Bar Fights and Dislocated Jaws

​In today’s episode of “Why Is Nothing Ever Normal With Brenna”…she dislocated her jaw.

Buckle up kids let’s get into a story.

Quick background – my mom and I both have some type of genetics-based, anatomic anomaly that makes it easy to dislocate our jaws. If I yawn real big, my jaw sometimes clicks out of place, maybe gets stuck open for a moment, and then goes back into place. Except when it doesn’t.

So I left work early with a sore throat and a pounding head. I stopped at CVS minute clinic to get a strep test. Well, the doc tells me to open wide and swabs my throat for a longer-than-average time and then turns her back to me to finish the test. I slowly realize my mouth won’t shut. My jaw is stuck in a wide open position, like you’re in the middle of a yawn, but your bones won’t let you ever shut your mouth.

Well, this happened once before when my jaw dislocated, and that is a hell of a story for another day and it’s titled “the most miserable night of my life.” Essentially, I was in 2 different emergency rooms, waiting for over 4 hours with my mouth wide open, and in pain. But it has a happy ending…the doctor that finally helped me had fixed it within seconds… a simple little maneuver that didn’t hurt at all.

Now here’s the bad news. 2 things.

1. Almost no doctors have experience doing this maneuver. Because really, how common is a dislocated jaw? Only people in bar fights dislocate their jaw. Oh and young women with crappy anatomy.

2. Your mouth is stuck in a hyper-extended open position. You can’t close your mouth at all. So you can’t spit, swallow…or speak.

So I’m in CVS saying, “oh no! I think my jaw dislocated! I need your help!” but it comes out like “ ahh raaaahh rah ahh ahh” and the doctor goes “yeah your mouth might be a little dry for a moment” and I’m like, “no! help me!”

She realizes that I’m not ok as I try to explain what’s going on without the ability to speak. She is extremely confused and I’m frantically writing, typing, and charading to explain what’s happening. This happened to me once before, it’s an easy fix but I don’t know exactly what to do! I ask her to start googling, gesture to the computer, and scribble out YOUTUBE.

I’m having some pain, but the problem is, the pain gets worse and worse the longer you’re stuck like that. She is desperately trying to help and calls in the other doc working, and I’m just crying because I’m getting so scared. Last time was 7 years ago in an emergency room 400 miles away.

The doctors are trying to help me as I try and explain. The key is to push your jaw back and down, opening it even wider, and your body pulls it back into place. The other key is to relax your muscles. The ladies are trying to do the maneuver to no avail.

I charade and write for them to call nearby ER’s and urgent cares to see if there’s anyone who has done it before. It’s been over an hour. One doctor says they can do it, but it’s extremely painful.

“No!” I charade and grunt through tears. It’s only painful if you do it wrong! It’s a simple, painless, drug-free fix if you do it right!

It’s petrifying to hear people say they are going to put you through excruciating pain when you know that’s not the answer and you can’t speak and advocate for yourself.
Meanwhile, Brandon is probably driving 90 mph in rush hour DC traffic to come help me.

I texted mom, then facetimed dad. Dad sees me, mouth agape and tear-soaked face, and immediately hand the phone to mom. Dad recognizes it instantly because he was there when this happened to my mother decades ago.

My mom explains everything to the doctors. It happened before, it's painless if you do this little motion. Can we try and figure it out?

Meanwhile, my parents are confused… how did I get there? Where am I? Luckily, Vince is in the room. Vincy knows sign language, and I know a little, so I fingerspell “strep” and “CVS” and other key words.

“Ok, when you did the strep test, her jaw might have opened too wide for too long, and that’s why it dislocated.” Mom translates.

We aren’t getting anywhere at the minute clinic so the doctor kindly drives me to urgent care. That doctor, however, doesn’t know what to do. They decide to send me to another facility and there, they will sedate me and get it fixed.

“Sedate her?” iPhone mom says “No, she won’t need sedated if you do it right!”

Doctor: “It’s an extremely painful process. We will need to sedate her”

Me: *sobbing* *in a state of total fear* thinking to myself “They’re going to hurt me so badly when they don’t need to…”

Brandon: finally arrives.

Well, no one can help us, my pain has increased 10 fold, so we are in Brandon’s truck on our way to the fourth medical professional of the night.

Brandon’s magic power is the ability to make me calm. “Don’t try to talk anymore. Text me if you need to say something.” He put his hand on my leg and rubbed my shoulders a little.

While we were in the car, I accepted my fate. They’re going to hurt me. It’s the only way they know, and at least it’ll be over soon. I breath and say a little prayer.

Then, I try one last time to do the maneuver to myself.

And right there, in the car, without any doctors… I painlessly and simply relocate my jaw. I close my mouth for the first time in over 2 hours. “I did it” I say clearly to Bran.

Brandon laughs and smiles and tells me in the most loving way to keep my mouth shut.

We go back to CVS, thanking the minute clinic doctors for trying so hard to help me. We pick up my antibiotics for my strep. Remember? This whole time I’ve been positive for strep! How cute when that was the most of my worries!
 
Now here are the morals of the story.

1. When you know that you know…YOU KNOW. I knew it shouldn’t hurt, you just have to get it right. I don’t “trust my gut” often because I am constantly unsure of myself (maybe I’m openminded? Semantics). But in a moment like that, I KNEW how it was supposed to go. Stick to your guns when you know.
2. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. True story.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Call in your team. Brandon helped calm me down. Dad came in clutch answering facetime. Mom advocated for me like no one else could have in that situation. Vince translated sign language.

I’m so lucky to have people that helped me. I couldn’t have made it through that night without my family looking out for me. In the end, I saved myself. But that doesn’t mean I have to do it all alone.
 
When you’re stuck in an uncomfortable position, and you feel like you don’t have a voice, call in help. Get advice, get advocacy, get someone who understands, get someone who can try to calm you down. And then remember that you are smart and strong and can do it.

Hang in there. You just might make it through without too much pain.

Goodnight pals, If you need me, I'll be eating ice cream and taking antibiotics.