Does This Sound Familar? & Your Comments
Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 2:36 pm
Hello all,
Okay, I'm sitting here working (I telecommute), not eating, drinking, chewing, or doing anything with my mouth. Suddenly I realize that my lower face is kinda achey and my jaw (the lower portion, not the joint) feels "tired." Then I get up feeling like I need to eat, but I'm not really hungry. So I pig out, eating well past satiety, and then return to work.
A little while later, again sitting at the computer working, doing nothing with my mouth, jaw, or lips. Then I realize that my left TMJ (the side with the click) starts feeling achey, and my head has a generalized "tightness," so I get up, thinking "I've been sitting here too long; time for a break."
Bottom line: I have a lot of facial pain!! I have been blocking it out. It was easy to do, as it's not excruciating or anything that would make me go take something for it. Also, several very painful conditions are in my history, and after years and years of chronic pain you sort of "shut down" to it and stop feeling it (or at least deny it to yourself). Looking back on it, this has been with me since childhood.
Here's the problem: I have been pursuing orthognathic surgery for cosmetic reasons. Every time an oral surgeon or orthod examined me, they kept asking if I experienced any pain, and I answered (honestly, as far as I was concerned) "no." I could have made up all kinds of stuff to try to get them to do the surgery and/or get ins. to cover it, but I told the truth.
There is a local OMFS here who only charges $4,000 per jaw. His patients go into the hospital where I work (and get an employee discount). But he just recently examined me and I told him that I had no pain. He filed a claim with my insurance company for that workup, and I am not sure what diagnosis he put down, but they denied payment for the consult.
This guy is very good for "functional issues," but refused to consider me as a candidate because I was "cosmetic." Technically I still do NOT have functional (chewing, biting, breathing, speaking) issues, but I do have some pain problems.
If there is any way this guy would do the surgery, that would be great! It would save me a ton of money too -- I have pursued this all along as self-pay, and I am assume that these minor pain issues aren't severe enough for ins. to cover my surgery anyway. Even if they were, becoming embroiled in that kind of battle doesn't appeal to me.
I would like to go back and see this guy again (to see if he would reconsider) and tell him about my facial/head/TMJ pain, but he will probably think I'm some kind of nut!! Also, what if it turns out that I really DO have some kind of underlying problems? Now my insurance company has me down as "seeking cosmetic surgery!"
Any comments?
Okay, I'm sitting here working (I telecommute), not eating, drinking, chewing, or doing anything with my mouth. Suddenly I realize that my lower face is kinda achey and my jaw (the lower portion, not the joint) feels "tired." Then I get up feeling like I need to eat, but I'm not really hungry. So I pig out, eating well past satiety, and then return to work.
A little while later, again sitting at the computer working, doing nothing with my mouth, jaw, or lips. Then I realize that my left TMJ (the side with the click) starts feeling achey, and my head has a generalized "tightness," so I get up, thinking "I've been sitting here too long; time for a break."
Bottom line: I have a lot of facial pain!! I have been blocking it out. It was easy to do, as it's not excruciating or anything that would make me go take something for it. Also, several very painful conditions are in my history, and after years and years of chronic pain you sort of "shut down" to it and stop feeling it (or at least deny it to yourself). Looking back on it, this has been with me since childhood.
Here's the problem: I have been pursuing orthognathic surgery for cosmetic reasons. Every time an oral surgeon or orthod examined me, they kept asking if I experienced any pain, and I answered (honestly, as far as I was concerned) "no." I could have made up all kinds of stuff to try to get them to do the surgery and/or get ins. to cover it, but I told the truth.
There is a local OMFS here who only charges $4,000 per jaw. His patients go into the hospital where I work (and get an employee discount). But he just recently examined me and I told him that I had no pain. He filed a claim with my insurance company for that workup, and I am not sure what diagnosis he put down, but they denied payment for the consult.
This guy is very good for "functional issues," but refused to consider me as a candidate because I was "cosmetic." Technically I still do NOT have functional (chewing, biting, breathing, speaking) issues, but I do have some pain problems.
If there is any way this guy would do the surgery, that would be great! It would save me a ton of money too -- I have pursued this all along as self-pay, and I am assume that these minor pain issues aren't severe enough for ins. to cover my surgery anyway. Even if they were, becoming embroiled in that kind of battle doesn't appeal to me.
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
I would like to go back and see this guy again (to see if he would reconsider) and tell him about my facial/head/TMJ pain, but he will probably think I'm some kind of nut!! Also, what if it turns out that I really DO have some kind of underlying problems? Now my insurance company has me down as "seeking cosmetic surgery!"
Any comments?