashes at times. someone said this could possibly be TMJ? i don't have bite problems that i know of. but now i am wondering...i do wear a mouth guard at night for teeth clenching. i thought this helped with any TMJ symptoms. i never thought it could be TMJ. but now i am starting to wonder if it is. the doctor said i have post nasal drip too... the weird thing is my sinuses are clear- i can breathe fine. any thoughts?

my nose is NOT stuffed. but i keep getting this pressure/tightness at the bridge of my nose and ear pain that comes and goes-- when i yawn i can hear crackling, like fluid in the ear. my doctor ran some blood tests, put me on nasonex (even though no stuffiness) but my tongue feels dry and rough and tingles a lot. i also have eye flashes at times. someone said this could possibly be TMJ? i don't have bite problems that i know of. but now i am wondering...i do wear a mouth guard at night for teeth clenching. i thought this helped with any TMJ symptoms. i never thought it could be TMJ. but now i am starting to wonder if it is. the doctor said i have post nasal drip too... the weird thing is my sinuses are clear- i can breathe fine. any thoughts?

My tongue gets a tingly/burning like sensation in the middle every afternoon and worsens in the evening. I have a dry mouth most of the morning. My doc said it is not thrush. Gave me a steroid shot and gave me nasonex. I am hoping this nasonex works. He also ran some blood tests to test for other things-- like vitamin deficiencies. I take a b-12 every day and I was taking a calcium/magnesium every day but he told me to not take any until he gets the results on the blood work. I really don't understand that. I know I lack b-12 and probably need even MORE than I take every day because my lips also get very dry and crack at the corners at times. My ears are always full of fluid, or feel full too- he said the nasonex should help with that. I HOPE SO! I don't know how long it takes to work. Anyone else experience this? Along with muscle cramps in legs/hands/feet at night? I have to use an electric massager on my legs EVERY night and I take calcet pills at night before bed to help with that. My doc said he saw post nasal drip, maybe that is attributing to the tingling tongue. My question is why is it only worse in the evening? I could barely feel it this morning, I mainly just had a dry mouth. Foods make it worse in the evening too. I'm just SO tired of this. It's been almost 4 weeks. I know I will get answers soon... I was just hoping maybe someone else out there has gone through this and can share their story or what their results were. Thanks!

My tongue has been feeling AWFUL the past 3 weeks. I brush, floss and use mouthwash daily. So I decided to switch toothpastes and use hydrogen peroxide to rinse with. Well that didn't help. My tongue has white patches sometimes too. I brush my tongue twice a day and sometimes I can't really taste my food. I have read about BMS, burning mouth syndrome... but I don't know if that is what it is. I am going to see my dentist about this soon but was wondering if anyone else has experienced this and how long it lasted? Sometimes I just want to rip my tongue out. I drink CONSTANTLY too. I also have a lump on the inside of my gums in front of tongue on the bottom, I read lots of people have these. Mine has gotten bigger but doesn't hurt unless it's stabbed by food or when they do x rays at the dentist, then it REALLY hurts. Nothing in my diet has changed. I'm almost 36 years old. I've been married for 15 years, can't think of anything new except the toothpaste I was using was new but I changed back to my old toothpaste a week ago and my tongue is still doing the same thing.

My tongue has been feeling AWFUL the past 3 weeks. I brush, floss and use mouthwash daily. So I decided to switch toothpastes and use hydrogen peroxide to rinse with. Well that didn't help. My tongue has white patches sometimes too. I brush my tongue twice a day and sometimes I can't really taste my food. I have read about BMS, burning mouth syndrome... but I don't know if that is what it is. I am going to see my dentist about this soon but was wondering if anyone else has experienced this and how long it lasted? Sometimes I just want to rip my tongue out. I drink CONSTANTLY too. I also have a lump on the inside of my gums in front of tongue on the bottom, I read lots of people have these. Mine has gotten bigger but doesn't hurt unless it's stabbed by food or when they do x rays at the dentist, then it REALLY hurts. Nothing in my diet has changed. I'm almost 36 years old. I've been married for 15 years, can't think of anything new except the toothpaste I was using was new but I changed back to my old toothpaste a week ago and my tongue is still doing the same thing.

I often don't trust them. I mean, can they really FIX you? I hear that once you go you have to keep going in order to feel good physically with whatever pain you were having. I am seeing one right now because I hurt my lower back and I have scoliosis and a tilted pelvis which is what caused the injury in the first place. He told me had I not come to him I would've needed surgery. I don't know if I believe that. But I am continuing to go because he said he is going to help my scoliosis and healing. Your thoughts?

i have had back pain for 3 weeks now- my doctor assumed it was a slipped disc so put me on pain killers. i started seeing a chiropractor who did the hammer thing in places on my back and the massage with those little tabs they put on you...he had x rays done and says no disc is herniated or bulging. i told him i dont mind him cracking my back, i was thinking i would get relief from it. well last night i had throbbing pain to the right of my lower back, by disc L-5 (where he said the inflammation was) but not down the leg. just right there in my back. i haven't taken painkillers in a week, only advil every day still because the inflammation is STILL there. but last night i had to take codeine because the pain was intense and it didn't even really help till 2 am. now i'm worried i've made my condition worse by letting the chiro crack my back. i also had some tingling, nerve sensations in my left leg night that i've never had. i assume this too is from my visit with him. i see him again today and will bring all of this up but i am wondering if anyone out there knows if this is normal and will pass or could my chiro be wrong about my diagnosis?

I have worked out for the past 6 years with no problems.. doing circuit training- high impact cardio, jumping and weights (but not heavy, 12 pounds is the heaviest I used for squats) I hurt my back a while back thinking it was dead lifts. So after I healed I stopped dead lifts permanently and other exercises as well (like squat thrusts and burpees) 6 months later my back started hurting again... especially when I was doing jumping jacks.. so I stopped working out and it gradually got worse until I was in so much pain I was put on pain killers. I saw a chiropractor and he did x rays. He said no discs are bulging or herniated in my lower back but told me I was "jacked up" because of the scoliosis and my left hip being 8 mm higher than my right. I am still trying to heal from this last episode and it's been 3 weeks and I am still in pain, still taking ibuprofen during the day and pain killers at night. I haven't exercised the entire time- doing ice and taking it easy and I am not getting better. So my question is-- do you think it could be something else? I know x-rays don't show everything, just bones. I have no more office visits left for my doctor -- I have to wait. (my insurance plan is horrible) But I do see the chiropractor next week again and I am hoping he can do something to help. But I am also scared he might make it worse. What are your thoughts on Chiropractors and this condition?

So this is the second time I have hurt my lower back by either bending wrong or working out too hard. I normally workout 5 days a week and do some type of circuit training workout but I don't use heavy weights-- 12 pounds is the heaviest I have. 2 weeks ago I started having what felt like a pinched nerve in my lower spine so I skipped working out and the next day it was a little worse and the next day worse and so on until I saw my doc and got muscle relaxers. It was very painful, painful to walk and take a deep breath. I also have sciatica down my right leg. The doc said I probably have a slipped disk and gave me pain killers and muscle relaxers which I ONLY take at night. It's been 2 weeks and I'm only going for tiny walks because it starts to feel tight and kind of hurt when I walk more than 10 minutes. I can't lay around the whole time. I really want to do some squats with NO weights but am not sure if I should try. I don't know what to do to keep moving but not over do it. I guess I haven't found my limits because I am scared I will end up back at the beginning with massive pain. This morning my lower back is mainly just tight. I will do ice then heat and then go for a small walk I guess. I miss working out and I am going nuts (mentally!) Working out was mental medicine. Anyone else gone through this and what did you do to get back to normal? I am married with 3 kids so you can see it's hard to not over do it but walking around the house and squatting down to pick things up shouldn't be over doing it... I wouldn't think.

It's been 9 days since my doc said I have a herniated disc. He didn't take an x-ray or anything he just felt around on my back as I winced in pain. I was in A LOT of pain. I have had this type of thing happen before back in July. My lower back isn't giving me much pain now but it's tight and I still have sciatica pain sometimes down my right butt cheek (haha, I know, funny) Anyways, I love working out and I am going nuts not doing anything. I have been on small walks but usually have to make them short because my lower back will start hurting or aching.

Do you think it's ok to do air squats? That means NO weights. But just regular squats at this point? My legs ACHE at night from not doing anything for so long. I just don't want to end up back where I started with all the pain. I've been told to take it easy but not lay around. The other problems is sitting makes it worse and laying is better. I don't know what to do with myself. I'm also off work for 2 weeks. I can walk normal. I've gone to the store a few times...it's mainly just tight and sometimes there is a pinch of pain here and there.

i keep hearing that laying around is NOT GOOD for lower back injuries. i laid around most of this week because i was in pain- today i am not in much pain so i decided to take a walk to the end of the street. my back was super tight by the time i got there so i came back home. i iced it. then i laid around some more. do i keep doing this until i can walk with no pain/tightness at all? i am still taking ibuprofen during the day because of the tightness, i assume there is still inflammation. i just don't want to lay around so much that it gets worse. my doc said to not over do it and wrote me a note for 2 weeks off from work. but i can't afford physical therapy so i do some stretches on my own and when i have no pain i get up and do some chores around the house. i guess if i have pain tonight i will be able to tell if i over did it. i'm going crazy though! it's only been a week and i'm not as in much pain as i was in. i have little to no pain with the ibuprofen where as before i had pain all the time even with ibuprofen. i take a muscle relaxer at night along with tylenel with codeine. i cannot take those during they day or else i'd be sleeping all day too. it's a catch 22 this back injury! they say not to lay around but not to over do it. so i guess i just need to know what the heck i'm suppose to do in order to heal fast and not hurt it again. i know of the stretches, i do them when i am laying down a few times.

So my back pain is back. I saw a doc for stronger meds and he said it's a slipped disc, even though I have not had any x rays or MRI's. He said I didn't need them. He could tell by feeling my back and by what I explained the pain to feel like. He told me no working for the next two weeks and said I need to take it easy but then he said not to lay around the whole time. So my question is WHAT DO YOU DO? Like how do I get back to normal without making it worse? Does anyone have a schedule they could write out for me? I know what kinds of stretches to do and I figure I should take short walks but I'm not sure when to start doing that. I've always worked out and I love working out with cardio and weights, doing high impact but obviously I can't do that for a long time. The meds he gave me I will only take at night because they make you sleepy. I don't know how people can take tylenol with codeine during the day or muscle relaxers. I would end up sleeping all day! So I am confused. He said not to lay around but not over do it. I don't know what else I would do if I am not laying around except going for walks and normal grocery shopping. Today at the store I had a lot of pain while walking SLOWLY through the store- NOT pushing a cart. I took my daughter to push the cart and grab things. So I guess grocery shopping (even though I just walked and didn't do anything) is overdoing it?

i am on azelestine eye drops because my eyes were very grainy a month ago. they help a lot but i notice there are red veins that will not go away and have been there a long time. does this mean they are permanent? i am wondering if i should be doing more. i take benedryl every night due to allergies with my throat/ears and sometimes nose. my husband thinks the benedryl is drying me eyes out. i dont' know of any OTC allergy pill that has an antihistamine that is not for watery eyes. my eyes are NEVER watery. any thoughts?

He just showed me these red spots that look like they are constantly peeling and they aren't going away. He has had this for a month now and it's on the top of his buttocks and right where his underwear line is and below.. they are scattered spots. Some are small and one is the size of a nickel. Could this be eczema? Would some simple cream help? I'm making him an appointment with the doctor. He said they DO NOT ITCH at all. They don't even bother him. But he said when he is in the shower they turn red.

So the beasts... who is the first and who is the second? Do you believe there is a antichrist who is "THE" antichrist....?

For we know that anyone who denies Christ is an antichrist.

1 John 2:22

Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.

Ah yes. I'm back, suckas! I missed y'all!

Still standing firm on God being sovereign ... let's read Romans 9 without skipping anything or overlooking anything.

So then those who say we choose God will then give me references as to how we 'knock' and he answers. YES! The bible is clear that we are held accountable when we stand before Him. But one cannot knock without being drawn by His Holy Spirit.

John 6:37 (Jesus speaking)

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

Note, all that Father GIVES... man cannot seek God on his own (Romans 3), we are all spiritually dead before we are saved. It is only God who can wake us and God who has predestined us, making us alive when we hear the word of truth and repent. See Acts 13, specifically vs 48.

I haven't found one that really helps soothe my lips. Lately my lips are extremely dry. Even if I just put something on them, right after I eat they are back to feeling horribly dry. I am wondering if using all different kinds of lip therapy balms are making it worse?

I never get chapped lips. I have used medicated blistex for 10 years now, several times a day and have never had a problem like I do now. For the past week my lips have felt sunburned, dry and to the point where I am using all kinds of lip balms every 5 minutes!! I have tried medicate blistex (white cream) Aquaphor, vaseline, burts beeswax (my doctor told me to use that) nivea lip therapy and another blistex with a higher spf. NOTHING is helping. I am using Aquaphor more than anything else because I at least have some moisture for a short period of time with that one. But after I wash my face, brush my teeth or shower my lips immediately feel like they are going to shrivel up and are very dry. There is no bleeding or cracking. I did have some cracks in the corner of my mouth but those healed and now it's just chapped there. I am so frustrated and uncomfortable. I even wake up at night having to put more vaseline on. I even tried NEOSPORIN!!! I was taking L-lysine tablets- once a day for a few days but I stopped thinking maybe that caused it. I just got some allergy drops for my eyes because my eyes were hurting, grainy and dry and I have a pytgerium in one of them. My eyes feel much better but now my lips are wigging out. Anyone know what this could be? Allergy? It came all of the sudden and won't go away. My diet has been the same, no new foods. Except I was drinking Iced Tea every day for 3 days in a row....And I had a little tonight. I am just afraid it could be something more serious. I have no more visits to the doctor for the year- I used all mine up. I have a horrible insurance plan. :(