Sjogren's Syndrome...
I went to see my doctor yesterday. She diagnosed me as having Sjogren's Syndrome.
If I'd ever heard of that, I'd paid no attention.
But something that started to be a nuisance a couple of years ago had become an annoyance, and in the past few weeks had become a real problem. Which is what drove me to the doctor.
Putting a name to it: why should that make a difference? Does that make it any more difficult to deal with? Any more serious? Why does this bother me?
Wikipedia says it's "the second most common autoimmune rheumatic disease" and most people who get it are women in my age group. So I'm hardly the only one. Autoimmune diseases seem to be my specialty. I didn't want to add another one to the list.
But I notice the Wikipedia line: "Sjögren's syndrome can exist as a disorder in its own right (primary Sjögren's syndrome) or may develop years after the onset of an associated rheumatic disorder, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma..." Bingo. Scleroderma. Okay: I beat the scleroderma; this might recede too.
On the other hand, it means I'm probably not really allergic to wheat or fruit; it's just that they trigger problems related to the xerostomia. That's my new word of the week. Dry mouth. What happens when you can't get enough saliva.
So far it's been $200 for pills which may or may not work, and I can't afford that indefinitely.
I either have to find a job, or alternative remedies.
Has anyone here had this problem? How did you deal with it?