Can you post a picture of the expander with the part giving you pain highlighted?

You're asking for trouble if you ignore warning signs and try to force the expander to do its work. A dull achy feeling can be normal, but you shouldn't be experiencing the degree of pain you described and shouldn't have to use medication to relieve the pain. So you need to figure out what's causing your problem before carrying on. It is possible that the expander doesn't fit you correctly and is concentrating its force on a small area rather than spreading out the force across all of the alveolar ridge. Sometimes the expander acrylic needs to be adjusted as the shape of your palate changes with expansion, but since you are just starting, any problems with the fit of the expander could only be from errors in the process of making the impressions or appliance. My guess is that it's more likely you have advanced the expander screw too much too soon. I wore my expander for several days before I turned the screw for the first time to make sure that it was seating correctly. You make it sound like you have already turned the screw multiple times from the start. Your question about how often to turn the screw makes me think that you haven't taken the due diligence to read the many threads on this topic. Several of us have already documented troubleshooting the complications that you will encounter. Start with this thread I posted last week about the side effects an expander can cause even when under the supervision of a functional orthodontist:

/community/community/main-forum/cautionary-palate-expander-case/

I mention in that post that I would not recommend attempting any sagittal expansion with a removable appliance. This would include turning the anterior screw of a y-plate style expander. As you said, without a suture to separate in that direction, any forward expansion is far more likely to be dental than skeletal. Once your expander feels like it is seated in the roof of your mouth comfortably and securely, then start turning the screw at a rate of one 1/4mm turn every 2 to 5 days. How fast you advance depends on a number of factors including your age, how many hours per day you wear the expander, your oral posture during hours without the expander, etc.

You should not feel any pain with the expander, and especially not discomfort to the point where you need painkillers. The expander is not fitting properly into your palate, and is therefor digging into it. Force isn't being transferred evenly and properly with a situation like this either. If you continue to expand while it is digging into your palate, you will hurt yourself without accomplishing any actual separation at the suture. 

I have read all posts regarding the palate expander in the past. Most of the content has slipped my memory.

Essentially my goal was to make the palate expander fit, because it was way too narrow at first. It felt as if if fit well against my palate, except for that one area. Now there is brusing, or the bumps were already there and they are what's causing the unequal force distribution. Either way I will take advice I've read to file down the expander and get if fitting comfortably.

It's still hard to determine if it is fitting correctly. The anterior part sits a few mms from the bottom of my front teeth, and touches (not pushing) them.

If you look at the FAGGA appliance, there is an acrilic part that pushes on the front of the aveolar ridge, potentially if you were to sand down the front that touches your teeth (of the y-plate), you could get some forward force on that area causing forward expansion.

Posted by: Apesthetix

I have read all posts regarding the palate expander in the past. Most of the content has slipped my memory.

Essentially my goal was to make the palate expander fit, because it was way too narrow at first. It felt as if if fit well against my palate, except for that one area. Now there is brusing, or the bumps were already there and they are what's causing the unequal force distribution. Either way I will take advice I've read to file down the expander and get if fitting comfortably.

It's still hard to determine if it is fitting correctly. The anterior part sits a few mms from the bottom of my front teeth, and touches (not pushing) them.

Just be careful because once you start removing acrylic from one section it can concentrate the force on sections that haven't been reduced and set of a cascade of adjustments. After expanding to 3mm, I developed an ulcer on my alveolar ridge and had to let it heal, turn back my screw, and sort out the fit issues before resuming.

 

Posted by: Apesthetix

If you look at the FAGGA appliance, there is an acrilic part that pushes on the front of the aveolar ridge, potentially if you were to sand down the front that touches your teeth (of the y-plate), you could get some forward force on that area causing forward expansion.

There is a removable anterior growth guidance appliance that is used in growing children. I think in adults if you push against the alveolar ridge in the front with the removable appliance anchored to your teeth, you're more likely to tip the teeth backward than move the bone forward. I asked about this in the FAGGA thread:

Posted by: Apollo

Has anyone with a y-plate appliance used it to expand the front teeth forward? If so, how do you intend to close the gap that opens up? 

 But after seeing what happened to Ronny from the migrainehacks.com blog with his sagital expander, I really believe it is counterproductive.