Anxiety over Jaw stiffness

I have an appointment set up for an extraction in September. 

I had my tetanus shot when I was 10 and another one about 2-3 yrs ago.

I’m home now and my jaw feels more relaxed. It’s still getting a little tight/painful but not as serious when I was at work.

Shay you are ok alright. Your symptoms don't sound anything like an infection, an infection would make u seriously ill, you wouldn't be able to type. Do something physical, go for a walk. You will be fine. You are safe

Also you cannot get tetanus from a broken fence, just to reassure you. You are fine. Go on the discussion s groups. They are helping me

Thank you I’m just so overwhelmed right now. So I don’t know if it’s the stress making me think irrationally. I used to have bad panic attacks and I used to worry so much then I started to do better but today has been absolute hell for me. I’m starting to have pain on my left arm a little bit above my elbow. Like a muscle ache. And it’s making me worry more, what if this is something serious.

Then I read about the symptoms and it’s making me feel worse. I don’t have anyone to talk to because my family thinks I’m psycho with all this worrying.

It’s raining where I’m living could this have anything to do with my jaw tightening and the pain by my elbow? I have to go to sleep for work and im still here crying.

Shay I feel your pain, if I could give u a hug I would. It's nearly 6am here in the UK and I'm walking looking like a loony, trying to distract myself. It's a kind of hell isn't it? Just stay on the discussion board, I can chat to you as long as u want to. I have work at 10amso I know exactly how you feel. Let's see if we can figure it out together. Personally, I think it is a panic attack because I worked as a nursing assistant for 20 years, and if u had what u googled, believe me, you would be much iller, and u wouldn't be able to type. To be honest, sometimes I think I would prefer a proper medical condition to a panic attack as at least they can do something. Can u go for a walk? Only if it's safe msg me anytime in the next 4 hours, as many times as u want. Watch friends, stroke a pet.

Thank you for being here with me. I really needed the comfort. It’s 1am where I am (Boston) and I just wrote down everything in my journal. It helped a little, but I’m still on edge. I’m ever afraid to go to sleep becuase I feel like I’ll die in my sleep. I’m trying not i wtach a cooking show to see if this will help me.

I totally know that feeling, being afraid to go asleep, feeling like it's never going to end. Don't know how we are going to get thru work! but in a way I'm glad I have work to distract me. God I'm exhausted! How are you? It's v sunny in Leeds, England. If u could do anything physical, if u feel up to it, it might help, fresh air always helps

Thank you it’s very sunny and hot where I live too. I work in a hospital so I went to the urgent care/walk in clinic and the doctor that examined me was really understanding and he listened to all my complaints. I told him everything and he believes that it could be TMJ. I grind my teeth and clench they hard when I’m mad. Also couple of years back I did a root canal and the procedure was so long it took a toll on my jaws since so it’s always popping and clicking. He explained everything with the his diagnosis and it did calm me down briefly.

 But honesty I’m still very scared. Idk if it’s my irrational thinking but I’m worried that I will get a spasm where I’m not able to open my mouth at all. And then I suffocate and die. Or what if I have a tumor causing these spasms. Or what if I have an underlying infection in my jaw bone. Sometimes the pain in my ear gets so bad what if I lose my hearing because I read something about that. Idk I’m thinking one thing after the next.

Thank you. Right now I think my biggest fear is that my jaw could have another spasm making it differently to open my mouth. What if my mouth gets locked shut? And it feels like now I have pain in my shoulder and back/neck.  Can this pain radiate to my face/cheeks? How long will it take for this to go away ? I’m still scaring myself!

Anxiety is a crazy thing. 

And makes your body go through so much stress. Next time you’re feeling this way try to focus on your body and each body part. Notice which ones are more tense and you’ll start to see why your neck/ jaw are hurting. 

When you’re anxious you subconsciously tense muscles. So it’s of no surprise that some of them are sore. 

Try to stay calm and relief those muscles. 

I find putting a heating pad on them helps. 

You’re jaw just won’t close shut and stay closed. So no worries. It’s anxiety and you can get through it 

Have you had tmj before or do you know about it?

It’s causing me I have pain in my ear(which is one of the symptoms). I’m afraid to lose my hearing. Idk what’s the possibility but I’m beyond scared.