Terry,

I "feel your pain"--no pun intended on a couple on your list. I was diagnosed
with TMJD in
1980. A trip to the Mayo Clinic (after 24 years of treatment for TMJD)
confirmed that I
never had TMJD, I had Fibromyalgia. I also have sinus problems, due to
life-long allergies
and migraines. Here is what we have in common, and my interpretations:

1) Loss of appetitie: I often have times when nothing in the world sounds good
to eat. I
survive on protein shakes during these times.

2) Some foods taste metallic, and I often smell a metallic smell when there is
no metal
around when a migraine is coming on. By the way, did you know that you can have
migraines WITHOUT the headache? I was diagnosed with migraines when I was 12,
based
on periodic numbness in my hands, blurred vision, sensitivity to light and
sound, etc. but
did not have severe pain. The headaches started when I was 20, along with the
nausea
and vomiting. When I awake with severe nausea, it usually indicates I will have
a migraine
in the next 30 minutes.

3) Yes, the indentations from my socks hurt, and take forever to go away. I
usually wear
athletic-type socks with just an inch above the shoe to minimize this. It seems
to be the
lower leg, not the ankle that affects me. (Since I teach kindergarten and spend
a lot of time
on the floor with the kids, I wear althletic shoes most days.)

4)Wrinkled skin: I recently lost about 12 pounds (on a 5'4" frame and a
routine weight of
105) due to a motherload of stress at work and my stomach looks like ripples of
sand in
the dessert. I am 47, which is part of it, I suppose, but I have no wrinkles or
loose skin
anywhere else. I am attempting to regain the weight in the next 2 weeks, if my
stomach
problems will let me

5) I don't cross my legs often, but sitting in a church pew kills my back and I
have to put a
pillow between my knees at night when I sleep on my side, since the knee bones
hurt
when they lay one on top of the other.

6) Huring hair: I often have headaches so severe my hair hurts and I don't
want even a
breeze to touch it. I believe it is the severe inflammation of the trigger
points associated
with fibromyalgia. As much as it hurts at first, ice packs will work, by
reducing the
inflammation. (No more than 30 minutes at a time, lay off 30-45 min., then
repeat the ice
pack.) I recommend the gel ice packs--much more moldable to the "bumpiness" of
the
face than a bag of ice cubes.

7) At times, my head and the trigger points around my temples/face/ears are so
painful,
anything touching my ear would hurt. My ear hurts whe I sleep on my side.
I do not think ear wax is related to Fibromyalgia. My father had trouble with
overproduction of ear wax most of his adult life. The first time it affected his
hearing, he
went to the doctor. After that, he used over-the-counter kits for softening and
removing
the wax. A nurse who cared for him when he became a invalid later in life
(Parkinson's
Disease) told me some people are "waxers" and some aren't. Also, ear wax and
its
production has nothing to do with sinuses. Sinus drainage comes from your sinus
cavities
and is flem.

8) If your ears feel and sound like they are percolating, you may have sinus
drainage, or
water caught by the shower (which can be dried out with Swimmer's ear drops.
You may
have pressure on the eustatian tube from neck/ear/face pain from trigger points,
also.

9) I often have head pain on the top of my head--as if someone had hit me with
a board.
My doctor and physical/massage therapist tell me this is referred pain from
other trigger
points in the head and especially the neck. (Let me know if you don't know the
difference
between actual pain sites and referred pain sites.)

10) I'm wondering if your lack of balance is your lack of physical toning of
the muscles--
weak muscles do not support your body weight effectively. Also, you may have
blood
pressure problems, causing a balance problem. I do Pilates with a personal
trainer to
strengthen muscles and improve balance. This has helped a lot, though any
exercise is
not comfortable, I try to look past the pain for the general benefits.

I did have problems with balance during a period when my blood pressure dropped
20
points when I stood up. This was caused by the interaction of the medication I
was
taking--also dehydration can cause it.

11) On painful eating: I get steroid trigger-point injections at the Mayo
Clinic in
Minnesota once ever 4 months. For the 2 months after the injections (36
throughout my
head, neck and inside my mouth) I can chew basic foods that aren't tough (no
steak,
popcorn, pizza crust, raw carrots, etc.) For the next month, as I await my
next trip to
Mayo, I have to cut way down on the chewing, and the last month is nothing but
peanut
butter, scrambled eggs and protein shakes. (I don't eat carbs--baked potatoes,
rice, pasta
could be added for you)

I agree most of this is related to your muscles, ligaments and tendons--all
because of the
trigger points that go nuts in people with Fibromyalgia and Myofacial pain (they
overlap).


Anyway, that's my 2 cents.

Ann