Jawbone osteomyelitis
Posted , 7 users are following.
Can anyone help me !! I am convinced I have a bone Infection . I had a dry socket and it's more or less healed over now but I have constant pain from underneath the socket and now I have a lump on my jawbone I keep sayin to the dentist , doctors etc that I think I have osteomyelitis and they say I might of had it in the past but I haven't got it now !! How do they know ?i have constant pain from below the socket and now in my jaw and the strangest feelin from the socket ? Can anyone help I'm desperate to find out how I can see if I have got it ?
0 likes, 19 replies
PTP071 alison_41
Posted
Also, have you had any imaging tests done besides an x-ray on the area such as a CBCT scan?
alison_41 PTP071
Posted
I got the dry socket 18 th Dec !! My dentist decided to go back into it on the 20th Jan and removed some debris out of the socket and scrapped some bone that had some infection on !! I had numerous antibiotics amoxicillin and metronidazole. On and off for about four weeks . I had a dressing put into the socket that I was allergic to which gave me red inflammed and swollen gums in tongue side and I still have this now !! But pain has got worse and now in my jawbone and a lump on jawbone . I had a MRI scan a few weeks ago that showed enhancements in the area of the socket !! And a ct beam scan and they said looked normal and that they say it must be nerve pain I'm getting and I know it's not
PTP071 alison_41
Posted
My issues started with my extraction that I had two days before yours. I also had the oral surgeon go back in and scrape the bone two weeks later. Followed by antibiotics and packings, but it wasn't enough. I also developed worsening pain and an intermittent lump/swelling on my jawbone. My gums looked healthy but the hole from my extraction was still huge and deep.
I went to a new oral surgeon in mid-March and he knew right away something was wrong although my x-ray looked fine. He did a CBCT scan and said osteomyelitis. I was out on Clindamycin for a week and then I had a long debridement surgery followed by an additional 3 weeks of antibiotics. When he was inspecting the site during surgery, he didn't feel the infection was bad enough to be osteomyelitis (the bone wasn't necrotic and no sequestra had formed) but a bone infection is called osteomyelitis, so... He did say the site wasn't healing at all and I still had a dry socket. A three month dry socket! Everyone said it wasn't possible but it is. It's really uncommon but it can happen.
I'd suggest going to a new specialist and seeking a second opinion. Find the best oral surgeon in your area and book an appointment, ASAP.
alison_41 PTP071
Posted
I've tried everyone going !! I've paid private oral surgeons and the dental hospital and no one will listen to me !! They all say it's nerve pain and I know it's not as I've had the nerves tested !! I've got some clindamycin in my cupboard I'm wondering whether to try it !! All the dentist and oral surgeons say is it's healing and they can't see any swelling. But I feel the swelling all the time from in and below the socket pain 24 / 7 and I'm really down with it all ? Can you recommend anyone to go to in the U.K. ?
alison_41 PTP071
Posted
Notty64 alison_41
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Hi Alison. You need to get an OPG dental X-ray, or better still a jaw CT. If the pain is really unbearable go to A&E. The last thing you want to do is do nothing; if you have got OM and you leave it, you could get sepsis or worse.
alison_41 Notty64
Posted
I've had a ct beam on the area and they say there's nothing unusual !! I've been to a and e before and they send me home as bloods show no infection and my temp not high !! I'm at my wits end with it all !! No one will believe me over what I am
Saying
PTP071 alison_41
Posted
Ive read a lot of case studies (mostly through the NIH) and most people with OMJ are surprisingly well with no typical signs of infection, but that's because osteomyelitis is known as a local infection gone focal (deep) instead of systemic. It tends to stay contained in the bone unless a fistula tract forms and at that point it's blatantly obvious.
Most doctors won't see a case of OM in their career, so if you're desperate, find some really good case studies, print them out and present them to the surgeon.
Even if it's not OMJ, the fact that your gums are still red and inflammed this long is a sign that something is wrong. Hell, mine were pink and healthy looking and even my new surgeon knew there was a problem beneath them.
alison_41 PTP071
Posted
I could do with seeing your surgeon !! I tell them and they all say they can't see what I'm
Talking about !! I've searched and searched and can't find anyone in the U.K. . I'm
So desperate
PTP071 alison_41
Posted
Osteomyelitis of the jaw doesn't tend to lead to sepsis as often as other types of dental infections do, but it's not something you should ignore - and obviously you're not.
Also, DO NOT take leftover antibiotics without a prescription. The last thing you want to do is create a situation where the bacteria are able to become resistant to the antibiotics because you didn't take enough to kill the infection. This is what leads to antibiotic resistant superbugs and superinfections. It's not worth the risk.
I'm in California, not the U.K. I have noticed a trend on some message boards though that those with suspected OM had a much harder time getting a diagnosis and treatment in the U.K. than those of us here in the States. But if you look back through the threads on here about osteomyelitis of the jaw, so many people went through years of hell before their diagnosis. Osteomyelitis is so rare that it affects 2 out of 10,000 people and I think that it's rarity is why it's so often overlooked. Personally, I wonder if the numbers are much higher due to all of the patients who are never diagnosed. It seems like only those who keep pushing and pushing get the help they need.
alison_41 PTP071
Posted
Thanks I never took the antibiotics as my doctor advised me not to take them
As they are strong !! If you come across anyone in the U.K. That could help I would be so grateful as I'm banging my head against a wall with the dentist doctors oral surgeon etc
PTP071 alison_41
Posted
They are really strong antibiotics and most people who do have OM are given a cocktail of antibiotics, usually through IV pic line, for a minimum of 6 weeks, sometimes followed by 6-12 months of oral antibiotics.
Taking leftover Clindamycin may help your symptoms initially but in the long run it could make the situation so much worse.
I was told I don't have OM but I still needed 4 weeks of Clindamycin to clear up my infection. I'm lucky that I haven't had any side effects from the medication but I'm also an idiot and didn't take probiotics like I should have so I'm sure I'll be joining the c-diff forum next. LoL
Notty64 alison_41
Posted
I absolutely agree about the signs of infection. I had no temperature and my bloods were fine. I'm in the UK in Essex. My consultant is brilliant and knew what the problem was immediately. I phoned the max fax ward a couple of weeks ago as I was concerned about a swelling, and he saw me that afternoon. Thankfully all is ok but I'm seeing him weekly for a few weeks.
alison_41 Notty64
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rebecca44273 alison_41
Posted