Jaw appt. | Arthritis Information

First off...sinus are feeling better! Way to go stronger antibiotic!

Saw the jaw dr. today. He was impressed with the inflammation(I aim to please!) and gave me a cortisone injection on each side. Hopefully this will help-especially since school starts up again next week. He really wants to go back in and do a type of surgery called arthroplasty. I figured some of you might know about this. It is more invasive than what I had done before. Basically, the incesion is right in front the of ear and will be hidden by hair. He will go in and realign and clean out the joint. He compared it to having knee surgery. He really wants to do it sooner rather than later but I told him I want to get the Rituxen started. He mentioned spring break but I really would like to actually have some time off from work where I can do something. I gave him Thanksgiving for the first procedure, and I stayed home over Christmas to try to calm the RA down and get some rest. Maybe summer....

I am already back in PT for the chest wall issues so he added ultrasound for the jaw to the script. That will should buy me some time. Oh well, this is what I get for having such a big mouth.

Anyway, any experiences???

awwww rocckyd- I feel for you. Shots scare the hell out of me. I have no knowledge of these things you are experiencing but I wish you all the best in getting them resolved.

Thank goodness the antibiotics are starting to work. I know nothing about the surgery, but am interested to hear about it. I hope things work out for you and you get better soon. The thoughts of Surgery always gives me that queasy feeling in my stomach.

I'm glad the antibiotics are working...and sorry about the surgery. Gosh that doesn't sound like any fun at all. I've had both hips replaced and the surgery you described just gives me the willies!

Bob

Rocckyd, I'm interested in your efforts to help your jaw. I've had jaw joint pain, TMD, difficulty opening my mouth wide enough to get food in there, and loud painful snapping when I chew for years. Have worn a bite guard for years also, my teeth are worn from grinding all night long, and when I get up in the morning it hurts like hell, one side, the other side, both sides, alternating willy nilly. I'm newly diagnosed with RA and the jaw thing is another of many "Ah HA!" moments of 20/20 hindsight I've had since diagnosis. As in, "RA explains this, that and the other thing I've had bothering me for the last several years." Rheumy suggested that I continue on my meds for a while before seeing an orthopedic surgeon, in hopes that MTX and Pred will help my jaw. So far, there has been improvement of the two steps forward, one step back kind. Today, it feels pretty good. Yesterday, ow. Tomorrow, who knows?
Having lived with this pain, I can say that I would go through surgery if that's what it took to eliminate the agony, be able to fully open my mouth, and chew without pain. I'm glad they can do something for you. Go for it! And please keep us posted on how the cortisone shots help. Glad your sinuses are better. bluehour-sorry to hear you have jaw issues too. The RA meds might help. I had jaw issues as a teen. It was the only joint at the time that hurt so nothing else was thought of it. Dentist gave me a mouth guard and sent me on my way. It flared up again at the end of high school pretty badly but that is when other joints did as well. Got the RA diagnosis and alot of the jaw issues did go away once I found a good RA med combo. This was a while ago(I'm 32 now). It has only been in the last couple years that that jaw has been so bad. But, once again, all the joints are having issues. Now, the main difference is that there is a ton of damage to the joint. So, even if the meds work, damage has been done. There is quite a bit of inflammation, but being a girl, my hair hides most of it.

I don't know if an orthopedic surgeon can do much for you. They would probably send you to a maxofacial(spelling?) surgeon aka oral surgeon. I have been seeing mine for 2 years and we have finally gotten to this point. Love him-he works closely with my rheumy and my pain management dr. Just like any joint surgery, the longer you can wait the better. Repairs only last so long. But, once you reach that point it has to be done.

I had PT today and we talked about it. She feels like the dr-sooner the better. In her words-you are getting by right now, but when the jaw goes, it will be bad. Basically, they are both worried about it getting frozen/locked in place. I am thinking I will wait a bit and maybe schedule an appointment in Feb to talk about the procedure. I would much rather wait until the summer, but I have to be able to teach. Oh, I don't know....

Rebecca, you have been through a lot for a youngster! I wasn't diagnosed till 52. I haven't seen anyone about jaw yet, regular dentist gave me the bite guards I'm currently using. I am not happy with him since I was grinding my teeth without knowing it for a long time, and the edges of the ones in front are worn right down to the insides. I think he should have noticed it and gotten me bite guards LONG before I finally asked him about my sore jaw. After all, I WAS SLEEPING! I wasn't sure what kind of dentist to see next, should it be necessary and the RA meds don't help, but I was thinking someone who specialized in TMD might be able to get me a better bite guard. Currently I'm wearing the kind they make from a mold of your teeth, thin plastic, and after a few months they become hard as a rock due to the jaw pressure, and I chew holes in them. I wear TWO, one on top teeth and one on the bottom. That's the only way that I can wake up every so often without pain. I keep thinking that there's a dentist somewhere who will make me a single bite guard that will hold my upper and lower teeth in place, and All Will Be Well. (I'm a dreamer.)
It's difficult to make preemptive decisions about surgery, or medical care for that matter, when you're not in a crisis situation. I felt the same diagnosed with RA, first doc said let's wait and see what happens, but my research indicated waiting was a very bad idea. So now I'm on meds (and with a different rheumy) even though my symptoms are mild in comparison to many others on this board. Sounds like you've got a great group of docs sharing in your care.

I am sorry for what you are going through, the jaw has got to be so terribly painful. Will the procedure (surgery) be harder to recover from, or harder to perform, or less effective if you do wait to long?...I mean put it off until the thing locks up?...I understand why they don't want to do the surgery to early, but then I hate that you that you live with so much pain.

Wishing you the best possible outcome,

Lisa