Hi & welcome!
I’m really sorry that your doctor wasn’t at all helpful, unfortunately we see it so much with members, & especially with Canadian members!
Your symptoms are very common with ES; there’s ots of info about common symptoms & possible causes in this section:
And your doctor is definitely wrong about surgery… Have you had a CT scan or a panoramic x-ray for your TMJD? If you have you can always upload it here, we can have a quick look to see if you are on the right track… A consultation with Dr Osborne may well be useful, he’s been very helpful with diagnosing members as well as surgery, but I don’t know if he needs imaging sent before a consultation- hopefully other members who have seen him can let you know about that…I’m guessing if you haven’t had any it might be hard for you to get this?
Re the anti-depressants, depending on what he’s suggested & the dosage, it might be helpful, as anti-depressants can be used for nerve pain in lower doses- like Amitriptyline, Duloxetine… Yes, if they work they will only mask the nerve pain, & won’t ‘cure’ the ES, but if it helps you manage your symptoms while you push for a diagnosis & potentially surgery then that’s a good thing. Because they work in low doses, I would hope that coming off them wouldn’t be so difficult. Some can help you sleep too which is great as getting sleep when you’re in pain is not easy!
Some other tips which might be helpful are seeing if sleeping propped up a bit makes a difference, (it can help with head pressure), trying either heat or ice on your neck & throat, & I would avoid any more chiropractic treatments or massage if they don’t help, & unless they’re aware of ES, as these can sometimes make things worse, as you’ve found.
I’ve sent you an invite to a private thread for Canadians as it’s so difficult in your country & so you can connect with others.