I seem to always have bruises all over my legs and sometimes my arms, too. This does not seem to be caused by injury - they just show up. Is this common in other Lupus patients?
Also I have jaw pain that just seemed to show up a few days ago. It is on the left side right in a joint and hurts a lot when I eat. Has anyone else encountered jaw joint pain with Lupus?
I get jaw pain - I really notice it at the dentist - It comes and goes generally - but medication has helped a lot. I used to bruise with ITP or low platelets but that was before I was diagnosed with lupus.
Some of the medications also cause easy bruising When I am on even low dose prednisone I look like I have been beat up with all the bruises!! And yep you can have pain in any joint- including the jaw Best to rest it- soft food only and maybe some NSAIDS My fav with this- mashed potatoes and gravy!!
I have always gotten tons of bruises without injury. My Dr. said they come from the inside to the outside and could be related to vasculitis.It explained why I hurt so bad on the inside if that bruise is internal, working its way to the skin.
Much jaw joint issues are attributed to TMJ (Temporal Mandibular Joint) dysfunction. I was less lucky. My jaw pain was diagnosed as Trigeminal Neuralgia, one of the most painful conditions a person can have.
I have bruising on my forearms and the back of my hands. I bruise so easyily and tear my skin and I don't even feel it happen. This is from prednisone and lupus, etc. Plaquenil turns my forearms and my lower legs grey.
I can bruise this easily from my knees to my ankles. Also have vascular insufficiency so have to wear support hose. Not always so common with lupus. In my lupus foundation group most don't have bruising. However I have other autoimmune diseases that can cause this too.
You have to hold on.
I have TMJ and I also bruise. my doctor says it all comes from the lupus or side effects of the meds. My dentist was the first to say something about the TMJ then my ear nose and throat doctor.
It can be caused by some medications the bruising that is but I still make a point to show your doctor. You might take photos on your cell phone or measure the size and placement of them.
As to jaw pain...besides the TMJ which is usually the cause. The main other reason is jaw clenching or grinding your teeth. Your Dentist should be able to tell if you are grinding since it wears your teeth down in specific way.
If it hurts under the jaw...there are lymph nodes there that can hurt when you get sick or have inflammation going on in your body. They will feel swollen and often have nodules in them...or you can feel them normally and they will swell and cause pain.
I am sure you can google it.. can google lymph nodes in jaw area, images might be a place to check as well.
Thank you for all your replies. I recently told my doctor about this site to let her other patients about how great it is to have online support! This site is a God send!!
Oh my goodness!!!!!!! I've experienced the exact same thing. The jaw pain was terrible. I thought that I had a bad tooth or something. It was on the right side and my gums were swollen. It was soooooo hard to eat because every time that I would bite down I had excruciating pain. I am better now.It did last for a few weeks. Thank God the pain is gone. Hope you feel better.