Neck pains with Dry Mouth

[IR2]

My current symptoms are:
* Occasional numbness in arms at night during sleep
* Very dry mouth 3 or 4 nights during sleep (and sometimes during day)
* Discomfort in neck (both sides) - feels like muscle twitch and is not a sharp pain
* Tenderness at points in neck muscles
* Rough throat at times
* Occasional feeling that throat is closing
* No problems swallowing
* Fatigue  - I start the day ok but run out of strength

My GP is obviously puzzled and is playing a waitin game but I am finding day to day life and work affected.

Can anyone suggest a route of enquiry to follow?

Many thanks

[Brandywinne]

Thank you I have this to this has helped alot.

[IR2]

Many thanks for your kind advice

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
You seem to be having two problems. One is cervical nerve compression causing neck pain. This can happen due to overuse of computers, work involving straining of neck, herniated disc, canal stenosis, bone disease, spondylosis, poor posture etc. A MRI of the cervical spine and nerve conduction studies may be required. Please consult a neurologist. The treatment is to remove the compression. You have to discuss the best treatment option with a neurologist, which can range from medication to physiotherapy to traction, cervical collars or even surgery. Alternatively you can visit a chiropractor or a physical therapist and learn some exercises which you can do to relieve the compression, but consulting a neurologist is a must.
Use a hard bed to sleep. Avoid a pillow. Roll a towel and place it under your neck while sleeping on the back and between head and shoulder when lying on the side. Initially this will be uncomfortable but with time the acupressure will do wonders. Use an analgesic cream or spray. Anti-inflammatory drugs help.
The other condition could be exacerbation of the GERD or gastric reflux.  It could also be hiatal hernia. Treatment is a combination of drugs to reduce the acid and lifestyle changes. You will need to take a combination of medications (under medical supervision) like a proton pump inhibitor such as omeprazole, lansoprazole or pantoprazole empty stomach in the morning and an antacid gel after meals for complete relief. Possibility of H pylori infection too should be looked into by a carbon urea breath test and a combination antibiotic tried. Many a times a persisting H pylori infection can be the cause behind acidity not responding to treatment.
Life style changes that will help include: Avoid heavy meals and eat frequent small meals. Avoid too much of caffeine, tea, smoking, fried food and drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic fuzzy ones. Avoid heavy exercises within 4 hours of a heavy meal. Raise the head end of the bed by pillows to 30 degrees. Avoid lying down for least 2 hours after food. Maybe these tips will help you.
If these tips do not help, then liver function test, pancreatic enzymes, and HIDA scan for gall bladder should be done. Food intolerance and inflammatory bowel conditions such as IBS, Crohn’s, celiac etc should be considered. Log in what you eat and see if there is a correlation between a certain food type and the symptoms.
Do discuss this with your doctor and get yourself examined. Take care!

[IR2]

Many thanks for this

[Red_Star]

You may have Sjögren's syndrome. This is a systemic autoimmune disease in which immune cells attack and destroy the exocrine glands that produce tears and saliva.  "Sjögren's syndrome can exist as a disorder in its own right (Primary Sjögren's syndrome) or it may develop years after the onset of an associated rheumatic disorder such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, primary biliary cirrhosis etc. (Secondary Sjögren's syndrome)."

Diagnosis can often be difficult with an average of 6.5 years from the onset of symptoms.  The problem is that Sjögren's syndrome mimics symptoms of other conditions such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.

The more common symptoms of Sjögren's syndrome can include:

* Dry eyes (including irritation, gritty feeling or painful burning) - not everyone with SS has this symptom

* Dry mouth (or difficulty eating dry foods)

* Swelling and tenderness of the glands around the face and neck.

Other symptoms include:

* Achy joints
* Fatigue
* Low grade fever
* Numbness in arms and legs
* Itchy, dry skin
* Vaginal dryness
* Bruising
* Dry Cough
* Nutritional malabsorption
* Depression
* Impaired memory
* Reduced concentration
* Nasal dryness
* Nosebleeds  
* Impaired taste and smell
* Congestion, bronchitis, pneumonia
* Clogged feeling in the ear/impaired hearing
* Internal organs (kidneys, intestines, lungs, heart and liver) may become inflamed

Blood tests your physician may perform include:

ANA (Anti-Nuclear Antibody)
About 70% of Sjögren’s patients have a positive ANA test result

RF (Rheumatoid Factor)
This antibody test is indicative of a most often performed for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)  but is positive in many rheumatic diseases. In Sjögren’s patients, 60-70% have a positive RF

SS-A (or Ro) and SS-B (or La)
These are the marker antibodies for Sjögren's. 70% of Sjögren’s patients are positive for SS-A and 40% are positive for SS-B (these may also found in lupus patients)

ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate)
This test measures inflammation. An elevated ESR indicates the presence of an inflammatory disorder, including Sjögren’s syndrome

IGs (Immunoglobulins)
These are normal blood proteins that participate in immune reactions and are usually elevated in Sjögren’s patients

The ophthalmologic (eye) tests include:

Schirmer Test
Measures tear production.
Rose Bengal and Lissamine Green
Eyedrops containing dyes that an eye care specialist uses to examine the surface of the eye for dry spots

The dental tests include:

Salivary Flow
Measures the amount of saliva produced over a certain period of time
Salivary scintigraphy
A nuclear medicine test that measures salivary gland function
Salivary gland biopsy (usually in the lower lip)
Confirms inflammatory cell (lymphocytic) infiltration of the minor salivary glands

http://www.sjogrens.org/home/about-sjogrens-syndrome/diagnosis
http://www.***.***/protocols/immune_connective_joint/sjogren_syndrome_01.htm
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/332125-overview#a0101
http://www.***************.com/sjogrenssyndrome.html
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Sjogren's_syndrome?open
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sj%C3%B6gren's_syndrome

[Ksjhro]

Sounds like me & I have been diagnosed with an unsrable neck.

[IR2]

Many thanks - I do suffer from inflammatory rheumatism already so your comment is very useful.

[Brandywinne]

autoimmune disease cause all these symptoms hot cold intoleratable look into it right away