I have had severe ear pain upon waking in the morning for about 10 years now, maybe even more. I used to think it was always whatever ear I woke up NOT sleeping on, the one exposed to the environment (side sleeper). Now I am realizing it is always my right ear and I must just sleep on my left side most often. It is the most intense pain I have ever had and it is so debilitating in the morning that I can't move my head even a fraction of an inch without the most horrid stabbing pains shooting throughout my entire head, but mostly centered around the ear. Once I finally make myself jerk up quickly in bed (and it is EXCRUCIATING) the pain normally subsides immediately and within about 15-20 minutes it is totally gone. Until lately that is. Now it is lasting throughout the entire day (this happens sporadically, maybe 2-3 times a week, and maybe only a couple times a month sometimes). The pain isn't as intense as it is upon waking, but it is still very painful all day. Anytime I jerk my head around too quickly, look up at the sky, or any other jerky movement at times. It also hurts whenever I chew sometimes, but it hurts around the opening of my ear and not my jaw! Rewind just a little.....I have been to numerous doctors about this and always get told my ear is clear and looks fine. The time before last when I went to the doctor he asked me a series of questions. He came up with TMJ and sent me on my not so merry way with a prescription for ativan. He told me to take one before going to bed and that it would relax me enough to keep me from grinding my teeth at night and it would in turn eliminate my pain. I can't tell if that ever really worked because like I said the incidents are so unpredicatable. You just never know when you are going to go weeks without one. I am wondering if others have experienced anything like this before after a diagnosis of TMJ? Here are a few other things that I have noticed....

-whenever I push up from the bottom of my ear during an episode, it feels like someone has a jagged dagger in there and just pushed it further in my ear.

-my pain is mostly the underside of my ear and around the rim of entrance to my ear canal.

-whenever I wake not only do I have the feeling I described above, but I also feel like someone poured something heavy into the exposed ear and it makes my ear and head weigh a ton.

I know I am long winded and I feel like I haven't explained this very well. I am just in a lot of pain today and at a loss at what to do about it. My last doctors visit resulted in my PCP refering me to an ENT doctor. The ENT doctor then wanted to have an MRI done which I can't afford. My insurance doesn't start paying on anything like that undtil my ded. is met and the MRI is expensive! If you have any suggestions or comments, please reply! I am desperate!