HOW DID YOUR SYMPTOMS/SICKNESS FIRST APPEAR?

[SLEEPY101]

This week it will be 3 years since I got sick. I had symptoms off and on for years but since 3 years ago I haven't been a second without pain. It all started with a very bad migraine then the next morning I woke up with flu symptoms. After that the numbess began,then pain, then insomnia,brain fog. I have read that a virus can bring on AI desease.

[Bucky]

Here's a link to a previous thread along this line:  https://sjogrensworld.org/index.php?topic=14277.0

[Sandisue]

Hi,

Mine started with migraines, one after the other, I had one that lasted 3 weeks along with fatigue. Next came the mouth sores. No one could figure out why. So here I am in this terrible mix with everyone else, not knowing what's coming next...

Sandisue

[SLEEPY101]

Thanks for the link Bucky. I guess I missed that post.

Hope you find answers soon Sandisue

[cremer]

Truthfully I cannot remember, ever since I was a kid I've had mouth ulcers, aching joints, and always catching colds and viruses. Then in March this year I started having alot of angina pain and with that my joints became really painful, I started to get all the classic signs of Lupus/Sjogrens such as light sensitivity, brain fog, headaches, Inflammed Lymph glands, IBS and of course fatigue. Then in May I was Dx with Primary Sjogrens.

[Meld256]

A few weeks after a bad sinus/resp. infection in Feb. 2009 I went on a day-long shopping trip and it put me in bed for 3 days. Horrible stinging, burning pain all through my body, migraines, awful feelings of anxiety.
It was scary stuff!

[carimeaway]

Thought I had the flu but it lasted way too long. Every inch of my body hurt and no one could even touch me w/o me wincing in pain. Went to my GP, she said that bc my son has JRA we should draw some labs. My ANA came back + so she sent me to my rheumy. He dx me with SjS only a cpl months later. I didn't realize that my dry mouth, skin and burning eyes were abnormal until he asked me abt them. He said "welcome to Sjogren's"...gee, thanks Doc! lol

[sage]

Sleepy:
Which diagnosis came first  - Hashimoto's or Sjogren's?

The reason I ask is that I went through years of trying to find out what might be wrong with me before a Sjog diagnosis.  During that time I was apparently found to have a high TSH.  The rheumatologist said my thyroid was failing and I should follow through with my primary.  At that time my primary doctor did not agree, so the thyroid problem was not addressed until many years later.  But it was never diagnosed as Hashimoto's.

I have found literature on the Internet linking Hashimoto's/autoimmune thyroid with Sjogren's Syndrome.

I am looking at the array of various smiley icons to add here - guess I will pass!

[Crymeariver]

I was diagnosed in my late teens with Graves disease (hyperthroid).  I did the radioactive iodine to knock out the thyroid.  Through my 20's I had bad dental problems despite brushing etc.  In my 30's I started developing eye symptoms and crushing fatigue.  I developed a classic RA knee and my sed rate came back elevated.  I called my doc when I got the results in the mail and he had already left the practice (just my luck) so it took another 6 months for an oral surgeon doing a new patient evaluation to notice my parotids were enlarged. 

[LizPetillo]

Looking back I can say I had a few symptoms for a few years. 

But it all crashed down on me in April of 2010.  I went to a hockey game .. got a flu like bug .. and within two days everything went south.  It was a trigger to make the disease exceptionally bad.  I have been getting worse and more symptoms since then. 

[dainbramage]

19 years ago, I had vasculitis all up my legs, arms an belly. Went on high dose of steroids and no one could figure what was going on. Also, was diagnosed with IBS-C.  Later, I had my children and everything seemed fine. I started getting bad sinus infections with swollen tonsils. Had tonsils removed at 40 years of ago, hoping that would make it better.  Every so often I would have flu like symptoms and end up in ER. Then one day I had a bad allergic reaction.  Then migraines came and I never had these before.  I started to get angry. No one was putting these pieces together.  When I went to my rheumy and told her my story, she immediately said I had SjS..ANA came back, but she was not sure. Got a lip biopsy and it was positive....finally an answer.  They say you aren't diagnosed for at least 7 years, those are the lucky ones.

[kellijo73]

For several years I had pain in my hands.  Thought it was carpal tunnel, but I tested negative for that.  I also had these terrible eyes that would constantly drain.  (Apparently eyes that are TOO dry will overproduce secretions.)  Went and visited my mom who I had not seen in about a year.  She asked my why my face was so swollen....I didn't even notice it!  When I got home, had a slew of tests, CT, MRI, PET scan and lots of lab work.  After an initial diagnosis of a malignant tumor, I had my parotid gland removed and biopsied.  Turned out it was borderline Lymphoma and a + diagnosis of sjogrens.  I did not realize that I had a dry mouth - thought that was just normal.  That was 3 years ago.....mouth is still super dry and so are the eyes.  I also have the joint problems (RA) and the aches that go along with it.

[Scottietottie]

Hi

I think mine just crept up on me from childhood. I didn't have good health as a child and I guess it just continued that way with tolerable patches every so often. I think having children didn't help at all. I always seemed to have a rough time after having a baby. The dryness didn't set in until the perimenopause though - well not so as I noticed but I always had bad teeth.
I have a lupus/Sjogren's overlap though - so I can't say it was all SjS.

Take care - Scottie