The Girl With Arthritis

 When my jaw flared, I quickly became tired of soft food, sleeping in new positions, and feeling sore all over. It was hard to get through the day. A long time ago, the thought of my psoriatic arthritis (PsA) attacking my jaw was my worst nightmare. I have many family members who have struggled with jaw pain for one reason or another, and it scared me to death. Unfortunately, my jaw started to show evidence of active arthritis as a teenager. Read the full article at Bezzy PsA

Arthritis joint pain is one thing. I've lived with it long enough to know how to cope with it. I have found also easier to 'read' that pain: I can easier find what's increasing the pain and how I can help it. However, there is one joint that I find impossible to 'read,' and I have the worst time trying to find what's going to help it the most. My jaw. Most people will develop a click or pain in their jaw- or TMJ- at some point of their life. A lot of time, the jaw will heal itself with time and a little help. However, it's not that easy for others. There still isn't a lot of research about TMJ disorder and such, so the ways we treat it often have little scientific evidence to support it. Usually, prescribed treatment is a soft food diet, jaw excersises and stretches, splints, avoiding large jaw movements and overuse, and heat and cold therapy for six weeks. Many doctors are reluctant to go past this because it can be reversed. However, what's...

The other day I had a jaw MRI. I've had jaw pain for quite a bit now, but I didn't think much of it: I thought was clenching my jaw due to stress. The pain has been getting worse, so I brought it up with my doctor. He sent me right away for a jaw MRI and I will be seeing him in a few weeks. I went to Google what a jaw MRI will be like but found very little. So, I thought it would be helpful to others to share my experience. First off, I always bring pyjamas with me. I like my own way more than the silly gowns they give you. Since the machine picks up on metal, it's important nothing you're wearing contains metal. Dental braces and such are fine, just let the technician know. The technician went over a few things and we headed into the MRI room. Some people may get an IV line at this point. He helped me on the table and gave me a cushion for my legs and a warm blanket since it was a bit cold. I was given headphones to listen to music, but I also could have used ear p...

When I was younger, I had dental braces. And I was adorable. Little Brace-Face Elizabeth, walking around smiling with a mouth full of metal. I used to get pink and purple bands on them. It was precious. Well, except when they were tightened and I was in a lot of pain. That wasn't really fun for anyone. Anyway, I got them taken off quite a number of years ago and I now have straight teeth. Now that I have the perfect teeth, can I please have a perfect jaw? Preferably a less painful jaw. Lately, I've been under a terrible about of stress and that results in clenching my jaw. Clenching my teeth makes my jaw extremely painful. So I've had to be creative in finding ways to relieve this pain, and I would like to pass this knowledge onto you. If you have jaw pain, or even just clench your teeth a lot from stress, you might find these tips helpful. 1. Drink something cold. No, the cold won't numb the pain. However you have to open your mouth to drink, and it will help put l...

I have Psoriatic arthritis in my jaw. It's not severe, but it does hurt a lot. Mostly, it comes when I'm stressed and I clench my teeth. Sometimes it's random though, so when I have to read out loud in class you can only imagine how it feels. I have a lot of sympathy for people with jaw problems. What's odd about it, is that there is usually one form of relief that works better than any pain medicine or ice can do. Crying.  And while I don't have to often, when I do cry when I have jaw pain, it helps the pain so much. I think the reason is that I stop clenching my teeth and thus stop tensing the muscle. But crying is a way of, not just expressing, but relieving pain and stress. Maybe it's because I'm a girl, but I think it's okay for people to cry. There is too much in life to bottle up, and unhappiness and sad feelings shouldn't be surpressed. I think that when people have had enough and start to tear up, even in a public or professional settin...