(newbie) help please part 2

[jas1223]

my gp sent me to a eye nose and throat doctor they did there exam
they saw nothing i had  some saliva and mositure they did not notice any swelling
he is sending me back to my gp

i still have the dry mouth


thanks to all who answered i am not as scared as i was the other day

what should i ask my doctor to do next?

[kimbo]

Jas,

I would ask him to reffer you to a rheumatolgist. In another post I believe you stated you had an elevated ANA. A Rheumatologist can do further testing and possibly give you some resolve.
Don't borrow the worries as you fear the unknown. Get some answers and then you can face your fears. Things will not seem as big when you know what you are facing and you can eliminate fears of the unknown.
Sjogrens symptoms vary with each individual, Sometimes mild and may never manifest to much and sometimes more. You don't know. I believe it is better to not assume the worst.

You will learn a lot from this forum as you already have seen.

Welcome to a wonderful group, full of support and encouragements.

keep us posted on your progress, be assertive with your health issues in presenting to your Drs, keep copies of test results and journal your symptoms.

blessings kimbo

[Patze]

Hi Jas,

Kimbo is right, see if your doctor will refer you to a rheumy, that's always a good place to start.  It's funny, but I get frustrated when I know something is off and explain it to a doctor, and get gaffed off.  What the heck?  Just because it "may be within parameters" doesn't mean it's not causing issues for a patient.  I learned that the hard way with my thyroid, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Don't be shy about your talking about your symptoms to the doctor, I used to have a problem talking to doctors when this mess first started, and it's tough to get out of that kind of thinking, but you are your best health advocate.

Take care -

Patze

[Linda196]

Jas, just because you had "some saliva and moisture" doesn't make it a normal finding. For the eyes, the Schirmer's test registers anything less than 10 mm of moisture as dry, and there's specific number for the saliva production too, but it varies with the type of test done. Get the normal range of saliva for the test  your doctor did, and the actual result of your test to see if it was dry even though there was "some'. Did the eye doctor do a test with little strips of paper under your lower lid, or use a "slit lamp" to direct a very strong light over your cornea and into your eye? The first test shows dryness, the second shows up any damage done by dryness.

And, as Patze said, just because the numbers actually fall in the normal range, doesn't mean they aren't causing problems.

[KYMOM]

Hi, I am new also.  During and after the diagnosis stage I went the round to various specialists to see if they could help me find out what was going on with my body.  I saw the dentist and the eye doc.  The dentist said that he did not see signs of the dry mouth.  This is true I do not have the typical dry mouth syndrome and am able to produce saliva but my mouth and lips constantly feel like I am patched.  Also, my eyes tend to be dry at times and at times run like a faucet from the corner of my right eye.  My eye doc said that he say beginning stages of cataracts.  I have spent the last two days since I found this site reading the posts from wonderful sharing people and realize that we all are under the umbrella of Sjogren's but fall into different paths when it comes to our symptoms.  Good luck. Roxanne

[lynnmarie219]

and realize that we all are under the umbrella of Sjogren's but fall into different paths when it comes to our symptoms. 

This is a great way of looking at and explaining how sjogrens is so individual and can affect us all so differently......thanks for this Roxanne!


Jas,

I'm right with the others....will your GP refer you on to a rheumatologist?  With some insurances you don't even need a referral.....I know with mine I don't....check into it and see and maybe you can just go ahead and make your own appt.