Should I go to the E.R. -- what would you do?
 

I feel like I have asked the same question before! But I need your opinion as I am still somewhat new to MS and on Tysabri.

This morning my mouth felt fine. By afternoon I felt like my left upper gum by the teeth was swollen compared to the other side--I noticed it when I ate and it was sore. When I run my tongue over it, it definitely feels swollen compared to the right side. Hours later I am feeling it in my jaw which is aching and now the side of my jaw (skin) feels achy/tingly.

Could I have an abscess? I know my immune system is low from Tysabri so I wonder if I should go into the E.R. since it seems to be getting worse. 3 weeks ago I went to the E.R. with severe abdominal pain and they thought I had appendicitis. Turned out to be a ruptured ovarian cyst!

Is the life of a person with MS, constantly having to deal with piddling (or not so piddling) health issues? I start teaching tomorrow so I can't go to a dentist and I doubt I can get an appointment with my internist. I'm worried if I let it go it will just keep getting worse/weirder? The thought of waiting hours in the E.R. is annoying. But I think I'm worried just because of the immunosuppression factor of the Tysabri.

Should I go? It's always better to be safe than sorry, right?

When I see a thread with that title, I start nodding my head "yes" before I even open the thread. In my opinion, anybody who is wondering whether or not to go to the Emergency Room probably should. Like you said, better safe than sorry.

from a non MSer:)


Can you take a small flashlight and a mirror to see if you can see anything that might be suspicious?
or have a friend/family member look for you.

look for any swelling, pinkish or redness, sores

my daughter gets sore tonsils and such so i look in her mouth a lot LOL

Natalie,
If it is a tooth abscess, you need Antibiotics. If it is T.N. you need to see your Neuro. Jaw, tooth, face or side of ear, head, etc., are all problems that need to be seen by someone when they cause pain.

Don't wait if it hurts. If you don't decide to go to the ER, then get to the doctor or dentist right after school tomorrow. No later. Okay? I hope you feel better soon.:)

Pain is a sign of a symptom. Your body telling you something is wrong.:hug:

I learned the hard way that inflammation = infection, and infection is about the worst thing for me. It almost always sets off an attack if it is left untreated for any length of time.

(It was my tooth too, where I learned the lesson.)

Cherie

Looking for an update, Natalie....

I get gum issues when my ear infects. isnt that silly? my mouth hurts, and gets very sore, and sometimes swells with an ear infection. then a few days later, my ear will start banging.

anyone on Ty with any new sx or worsening of old sx needs to be seen. At the least I hope you called your MD.

How are you feeling?

Thanks all. I decided to go to the E.R. just to be safe. WOW...we were only there for 1 hour. Shortest trip ever to the E.R. Anyhow, the doctor gave me heavy duty antibiotics and told me to call my dentist for an x-ray. He said that it may just be on the cusp of an abscess (where it hasn't really gotten bad yet--inflamed red) but I could still feel it. I also looked in my mouth and it did look swollen with some sort of raised pustule. I don't have tonsils anymore! I started the antibiotics and already my mouth feels better--way less pain and soreness. Very interesting...makes me wonder if it was bacterial. So I will call my dentist. I think sometimes I get freaked out about the Tysabri and infections. It's not that I've had weird ones--just a few I never used to get like a bad respiratory infection, a couple of UTI's, a staph infection on the skin behind my ear. I just NEVER had infections of any kind before I went on Ty--I mean the last time I had a respiratory infection was 10 years ago!!

Anyhow, better safe than sorry I think.

By the way what is T.N.? And Polar, what did you read about Tysabri and jaw/tooth problems??

I'm glad you got it checked out Natalie. I hope this isn't a trend for you with Tysabri. Let us know what the dentist says.

I've had one UTI in over two years on it now, (knock on genuine wood desk) but I often feel like one is coming on and I drink tons of water and use the potty often when that happens.