Feel like something is wrong. Should i push for more tests?

[MartinZ]

Hi,

i am 31 years old male. Been smoking and drinking regulary for 15 years. I have anxiety problems and all sorts of weird symptoms since i turn 30. I strongly suspect it is just my health anxiety but you know the drill: good old "what if" is still lurking deep inside my mind and i cant get rid of the feeling.

I have these symptoms: permanent eye floaters just in right eye, light sensitivity, weird numb like feeling in the right cheek and right side of the neck, mild tinnitus in both ears (been there for more than 4 years now), burning tongue feeling which comes and goes, swellen feelin in my right cheek with linea alba present, and for last 3 weeks i can feel my right tonsil when i make certain movement with my tongue (it feels like something is stuck there and i found 2 white spot on it but the spots are one day present another day i cant see them, last few days i lost my appetite and i feel bit weaker as usual.

I have been with 3 GPs for last year, one oral surgeon ( 6 months ago - said my mouth is perfectly healthy), eye doctor (said my eyes are perfectly healthy besides astigmatism) i have had blood tests done + ultrasound of the salivari glands (all came back ok)

The GPs told me i dont need another tests, they are not concerned about my tonsil or mouth and that i should seek help for my health anxiety.
I belive them i want this crazy anxiety to stop, but i think like i cannot work on it if i dont push for some more tests like MRI (what if ultrasound didnt pick something what MRI would pick?) or if i should go to see ENT specialist?

I dont know. Please help, any advice, reassurence or recommodation would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

P.S.: Only good think about this anxiety is that it made me quit smoking. I am at day 7 smoke free. Wish me luck

[ErinKC]

Excellent decision to stop smoking! Good luck!

Has anyone every mentioned TMJ to you as a possible cause of some or all symptoms? I struggled with jaw pain, tooth pain (so bad I thought I needed a root canal at one point) tingling, numbness, chronic ear fullness on one side, migraines, and neck pain and finnnnally my doctor and dentist both suggested TMJ the same week (the week when I couldn't figure out if I had an ear infection or needed a root canal - it was neither!).

The worst part about TMJ is that anxiety makes it so much worse because your jaw is tense!

Also, I've never heard of linea alba so I just googled and I totally have that, too, only on the side where I have all my issues.

[MartinZ]

Thanks for your reply!

I was thinking it can be all related to TMJ + my forward head posture (9 years of working on my laptop) + i forget to mention sometimes i hear clicking sounds in right jaw joint, sometimes i got pain in the joint on opossite side.
And oral surgeon told me that linea alba is caused by teeth clenching and sometimes i wake up in night when i suddenly bite my tongue.
But doctors never mentioned TMJ. And i also had an 3d x-ray on my dentist visit last year, but they found nothing there.
Would not be TMJ issue diagnosed by Xray?

Thanks again

[ErinKC]

I'm not sure about the X-ray. But I'll say that I had been in and out of dentists and doctors with pain and recurring symptoms for years before it finally clicked for them. Have you brought it up?

With all the tests and doctors you've seen sometime sinister would have shown itself by now. I was really surprised when I started learning more about TMJ just how many symptoms it can produce. I did not end up getting a night guard because it wasn't covered by my insurance and would have been $600, but I became a lot more aware of when I was clenching my jaw. I think I do it more during the day when I'm working (I work from home on my laptop, so I have terrible posture since I don't even sit at a desk usually) or when I'm stressed out (which is a lot because I'm a stay at home to a 5 year old!) I'll typically get migraines at night, which happens after a day of having a tense jaw. Now that I'm more aware I can loosen my jaw and do things like have a cup of tea or take a break from the computer when I notice and it's made a big difference.

Nothing you'd said would make me think you need additional tests, but this might be worth an ask just to have some answer. It was such a relief to have a real cause for all my stuff!

[MartinZ]

Same here, i work everyday on my laptop and i noticed that when i am focusing on work i tend to be really tense, with bad posture and i also noticed that i am pressing my tongue on the roof of mouth very hard. I think you are right and all this can be related to TMJ\ Tension and stress. I will definitely ask my doctor about it.

Thanks!

[ErinKC]

Sure! Definitely worth asking! Stress and tension can cause such a surprising number of physical symptoms!