JILL JOHNSON OF COLORADO WOULD LIKE YOU TO JOIN HER EFFORT WITH JJAMD  AND OTHERS TO HELP BRING APPROPRIATE AWARENESS TO THE ENTIRE NATIONAL HEALTHCARE COMMUNITIES OF GOVERNMENT, MEDICAL, DENTAL, INSURANCE COMPANIES, LEGAL SYSTEM, AND THE MEDIA, ADVOCATES, AND THE PUBLIC TO HELP RECOGNIZE THE JAW JOINTS AND THEIR DISORDERS AS A LEGITIMATE MEDICAL CLINICAL ENTITY" AND THE URGENT NEED FOR IMMEDIATE HELP FOR ALL AMERICANS

What can be said to help TMJ Disorder sufferers to feel better? How about, "Let's give them Medical Care!" or even, "Can we please all recognize that these people are human beings and help them?" Well, that would be great were Medicare and Federal Insurance Guidelines to include TMJD as a medical, not dental, condition and, as such, to provide coverage for needed TMJD treatments or surgeries. Unfortunately, TMJD is a long overlooked and neglected illness and the many people suffering pain and associated dysfunction from it have quite the fight and plight upon them. I am one with a severe case who has diligently sought guidance from our so-called Lawmakers as to how to get coverage for an overdue Total TMJ Replacement (Arthroplasty) Surgery (see my here inserted, but dated x-ray). Sadly, what I have mainly discovered is that few American Politicians reply to desperate requests from citizens at all, and of the few who have replied, most say their hands are tied to help. We  all must continue to advocate for awareness of this dilemma. Broken and damaged jaws and jaw joints hurt! They hurt just as does any damaged joint or bone and lawmakers must hear the voices of us all so to recognize that lack of funding for TMJ Disorders is absurd. It causes many people to have handicaps who would otherwise be happier, healthier, and more productive citizens. In a comment to a local television station's interview with me concerning this very illness, one person wrote, "Isn't it unfortunate our government will pour billions of our tax dollars into saving corporate moguls who have overspent their budgets, but will not consider better healthcare for the poor less fortunate persons." Indeed. While many wonderful people such as Milton and Renee Glass of Jaw Joints & Allied Musculo-Skeletal Disorders Foundation [JJAMD] (tmjoints.org) and Dr. Robert Christensen, D.D.S., FAIMBE of TMJ Implants, Inc. (tmj.com) have made valiant effort to help others become aware of the TMJ Dilemma, there is much more effort needed by we, the people. Absolutely we all need continually speak to or wrote to our local and Federal leaders until they finally understand that the Medical and Dental associations of America MUST band together in recognizing TMJD as a real problem causing likely thousands of people to lack quality in their lives. 

If you are not one suffering TMJD, think of how terrible it is to have constant pain, lack of sleep, irritability or sadness, and whole-body exhaustion. It is awful. Again, we can hope or pray that a solution will come and we will all receive the Medical Care we need, but that is not very logical. We must DO something about it. We can start local petitions, contact our politicians, tell our friends, do whatever must be done so we and our children and grandchildren will have more than hope and prayer on our sides. We will have Medical Care, and won't that be great! By the way, all, last week policemen showed up at my door, saying, "Jill, you are not going to believe who sent us to check on you." I had no idea, but after writing hundreds of letters seeking guidance for my/our TMJ dilemma, I hoped it was the President. It wasn't. It was "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that sent them, they told me. So, people, there are others that care. The poor young officers did not know quite what to do with me. They asked, "Are you suicidal?" I answered, "Not at the moment, but if you think locking me in a cell will get me Medical Care and the overdue surgery I need, by all means, arrest me!" They didn't. I'm afraid I and we, yet, have them all stumped. I am not going to give up without a fight, though, folks, so you don't either. We deserve medical care! And, Oh, Yes! The photo of the sculpture ("Companions") here pasted is of how I feel (wounded!). The bruised clay lady (me) holds 13 pages of poetry (yes, it's small, but it's there) written over years in effort to try to release and represent how it feels to live in horrible pain every moment. The base of the sculpture was made with paper, torn-up paper that was once printed poetry. I felt it suiting to use those pages for part of the sculpture. Also, the photo of the oil painting ("It's Me and Jimi"), here pasted, was another attempt at getting my mind off of pain for a moment. I did not get rid of the pain, but creating the sculpture and painting at least took my mind off of it, briefly. Perhaps others with similar pain will want to try to use art as a pain-management choice? It is worth a try. Best Wishes and Hang In There!    Jill Johnson   Clifton, CO.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A PARTIAL LIST OF People and Organizations I have contacted,

thus far, attempting to receive the needed surgery.