New things

[GgcJap]

Lately I have noticed that the tips of my fingers look like they have been in water for a long period of time....   only they haven't. When I search this on the web it keeps coming up with lupus.
Is this also possible for Sj?gren's? My hands also seem dry in places too, particularly around the finger tips.

In other news I think my cheeks have been swelling lately although I can't see it,  as they have both been hurting on and off making it hard to chew gum or maybe caused by chewing gum? I also have a sore behind my right bottom wisdom tooth that doesn't seem to heal, or should I say it heals and then comes back. I think it could be because the inside of my cheek is swollen? I sometimes bite my cheek whilst chewing and don't know why?  But this seems to be around the same times this sore appears.

Fun times

GgcJap

[Joe S.]

I am not an expert on any of this by any stretch of my imagination. Could your finger tip issue be a sign of dehydration?

I am amazed that you can chew gum. I think that is great. I have not been able to do that for may years due to all the dental work and loss of teeth. The pain under your wisdom tooth may related to and infection or a blocked gland. Please have it checked out with your health care professional?

I hope that you feel better soon.

[cccourt1942]

Hi again GGC/Japan,
    I have a type of psoriasis which leaves me with patchy dry spots...not as severe as placque.  So I'll stay away from first question.   
    As to your second concern, this has to be either your saliva "clogging" yet still passing thru the ducts, or full blown sialadenitis.  Full blown means (to me) an infection wherein the saliva can't escape.  I will say this: I never had that condition (and still do) without it hurting..really, really hurting.  I think...THINK...the swelling is at least the saliva isn't able to pass thru the ducts in your parotid glands.  I have suffered this condition for about 8 years.  Actually...as I think back, the biting of my cheeks and my lower lips has probably been noticeable for probably twice that long.  I'm remembering several dentists over the years who have commented on the inside of my mouth.  That only means I had sialadenitis for years before the ducts would be completely clogged--and resulting in a bacterial infection.  Though I seldom bite the cheeks, I continue to mangle my lower lip. 
    I can't recall what I consciously thought of to avoid the consequences, but as I type this I realize I did pay more attention to my eating patterns, substances, size of bites, and oral movements. 
     Hope you aren't suffering stopped up ducts. It's miserable.  Chewing that gum has to help! 
c3
     

[irish]

If you are having swelling in your cheeks like in front of ear and in that area it could be from the salivary ducts getting bogged down from thick mucus. Best to warm pack your cheeks being careful not to burn and then doing gently massage to the area. The massage helps to break up and move the thick mucus down the ducts so that it can drain. Sometimes we get stones in the salivary glands and you can get some really bad pain when the stones try to move.

It is best to keep the fluid intake up and to warm pack the glands when you notice the first bit of discomfort. I had a time many years ago before diagnosis that I had the most major "spasms" in both sides of my face. It was basically all night long thing and I paced and paced. Just miserable. I now know that I was in the process of body moving some smaller stones out of the glands. You need to know that we generally end up with gravel in our glands that will manage to get through the ducts. I can always taste it as I tell docs I feel like I am chewing on fiberglass. It also helps to take ibuprofen etc,. as it helps to reduce some of the swelling and inflammation in those ducts and allows that gravel to migrate out. Irish

[GgcJap]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

@JoeS: It's quite possible it's caused by dehydration, but I drink a lot of fluids daily. So if it is I don't know what I can do about it. When this first hit me I couldn't chew gum but now it seems to be a lot of help in getting a little bit of saliva into my mouth, without it I seem to have none and non to very little even with evoxac. The pain is a sore behind my wisdom tooth. In the part of the mouth that joins the top and bottom gums, if that makes any sense.

@c3: Hi C3, the pain feels more like muscle pain to be honest. It could be my glands clogging though. I have what I think to be a swollen cheek but only on the inside for about a year now. It is on the same side as my sore that won't completely heal. I e become used to chewing gum now and really don't want to have to stop.

@Irish: My swelling or pain seems to be on the bottom jaw line, quite some way under my ears. I do massage my glands though although I'm not sure if anything comes out. I'm well aware of stones as I've had my submandibular on the left side removed due to one. I drink a lot of fluids because of this. I haven't tried I ibuprofen but I will be asking my doctor about anti inflammatories next time I see him.

Thank you everyone

GgcJap

[irish]

Try sucking on lemon drops to help pull the saliva from the glands and down the ducts---that or a dill pcikel. It can hurt sometimes but it does cause activity in the glands. Irish

[MAT51]

I don't really get the sore cheeks although the back of my throat is dry and getting dryer. For this I suck Salivex pastels and sometimes spray my throats with a saliva stimulant - maybe why I don't yet have blocked ducts. I do have burning mouth syndrome constantly.

But I do have the prune finger tips. I drink constantly but my bloods still show me to be dehydrated. I asked a question about this here but it doesn't seem to be a specifically Sjögren's thing from the responses. I have tingly hands and my finger tips are particularly affected - they itch too. I try and use moisturiser a lot. I think in my case it's the neuropathy but I also have little strawberry coloured patches on my palms and finger tips and also, I think, on my nail beds. I've given up on tracking these visible clues - I just know I have Sjögren's and it's a very complex disease that can overlap with others from the same connective tissue family - whether Scleroderma, Vasculitis, Lupus or RA. I'll keep an eye out on this to see if others have prune finger tips too.

[irish]

I do notice that I have puckered finger tips at some time. I also notice that the fat pads on my finger tips are thinner and I think this gives the skin the ability to shrivel up more. I do not know where the fat goes or why, but I think mine goes to my belly!! Irish