Friday, June 01, 2012

Sunday, June 07, 2009 gary asks

Q: I also have pain in my upperback. It feels swollen and hurts in the morning.

I have temporomandibular jaw disfunction and it hurts all the time. A specialist said this condition can cause pain in other areas of the body. Mayofacial pain. I don't have money to treat this condition. I wonder if the pain in my upper back ( more in the morning ) is associated with this or smoking. I have my quit date.You see, I started when smoking was accepted everywhere. Even in doctors offices people were smoking, in malls, in airplanes, in restaurants.

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Brad, Health Guide
6/ 9/09 2:04am

Yeah. How about you follow your drs instructions, stop snorting pain pills and get serious about this.

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Lene Andersen, Health Guide
6/ 9/09 8:05pm

I've also had TMJ and it does impact the rest of your body, as well. Nothing I tried helped until I found a site somewhere that said TMJ can be related to shoulder problems and when I started treating my shoulder was ice and heat and relaxation, my TMJ improved. However, it wasn't until my RA got treated and suppressed by various DMARDs (like methotrexate and the Biologics) that the jaw pain really improved.

 

I do recommend that you see a good rheumatologist and have an honest discussion about your pain and the ways you treat your pain. Your current ways of taking painkillers are very dangerous. Taking painkillers the recommended way will most likely not leave your addicted when you do have pain - as the narcotic drug has a pain to deal with, it won't make you stoned or addicted. However, you have to decide that you want to be responsible for your own health and do the best you can to be as healthy as possible.  I understand that this can be a different thing to live with, but it's the only road to getting to a place where you can live well with RA.

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By gary— Last Modified: 12/26/10, First Published: 06/07/09