Sjogren's syndrome

Praise the Lord, my emotional well-being is back on track and I've regained my positive outlook.  I really fell into a slump after experiencing so much pain, swelling, and overall scary symptoms in New York.  But God has been oh so gracious, blessing me with support, encouragement, and reminders of His faithfulness and sovereignty all over the place.  I am one thankful gal!  He is with me through all things and gives me amazing folks to lean on, confide in, and just laugh with because it hurts (here's looking at you, Jennie).

Moving on.

One of my latest concerns is a little autoimmune disease called Sjogren's syndrome.  It's actually not little at all, but instead extremely annoying.  At least it's annoying and not crippling like the RA.  Anyways, Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disorder that impacts moisture-producing glands, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth.  Many people with RA also experiencing Sjogren's.  As if we didn't have enough to worry about.

A few weeks ago I was walking through the halls of the local senior independent living community where I work, and it felt like I was walking through a wind tunnel.  To my face, at least.  My eyes were extremely dry and sensitive, the Sahara desert relocated to the inside of my nose, and my mouth felt like I hadn't had a sip of water in a year.  Allergies, I thought?  Seriously, denial and an everything-but attitude when it comes to autoimmune disorders is the way to go.  Wink, wink.  Then I remembered the pamphlet Dr. J gave me on this silly sounding disorder.  I flipped through it, did some online research, and then called Dr. J's nurse.  She gave me the deets, told me they'd add some Sjogren's panels to the blood work I have scheduled for later this month, and then sent me another pamphlet.  Education, people.

The fact of the matter is that Sjogren's can't be cured, like RA, and the only thing to do is manage symptoms.  You can go the prescription route and get fancy (and expensive) lubricants (that word is gross), or you can just go to the CVS down the street and grab some dry mouth tooothpaste and mouth wash and all the saline spray and eye drops you can find and start a continual flow into your face.  I chose the latter.

In addition to the uncomfortable nature of Sjogren's, it kind of makes me look like a crazy person.  I have to squint when I walk because of the wind tunnel feeling, and the redness from the dryness makes it look like I've either been crying or am allergic to everything.  I also blink a lot.

Now you're all caught up on the health soap opera that is my life.
Thanks, once again, for the support and encouragement and thoughtful questions!

PS: Venus Williams also has Sjogren's syndrome, so we're as good as best friends now.  I'm sure I'll start getting invitations to play tennis with her any day now.