Question: Sjogren's that came on very suddenly?

[cactusrose]

My onset was quite rapid too. I'm 32 so among the younger of us here.

I was in an abusive relationship for 8 years. When I managed to get out of it, the fatigue and pain hit me like a truck. I used to be able to work as a sales clerk full time, and party a lot, and I was suddenly debilitated. I realized something was wrong when I was for a week of holiday in NY (I'm from Paris) and couldn't bear to walk outside for literally more than 10 minutes. It took 5 years to get diagnosed.

I'm now in a very happy relationship (I'm married in fact) and run my own business. Just so you know that it's not just bad.

[gold55]

I was called in Nov. 2010 ... my Mom had been found on the floor for 2.5 days and was headed for othe ER barely making it.   I immediately went into action mode and stayed with her, managed her care in and out of nursing, hospitals, etc etc....rebuilt her home for handicap, ran all her errands, met with doctors, had much to do with her med tx plan plus ran my home and family and worked full-time.  I wasn't crashing then as I have tons of energy but...emotionally I was getting there.  Finally in May I had her back on her feet, living at home and driving occasionally with the help of a caregiver.  So, May and June I decided to concentrate on my home and did tons of planting, digging, planting trees....lots of heavy manual work and by the end of June I ended up in my internists office with swollen big toe joints and fingers that seems "full", mostly right hand fingers.  I thought I had overdone the landscaping thing but realize I was out in 100 degree temps doing all this work (I've heard sun can get Sjogrens flaring).  So, with the absolute stress of my Mom's journey and the physical work out in the heat of summer.....poof....got the call to say it was Sjogrens and not gouty arthritis or the beginnings of osteoarthritis which I think I could have handled.  As send in these posts....my life has not bee the same since.  I know I could be worse so I am thanking the Lord in hopes that I can keep things at a minimum so I can enjoy a few years of retirement after all the hard work I've done.  This is my story of how things began however, I do remember having bouts with my right big toe joint 10 years ago....then after Ibuprofen, no problems for another 5 years and then now in both toe joints....this is why the doc thought I had gout!  Does everyone with Sjogrens originally present with some kind of arthritis that could be mistaken for Osteo or do they immediately get the rheumatic type of arthritis?  thanks for listening  

[Gooey]

I don't know that I have Sjogren's, but I have a similar experience. A few years ago, I had a root canal to a molar on my mandible. This root canal became re-infected. Not only did it become re-infected, but I believe the infection was spreading to my jaw. Very unpleasant. I was told I might be able to save the tooth (normally they pull it), which was important because I was 'young' (in my 30s). I was referred to a place who lost my application for several months and then took over a year to complete more than 7 sessions, during which time the infection kept resurfacing until the last session and I was able to apparently save my molar.

During that time, I was repeatedly on antibiotics for the first time in my life. When I first took them, I took them in conjunction with paracetamol + codeine pain relief (didn't work). My mouth became massively dehydrated. I started to suspect I had allergies to one or the other and the next day tried the paracetamol tablets in isolation and my mouth became the Sahara desert. I don't believe it has ever been more dry. But I was unable to replicate this reaction in the future with either the antibiotics or the codeine paracetamol tablets.

Just as my tooth issue is almost fixed, I started to develop eye issues at first I thought were conjunctivitus. I started to see rainbow and ringed halos around lights, which is a symptom of closed angle/pigmentary glaucoma. So I went into the opthamologist who failed to find any glaucoma (despite him telling me my depictions were of glaucoma halos) and instead diagnosed me with severe dry eyes. I started to also notice I was pretty dehydrated, I often couldn't sleep more than 2-4 hours straight even in winter, and that is when I found out about Sjogren's. I have been tested for it once but gather it was negative as my doctor didn't give me feedback.

Is it possible antibiotic use could cause Sjogren's? It is possible I've had these dry eyes issues for a long time and didn't pay it any mind, but it almost seems to have come spontaneously 2 years ago. I still get my rainbow halos every day and have for 2 years. I get two types: after sleep and when sleep deprived. Some (but not all) artificial tears work (poly tears and murine appear to be the best), they get rid of the waking halos and they don't return but they have a short term effect on the sleep deprivation halos which constantly return with smaller intervals until it becomes useless to put in any more artificial tears and I must sleep because my eyes become no good for anything. My halos come about often during the day and are viewable in well lit up rooms, which kind of contradicts both closed angle glaucoma and dry eyes where pupil dilation is regarded as a factor in seeing halos. My pupils are often extremely contracted when I experience the halos.

[Carolina]

Dear Gooey,

Why don't you repost this as an original thread.  You have posted this as a reply to a thread that started in 2011.

Most people won't find your post.

Hugs, Elaine

[irish]

I think that I probably had some autoimmune issues lurking in the later teens. I had a TBI my senior year in nurses training and never felt the same. I became so weak and had brain fog--though I didn't know what it was at the time. My grades went down and I rally had to struggle to finish the last 7 months of training. Thankfully my grades stayed good enough but not like they had been earlier.

I had all I could do to walk to classes and meals (I did 3 miles a day just getting back and forth to the dorm, cafeteria and classes not counting the hours I spent working on the floor. After I finished training I expected that I would snap out of it. Why I thought this I do not know.lol Youthful ignorance. Nobody knew how I was feeling cause I was so traumatized by it I could hardly talk to anyone. I got married the same year and as time went on I would tell hubby that "ever since my head injury I haven't felt the same" I always felt like there was something really wrong. Many trips to the doctor and many strange illnesses that sere hard to nail down.

Asthma, lumpy breasts that would swell and hurt, my voice got lower, back pain, arthritis of feet and hands, tendonitis. severe fatigue, GERD, countless infections, trigonitis of bladder, felt like I was going to quit breathing, lots of heaviness in my chest, generalized weakness  and so on. Spent a fortune at the doctor. Head injury in 1964 and diagnosed with Bullous Penphigoid in 2002 after about 5 years of off and on skin lesions. No other doctor ever thought that because I had one autoimmune disease I maybe had another. Finally diagnosed with Sjogrens in 2003, saw immunologist 2006 and diagnosed Myasthenia gravis, Hashimotos( had hypothyroid since 1989) and 2 immune deficiencies and in 2016 diagnosed with autoimmune ear disease. I can say with certainty that the fall on my head triggered all this junk.

The thing is, I looked back through fancily history and had quite a few relative with thyroid, colon problems with surgery, weakness, many allergies to medications, poor ability to fight off infection. Immunologist says it runs in my family and and probably triggered by the head injury. I wrote an 8 page letter to one clinic and chewed them out as they told me I did not have myasthenia gravis or Sjogrens and I have a long list of doctors that I would have a talk with if I ever saw them on the street. So, life can be a pain or so they say. Not much we can do to change this but would be nice to have more to help us feel better. Irish