How painful or difficult is it to chew after the temporalis muscle has been cut for an ACoM clipping? When can one eat and talk without pain?
Hi Paula!
There is some pain that I experienced when the temporalis muscle was cut after surgery, but it has dissipated over time. I am 4 weeks out from surgery and mine is much better now, in fact I just ate breakfast and did not think about it at all today! It used to hurt when I open my mouth very wide...so I took smaller bites and stayed away from my beloved drumsticks (ice cream cones) for a while. (I have dropped a few pounds from eating slower) It also used to ache quite a bit on the side of my head where my sutures are...I used an ice pack initially and this really, really helped! I had quite a bit of swelling on my right side of my head but that is almost back down to normal now. 3M sells an ice pack that is soft fabric on the outside and contains 2 bendable inside blue packs that freeze fast and bend really well to curves (like around the head) and that was so much more comfortable for me than the ice packs filled with crushed ice. I hope this helps.
well it's been 6 weeks post op and i'm cutting my corn off the cob and still struggling with eating a hamburger but at least i can do it. it got a lot better after the 3rd week.
I don't have pain per se but I can't open my mouth widely, yawn properly or eat a big sandwich. They say to chew gum to strengthen the muscle but I bit the inside of my mouth doing so and my natural reaction was to open my mouth which caused me to tear the muscle further. I suggest not chewing gum and letting it heal inn due time ;)
same with me Jana, its been 16 years and i have TMJ, the pain is not bad most of the time. but i can't open my mouth as wide as i used to. and i jaw clicks and pops. it gets really better soon paula!!! one day you will wake-up and think wow, did i have surgery??? take care much love from kathy
Hello, my husband is only 7 days post-op and he hasn’t had much pain, only the first 3 days or so, but he’s only allowed soft foods. Good luck to you and I hope everything goes well and you recover quickly. God bless
I am postoperative 1-1/2 years and I was around 4 weeks where I could eat normally without really paying attention to how much (size of food) was on my fork. It took me 6-8 weeks before I could eat something like a hamburger with any success, although it was still limited.
I still do not have full range of motion of my left TMJ to date but it is closer being back to normal. I do find the dentist a challenge and still have to take breaks as the left side of my jaw gets fatigued.
Massage is great to help to stretch the muscle if you can find a reputable massage therapist, or you can do it yourself! It is a very gentle treatment and should not hurt if you have someone that knows what they are doing. What I notice the most is the muscle atrophy that I still have in my left temporalis. I guess for me it will never look the same, which I am okay with because after all I am still here! :D
Hi Paula,
I am 3 months post op and still can't open my mouth much. I have to cut everything up pretty small in order to get it into my mouth. I got TMJ from the surgery, as well. The muscle is, also, quite sore still. I didn't think that I will ever be able to eat a banana again without cutting it up. Reading these other posts gives me hope, though. I will keep you in my prayers.
Carol