jaw breaking

[wolves]

had a bad couple of weeks of flare ups in usual places ( hands,feet,shoulders)but yesterday pain in right jaw so bad,only managed to eat a yogurt can ra affect jaw ?

[sylvi]

In a nut shell yes. You have a joint in your face for your jaw to move.xx

[PeteC]

Not to worry you but ...

I too get it in the jaw which also gives me toothache in most of my teeth. With me it's not just joints that are effected, I also get it in the throat which means not only can I barely open my jaw to chew but I struggle to swallow. I also get it internally, not sure what organs it attacks but all I know is at times its even a struggle to breath. It rarely happens, its normally just my joints but I did a little research some time ago and found RA is not just restricted to joints.

Hope this has cheered you up a bit, if not a few more golds in the Olympics today may help

[sylvi in reply to PeteC]

Pete it affects my eyes and they get very sore...

[Hidden]

I too had problems periodically with my jaw. It kept locking and I couldn't open my mouth. Haven't had it for ages now so hope I'm not jinxing myself by mentioning it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carolyn x

[caggy]

Hi ya Wolves, YES it certainly can effect the Jaw but I was not told this, and suffered with pain and stiffness, I couldn't eat as my teeth wouldn't come together to chew so I had to suck everything even steak. a rare commodity these days. And like Petec says yes in your throat too taking your voice away and making swallowing difficult. It does go away again, I've had it last a week at one time, and the voice 9 days but everyone said it was laryngitis!

[bub124]

Just to reiterate what everyone else has said, it can affect parts of you other than your joints. Regarding Sylvi's comments on eyes, it can manifest itself as Iritis (aka Uveitis) which MUST be treated quickly otherwise it can damage your eyesight, so if you do get sore eyes and blurred vision, ring your GP and get them to refer you to the opthalmology dept. I've sometimes been given a letter to take up there or sometimes they refer me via A&E but you must get it checked out asap.

Bx

[bevlin in reply to bub124]

I get very sore eyes and they have been really bad for the last couple of weeks, they run a lot. too and I've taken to wearing sunglasses almost all the time, even indoors when its been really bad! Sure The neighbours think I just like to act all mysterious.......! Also since getting RA ten years ago my jaw aches a lot and I cant open it very wide which is a nightmare when visiting the dentist......I have to have a huge clamp put in to keep my mouth open so that the poor dentist can see what hes doing.......... or maybe he just wants me to keep quiet......!

B x

[bub124 in reply to bevlin]

Bevlin, have you had them checked out? You really should in case its iritis. As I understand it (and I'm not a doctor) the back of the eye become inflamed and the pressure inside builds. They give me maxidex eye drops and sometimes dilating drops if it's really bad. Don't want to scare you but I've always had it drummed into me how important it is to get it checked out when I get symptoms

B x

[bevlin in reply to bub124]

I'm going to make an appointment, have read so much about it on here it would be silly not to, I think. I was speaking to my mum earlier (she's had RA for the last 40 odd years) and she also suffers badly with her eyes so have urged her to goto the Doctors too. I'll let you know how I get on x

[bub124 in reply to bevlin]

Yes let me know. If you say to your GP that you think it may be Iritis he should send you straight to have it checked out - you need a special machine that looks at the back of the eye - especially as you already suffer from RA.

My sister gets bouts of Iritis all the time and has a positive rheumatoid factor but not full blown RA.

I hope I've not scared you but it's just something I've had drummed into me over the years by my rheumy team how important it is to get it checked and every time I ring them or my GP and tell them I suspect I've got it again, they swing into action almost immediately and I get an appointment at the hospital the same day!

Getting back to the original comment on jaws, my dentist's heart sinks whenever I go as I too can hardly open my mouth. The poor thing has such a job I feel really sorry for him.

B x

[hamble99b]

I have it too. I have any fillings I can without numbing as the injection hurts more - inc "open wide"

I also have tmj and sometimes my jaw locks painfully for a few mns.

regards, sandra

[nottsexsportfanatic]

With the jaw being such a common problem why is it my rheumy takes no notice when I talk about my jaw? I too have noticed saw, dry eyes (or weepy), but I find this worse at night not in the day - Again my rheumy seems unconcerned..... should I push these points, Im seeing them Monday?