When I had a TMJ flare-up on my “good” side, I was devastated. I’d lived with it on my bad side (right) for so many years that it had just become part of who I was. But when it started on the side I could still rely on, it felt like reliving it all over again. When you have TMJ disorder, you get used to the crunching and cracking. I barely noticed it after so many years. I mainly chewed food on my good side, so everything felt manageable. But this sudden flare in the side o

In 2001 I moved into my first home with my then-partner. If I’m being honest, I didn’t really want to, but at that age, it felt like the right thing to do. Before I knew it, I was moving in, swept along by the plan. It was the wrong decision for both of us.