Jaw pain

[Summerrental]

Woke up this morning with jaw pain on left side, only hurts when I chew & swallow. Have had PMR since May 2018. Reduced to 8 mg of pred. yesterday, could this be GCA?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

How do you feel besides? It could be - but there are other reasons for jaw pain.

[Summerrental in reply to PMRpro]

I did have some neck pain on that side the last few days in the morning.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Summerrental]

Are your glands enlarged in that side? Might be worth looking at this, answer seeing if it’s applicable -nhs.uk/conditions/temporoma...

[Summerrental in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you for your reply. No glands are not enlarged. I took some Tylenol & pain is easing. Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Could be....but as PMRpro says there are other reasons. Bit more info would help.

[Alchemy8]

Sorry to come in on this Summerrental but rather than open up pretty well exactly the same thread again, I thought it might help contribute to your condition. I am also suffering from jaw pain this am which feels more in the bone. Like an ache at the TMJ and lower mandible. This has come and gone in the past but am feeling it now as it radiates up both cheekbones. Now one of the symptoms of GCA is "jaw claudication" but we are not given any idea what that feels like. Both sides are affected. I am on 20mg again today and have been finding over the last few days and particularly this am that I am waking up (despite taking split dose at 2.00am) with some pain in the spine and shoulders probably around 6.30am? Have rung the Dr (not mine unfortunately) and am waiting on a call this am). Any thoughts wise ones?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Alchemy8]

"one of the symptoms of GCA is "jaw claudication" but we are not given any idea what that feels like. "

Claudication is defined as pain which occurs when a muscle in being used and stops when the activity stops only to start again when the action is resumed. In this case it usually starts when chewing after up to a couple of minutes and may be anything from your jaw feeling too tired to chew up to really dragging aching pain.

[CricketMonkey in reply to PMRpro]

When I had it (pre-diagnosis, so I didn’t know what I was expecting at all), I described it as thinking, after I’d eaten one slice of toast “Blimey, that was hard work and hurt more than I expected”. The pain did then disappear immediately.

[Alchemy8 in reply to CricketMonkey]

All calmed down again but Dr recommended a test re inflammatory markers (and yes I know - not always a good indication but also blood viscosity) so went up yesterday. No results as yet. As CRP was down to 1 two weeks ago probably OK. Thanks PMRpro and Cricket Monkey.