Jaw arthritis, can't open jaw

[mkallas]

I'm finding that mentally I'm in an awful spot. I've been having problems with my jaw since the arthritis got to it about a month or two ago, and while it hurt, I was able to open my jaw to eat if I shifted it first. But just today I tried opening my jaw and I couldn't. It hurt so badly all of a sudden. And I just wanted to break down and cry, but couldn't because I was driving. I don't know what to do. After slowly trying to open it, im able to, but the pain is so severe now. I'm three weeks into the elimination diet, and I cannot keep taking more problems. Mentally, I am so broken and I'm desperate. I don't know what else to do other than the diet. I thought things would get better, I thought someone would have answers. What do I do?

[colonyofcells]

Can try not eating for a few hours and hope the jaw will get better so can eat again.

[patty]

Wow, that is scary. Hopefully you will find some relief.

Aloha, patty

[MINNIE]

Please see a doctor about this! If it is painful and distressing to you, you need to get it checked out.

It may not have anything to do with your diet, so waiting may not help you.

[patty]

It could be lockjaw from a infection and you need to see a dentist for treatment and antibiotics. Antibiotics have a point of no return so you have to go the doctor right away.

Aloha, patty

[healthyvegan]

100% agree with Patty. also a Myofunctional therapist might help https://aomtinfo.org/find-a-therapist-2

[mkallas]

How would I bring this up to a doctor without them trying to push arthritis medication on me? I've had that happen in the past already where the doctor won't listen to my request and instead scolds me about not taking arthritis medication and doing a diet. I have an acupuncturist/chiropractor who understands my condition and writes me prescriptions for blood tests and x rays and other things, but he's out of the country for a week. This morning my jaw pain is down by half, but I still can't open it as far as I was able to two days ago.

[AlwaysAgnes]

How would I bring this up to a doctor without them trying to push arthritis medication on me? I've had that happen in the past already where the doctor won't listen to my request and instead scolds me about not taking arthritis medication and doing a diet. I have an acupuncturist/chiropractor who understands my condition and writes me prescriptions for blood tests and x rays and other things, but he's out of the country for a week. This morning my jaw pain is down by half, but I still can't open it as far as I was able to two days ago.

You could read up on TMJ and TMD and see what treatment options might be. If you have a tendency to clench or grind your teeth, you might get a bite guard. If you don't want to see a medical doctor, but feel like you need to see someone, you could explore your options with a dentist.

https://patient.info/health/temporomand ... -disorders
https://www.deltadentalins.com/oral_health/tmj.html

[Vanilla Orchid]

Go see a doctor. If you don't want medication, a doctor can't make you take it. But, if you can't open your jaw and can't eat, you're going to have all kinds of other problems.

I feel your pain (literally). I'm having knee pain from osteoarthritis. After limping for a couple of months, I broke down and took an OTC ibuprofen today. It's not what I want long term, but too much pain makes for a bad quality of life, and the other options are not exactly quick fixes.

[greentea]

I would definitely start with a trip to the dentist who can see if you have TMJ/TMD, or bruxism. If you go to the website healthyvegan posted, you can find one there that deals with this type of thing.

[mkallas]

I called my dentist, and he said to hold a hot compress to my jaw. I then contacted my acupuncturist, and he said to massage my jaw from both inside my mouth and outside. He said that it's most likely a muscle issue, because my arthritis shouldn't progress within in a few hours like that, considering I was fine that morning and by that afternoon it became so severe. So I'm going to give that a try in the meantime, and hopefully it'll help loosen my jaw up.

[Bkworm]

mkallas, sure hope you have gotten even more relief from the jaw issues.

Just wanted to add that from my personal experience, you could very well be reacting to foods that are considered safe on the Elimination Diet (ED). After experiencing complete relief from RA flares for six months, I started experiencing RA flares again, though much less severe than before starting this WOE. Went on an ED and discovered after a couple of months that my major problems were being caused by oats and rice which are recommended foods for an ED. Any and all foods are suspect until you prove otherwise for your body. Previously had been able to eat oats and rice without any problems. For whatever reason, my body decided to start rejecting both. Still can't eat either food.

[Willijan]

If it is a muscle issue, you might be able to get help from a massage therapist.

I have been having severe problems with muscle pain for 7 months. Dr. McDougall's office referred me to Dr. Anthony Lim at True North. I had a phone appointment with him, and he recommended deep tissue massage. Had my first one yesterday, and it appears to have caused a big improvement.

The therapist did massage the back of my jawbone, even though I didn't mention I had a problem there. So it might be something they are familiar working with.

[mkallas]

I decided to cut rice from my diet a couple days ago, and miraculously today I'm able to open my jaw all the way. It's still sore, but it opens. The rest of my joints don't feel better from cutting rice, but I'm so glad my jaw is functioning again. But when I finally got it to open, I first shifted my jaw to the side and felt it crack, like when you crack a knuckle, and then I could open it. I'm too afraid to close my jaw all the way because I feel a bit of resistance, and it's like there's something grinding when I try to close my jaw all the way. I'm not sure what that is, and I messaged my doctor about it. I'm thinking he can order me an x ray to see what's going on in there.

edit: around 12:30pm my jaw locked up again and I can only open it 1 inch wide. But now when I try to shift my jaw to the side like I did in the morning, it hurts so much more. I'm so upset, literally all I ate today was veggie soup and a couple banana chips. Myabe it locked up again when I was chewing on the banana chips?

[Hopingthisworks]

I think you need to be seen by a proper MD. You really can't continue not being able to eat properly. This diet involves a lot of chewing so you will have problems with it if you can't chew.

You can go and get checked out and then decide what to do later regarding meds. I take meds daily. It is not ideal, but they improve my quality of life a lot. There is a chance they will knock off some years at the end of my life but this is worth it for me.

I don't know if there are meds you could temporarily take, and if the problem eases up over time you might be able to reduce or eliminate?