new and confused

[AndreaA]

Hi my name is Andrea.  I am 20 years old and have been dealing with severe joint pain for about 7 years and it has increasingly gotten worse.  I have had IBS my entire life and migraines since i was 6.  I also have terrible dry eyes and dry skin. With the dry eyes, they feel like they are burning and I am constantly dousing them with artificial tears, which only helps the fact that I can't produce my own tears.  When I am able to cry, which is quite infrequently, my eyes and the area around my eyes gets extremely red and puffy and I feel like there is some irritant in my eyes. Is it possible that I am allergic to my tears? I found out about Sjogren's and have been researching it and it seems very likely that this is what I have.  I am waiting till I am done with this semester of college before talking to my doctor about it.  Is there anything you would suggest for me to say that would make it easier to bring up or to talk about? Thanks for your help.

[cremer]

Welcome to Sjogrens World.

You must tell your GP exactly whats happening to your body from your Dry eyes to your IBS. I suffer from IBS and I'm sure it's linked to PSS.

Then insist your GP sends you to a Rheumatologist. He should to a series of tests including blood work and a Schirmers eye test. Through these tests the rheumy might be able to tell you if you have Sjogrens, if they are in doubt you might have a lip biopsy to confirm it.

By reading your symptoms they are very Sjogren's related but but you really do need checking out.

[Carolina]

HI AndreaA:

Welcome.  There are other regular people your age or younger here.

It is POSSIBLE to have Sahara Desert type dry eyes and mouth and NOT have Sjogren's.   Or at least NOT test positive.   So don't count on getting the diagnosis y9u think is appropriate.

If you have a good doctor, your symptoms will determine your treatment protocol, not a specific diagnosis.

Sjogren's is part of a constellation of conditions that are somewhat related and generally autoimmune in nature.  So far I have about 3 of them, maybe 4 even, but never test positive for any Autoimmune condition.

What I focus on is relieving the symptoms.

Good luck.

there are lots of techniques and some medications for relieving the dryness.

Keep us posted.

Welcome aboard.

Hugs

Elaine

[Joe S.]

Welcome AndreaA. Some where on the forum is a listing of possible symptoms. It would be good to bring that in with you. I always recommend that you bring an advocate with you to see your doctor on every visit. Some of us have posted what we are taking in our signatures to help those new to this disease to start their own research.

[AndreaA]

Thanks for your support and advice.  One thing I noticed was a condition called Blepharitis.  I was diagnosed with that last year and it keeps coming back.  I was prescribed Elestat to help with that and I was also given Systane to help with the dryness.  The Elestat works pretty well but when I use the Systane I feel like it is just really heavy and gluppy and I can't see for around 20 minutes after I use it.  Does anyone else have this problem?
By the way, the last visit to my doctor in November we discussed my joint pain and I was tested for RA and lupus but both came back negative.  The only thing that was not normal in my blood work was an increase in white blood cells.  My doctor told me to come back and get retested in 6 months if the pain persisted.  RA runs in my family and I thought I had it forever until I got tested for it.  Is it possible to test negative for RA or an autoimmune and still have it?