Is head symptoms because of r.a?

[ChelleBee]

4 months ago I had a baby, my symptoms begun about 4 weeks before he was born. Since I have had him I have been diagnosed with anemia and just recently, rhumetoid athritis. I have been on iron tablets for 2 months now and my energy has improved a lot. I cannot take any medication for r.a though as I am breast feeding and am not ready to give it up yet.

I am also waiting for a hospital appointment (referred by my dentist) because of my jaw. I have malocclusion of the jaw and am getting a lot of pain in my jaw joints.

The thing I am most worried about though is my head symptoms, I feel a lot of pressure in my head, ears, jaw and neck. I get a lot of headaches, which include on the top of my head, temples and back of my head. The pain varies, it can feel like burning, sharp stabbing or stinging. My ears ring constantly. I also get dizzy at times. When I wake up in the morning my head feels stuffy like I'm coming down with the flu. Does anybody with r.a suffer with these symptoms?

I am a new mum, not enjoying life at the moment, I just want to feel better and enjoy my baby more.

[TrudieC]

Your jaw issues could be related to the RA if it is in those joints but it may also be a result of TMJ.  With the stress of your pregnancy and diagnosis you may be clenching or grinding your teeth and the result can be the symptoms you are describing.  A combination of NSAID's (you may have to wait on that with your breastfeeding), massage therapy or acupuncture, heat and cold application can help.  You can also talk to your dentist about a mouth guard to help.  Hope you get some relief soon.  The first round of treatment for RA is usually Plaquenil.  It can take at the very least 3 months to work.  I also take it for Lupus.  I saw some improvements earlier but with time am getting more and more relief and even more so at the 5 month mark.  Hang in there.

[txsilver]

Before I was diagnosed and treated, I had a lot of similar symptoms.  That is not to say that they are all related to the RA, though.  It is important to have all of your symptoms investigated as you could have multiple things going on.  
Your ears ringing could be related to your jaw problems.  I have arthritis in my jaw (joy!) and get whirring sounds in my ears because of it.  It's constant and only relieved by massage and then only temporarily.
I hope you will get your symptoms checked out by a doc.  I also hope you get relief when you start treatment for RA.  Be prepared for it to take quite a long time, maybe a year or more, before the meds are the right blend and dosage to give you relief.  Many of the meds take 3 months to measure their effectiveness and each change means another few months to evaluate.  
While you are breast feeding, you might try accupuncture or muscle release therapy to get relief.
Hang in there and know that you have found friends here who understand.