Swollen Cheek

[Eve.]

Urgh, hoping it's not something else annoying after a crap few days health wise with blurred vision and arthritis swelling and pain.

Have been very tired and headachey but figure it's more eye strain from the blurred vision.

It became swollen yesterday (hoped it might just disappear overnight) and it's quite warm, just one cheek, no pain as such, just feels weird, no tooth or gum ache and had my wisdom teeth out years ago, can't feel my glands in my neck up, already had mumps when I was a child. Been waking up with very puffy eyes a lot recently and had quite a lot of arthritis pain andswelling in my hands and feet and pain down my arms and legs so maybe just some general swelling?

Could it just be something random that will go away on its own or I can sort myself? Really don't want go back to the docs with something else but can't afford any more time off work if it develops into anything.

[Sqad]

Where exactly on the cheek is it? Is it just in front of and below your ear..........try and be more specific about the position.

[Eve.]

Wow, that was quick, thanks Sqad.

It feels like more the upper part which feels weird but more forward or my face rather than under my ear.

But when it feel it it's all my cheek (again, more forward on my face than under my ear) that's swollen. If I feel down under my ear that doesn't feel swollen at all.

[Sqad]

O.K.....well, with your eye symptoms, your rheumatoid arthritis the distinct possibility of an auto-immune disorder of acute parotitis associated with Sjogrens syndrome springs to mind.

Google it.

[Eve.]

Will do, thanks Sqad, much appreciated as always.

[Eve.]

Ahh that's interesting! They did remark when looking at my eyes at the hospital abut them being dry (and get it every time I go for an eye test). I'm seeing rhumo a week Monday with being off the plaquenil and flaring so can ask them.

Will be back at the eye clinic too as they are sending me an appointment to get the blurriness checked out as they want to do tests they couldn't do in emergency clinic. My eyesight is much less blurry but still not right so hopefully soon.

Thanks again sqad.

[Sqad]

Just a thought Jenna.......just a thought.....;-)

[SMP]

Jenna, I had an infection in my parotid gland about a year ago. Had a lump below my ear that swelled along my jaw line and up into my cheek. It became very enlarged whenever I ate. Antibiotics reduced some of the swelling but after about 2 weeks a saliva stone appeared at the opening of the parotid duct in my mouth. Dentist tried to remove it (I thought my tooth had broken) but couldn't. He must have broken it up a bit because the next day it came away in several bits. Parotid gland problems are common with Sjogrens.
Got my lip biopsy 20th July.

[boxtops]

If it were me, I'd say you were describing acute sinusitis - my upper cheek can be very sore if the sinus cavity below the eye is inflamed.

[Sqad]

boxy.....jenna's main problem is swelling of the cheek, which is invariably absent in acute sinusitis.

[Eve.]

Looking like a possibility then SMP, glad yours got sorted. Stone sounds painful! (Just the thought makes me wince after evil gallstones - I have a bit of a hurty stone complex now!). Am hoping to go back on the Plaquenil if they ok it's not them causing it now.

Thankfully the cheek swelling has gone down a bit today :) Keeping an eye as it's not back to normal but it going down is a good sign and looking less like a lopsided hamster is nice haha! Still had puffy eyes this morning but the swelling in my hands has gone down a bit too so whether connected or not it's nice to be less swollen so hopefully the pain will settle too.

Am stressing about having too many flares before getting settled on meds in case they cause damage which can't be undone - fingers already starting to curve a bit into towards my palm (feels more spring like though) and my two index fingers have started to turn in a little towards my middle finger.

Will ask my physio if there are any exercises I can do to help them back to normal as don't want to risk damaging anything further by doing the wrong thing.