UC and TMJ disorder?

Hello

I have been suffering from UC since a year and a half. The inflammation was mostly found in the rectum, but also extends into the left-side colon. Since the diagnosis, I have been always taking 2.4g/day of mesalazine tablets and 1g of mesalazine suppository.

Since a couple of weeks I am having bouts of constipation and soft stools with intermittent bloating and abdominal pain. It is not the first time that I have these episodes, but this time I am also experiencing pain in my right ear, which feels popped, and right side of my face, and the doctor told me that the middle ear is filled with mucus (like glue ear in children). I had this exact same problem at the same time my UC symptoms first started.

An ENT specialist told me that my ear problem could be due to a temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), which apparently can be the source of countless problems everywhere in the body (chronic back pain, vertigo, chronic headaches, even IBS...). So I was wondering if anyone is suffering from TMJ disorder and if there is evidence for an association between UC and TMJ.

adamas said...
Hello

I have been suffering from UC since a year and a half. The inflammation was mostly found in the rectum, but also extends into the left-side colon. Since the diagnosis, I have been always taking 2.4g/day of mesalazine tablets and 1g of mesalazine suppository.

Since a couple of weeks I am having bouts of constipation and soft stools with intermittent bloating and abdominal pain. It is not the first time that I have these episodes, but this time I am also experiencing pain in my right ear, which feels popped, and right side of my face, and the doctor told me that the middle ear is filled with mucus (like glue ear in children). I had this exact same problem at the same time my UC symptoms first started.

An ENT specialist told me that my ear problem could be due to a temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), which apparently can be the source of countless problems everywhere in the body (chronic back pain, vertigo, chronic headaches, even IBS...). So I was wondering if anyone is suffering from TMJ disorder and if there is evidence for an association between UC and TMJ.

Not sure if mine is related but I've been poorly the last few months with either a flare or infection ... then the last few days I have had exactly the same thing with my Jaw and both ears !

I thought to myself yesterday' something is going on and it must be related !

quincy said...
TMJ seems a mechanical/alignment problem....unless you have arthritis in the joint. I see in the past that you had dental infection....so its possible the infection might have some relation there. Did your ENT do x-rays or MRI or CT?

I also see I didn't answer your questions in the past thread...apologies. no, my UC has never been as bad as the initial diagnosis and has never spread upward. However, it took almost 3 years for me to get the hang of using the enemas and tapering.

I suggest you get on 4g enemas. When was your last c-scope?

What are the treatments your doc suggested for the glue ear/excessive mucus? Is he sure there is no intection there? Possible blockage or dysfunction of eustachian tube?

I dont believe there is any connection of TMJ and UC....i think if your ear issue can be dealt with....the pain should subside. I don't know if TMJ would cause glue ear....however alignment might cause some nerve or muscle dysfunction or draining within eustachin tubes.
How are your tonsils?

I had issues when I was in my late teens of my jaw locking, and wouldnt open very wide. Unbelievable pain. Valium helped 😊 haven't had it since, but I had injured my neck as a child....constant neck issues, however and BPPV. No excess fluid or mucus in ears, but sinuses are touchy.
That area is fairly fragile and is intricately connected with so many closed and tiny air filled and fluid filled spaces.....any inflammation could cause a cascade of issues.

q

I had my one and only c-scope in April 2016, when I was diagnosed. My GI has prescribed me 1g suppository because, in his experience, with enemas there is low patient adherence, and I agree about that because the few times I tried the enemas it was very uncomfortable and I could not retain it. I guess though that is just a matter of getting used to it... Have you benefit from using enemas rather than suppositories?

Regarding TMJ, I believe I definitely have Eustachian tube dysfunction, since, even when the ear was clear of mucus, I have always had problems compensating the pressure when flying, driving up and downs, taking high lifts etc. This symptom appeared at the same time as the first UC symptoms. Maybe it is just a coincidence, as, at that time, I was really stressed.

The last time for the glue ear I had 12 sessions of a so-called timpanic insufflation therapy, where a doctor inserted a small tube into my nostrils and blew a spray into the tube. Everything else I tried before ( nasal sprays, decongestant etc.) was utterly ineffective.

I have already seen a TMJ specialist dentist (it is hard to find a dentist that really specializes on this subject) and he told me that TMJ can cause mucus build-up and tube dysfunction because the mandibule, if misaligned, can press against the eustachian tube and generates a conflict. A misaligned mandibule, could eventually lead to TMJ disorders.

Since TMJ is a joint, actually the most used joint in the body, and UC extraintestinal effects target joints, I thought that there may be a relationship. However, there is no literature on that yet.



I was wondering

The specialist that I saw suggested me a custom-made splint, that has to be recalibrated regularly, and I think it is what I am going to do. These devices are quite expensive, since they are not the cheap nightguards that can be bought at the pharmacy, but must be tailored-made to each individual bite.

I do not have dry mouth or eyes, but allergy may be a possibility, as these symptoms appear at each change of season.

By the way, I have also noticed that my UC is worse indeed when there are seasonal changes, in April and September time. Is this a sort of pattern that you have experienced yourself or is it just a coincidence?

quincy said...
The custom guard/spling is a good thing to try. Is it the kind that is used during the day as well?

Some mention a seasonal flaring....I've never had it. I had period/ surgery/life crisis connected to flares, however.
If your flares are coinciding, it could be that you're undermedicated
Keep in mind the ear and TMJ issues could be an extra stress on your body. Sometimes that can have an influence on flaring or simmering inflammation.

Are you using probiotics?
q

I am not using probiotics currently. I took in the past VSL#3 and Saccharomyces Boulardii while I was taking antibiotics and for the few weeks after. After the course of antibiotics I only had minor cramping, but no diarrhea. Maybe that happened thanks to the probiotics, or maybe not, I cannot know for sure.

It seems to me that the beneficial effects of probiotics are highly depending on case by case, and I also believe that the placebo effect plays a role too. Given the ridiculous price of VSL#3, I decided not to take that on a regular basis.

What I have always found tricky was how to objectively assess if probiotics were helping or not. For instance, how can I know if they are helping if I am already feeling reasonably well, or, viceversa, if I have symptoms despite still taking the usual medicines, would they induce remission?

Besides, the GIs I have spoken to were quite skeptical about probiotics since, according to them, there is not enough scientific evidence yet (for UC sufferers).

Also, how long should I take probiotics before seeing their effect? I am quite anxious and impatient, so I get disheartened easily if something does not work as soon as I expect.

I am living in the UK. The most potent probiotic available is VSL#3, which has 450 billion bacteria per dose and it seems that is the only one that has shown some effectiveness in UC. But it is insanely expensive...

I am also having TMJ, started with popping in my left jaw, then pain chewing, then my right side also. My GP said see my Dentist, she wasn't encouraging that it would help, but did the nite guard, believe that was June this yr. It hasn't helped, back to GP last wk he gave me muscle relaxers & script for anti inflammatory which I didn't fill after remembering I'm not suppose to take with UC. Not a lot of help from Muscle relaxers, have appt today to see a Dentist who does Digital Panoramic X-rays. Hope this will at least tell me if it's Arthritis. Not Sure whether to Thank Prednisone or Chronic Inflammation for this!! Any ideas on treatment are welcome.

Thanks Adamas, I'm in USA, Texas. Saw the new Dentist yesterday, who had just returned from seminar on TMJ, took my guard & he checked it with the blue paper & ground on it several times, said it could have made it worse. It's for my upper teeth, I'm to wear it at least 14 hrs a day, careful with what I eat, as I've been somewhat. Put moist heat on jaws & get a massage, keep taking muscle relaxers & go back in a wk. He didn't want to do X-ray at this time. I thought abt an orthodonist, had read on here someone had Invisalign braces that helped, but will try this for awhile....at least I have more hope now, my Dentist didn't give me much hope at all!!