Swollen lymph node

Hi Cassie,

?Not all RA's like to do the lip biopsy, especially if they suspect the sjogrens is secondary to another auto immune disease.  Auto immune diseases mimick each other so often, it can take years to know for sure.  It's very tricky!  Very often, if you have one, like Sjogrens, you can have Lupus, or visa versa...or Fibro, crohns and so on.  My lymph nodes do get swollen often, and it can be very common when dealing with Sjogrens!  One of the suggestions is to gently massage the area, you need to make sure your RA doc knows about this, and they need to keep an eye on it, as sometimes this can require surgery!!  Not to be messed with!!  Sounds like you should be on some kind of meds for the dryness.  Imuran does work wonders for the dry mouth, I used to chew gum all day long, drove me nuts, and I tried all the so called over the counter remedies, and non of them worked.  Even the ones my dentist gave me to try.  You also need to see a dentist at least twice a year...in case you are not already doing so, as we can lose teeth to this dry mouth!!  No saliva, leads to major bacteria...which leads to tooth loss!!  Which is what causes the lymph node getting hard under your chin/neck area.  Also, flossing is absolutely # 1 in prevention!!!  My dentist calls me his flossing queen!!  ?  I am terrified of losing my teeth!  I've made it 62 years and still have all my own, and I want to keep it that way!  LOL

?I wish you luck!!  Keep us posted, as to how you are doing, and what your doctors have to say about that lymph node!!

Sounds like Sjogrens but do you also have dry eyes? If you are on disease modifying drugs or steroids for your Crohns then a lip biopsy would probably be a waste of time as this will usually skew the results. Secondary Sjogrens can be just as much of a problem for some as the primary form of the disease so I would say you need to get that swollen lymph node checked out with ultrasound asap. The fatigue could be Sjogrens alone but you should be checked to rule out Lymphoma.

Re the dry mouth - do you know if you are a mouth or nose breather I wonder? Many who have severely dry mouth are breathing mainly through their mouths - probably through habit but also because of blocked nasal passages due to sinus problems or Sjogrens dryness in nose. Just being aware of this can be helpful I have found. If you are a mouth breather at night then you could try to keep your nasal passages as clear as possible and break the mouth breathing tendencies.

If you have a lot of nasal problems you are probably a mouth breather. My son went through this until he had nasal surgery. Fixed him right up. Unfortunately the surgery is not permanent. After a few years (10 or so) you may have to have it done again.

Dry mouth gives me broken nights, which leads to poor sleep quality which doesn't help with fatigue problems. I have had to learn to pace myself and limit what I do in a day. If you are working, that's difficult. I am in my seventies so have a good excuse. But if you find chores tiring, do what I do -- I buy ready chopped vegetables, and batch make soups to freeze. Then I have something easy to fall back on when fatigued, which is usually at the end of a day.

Hope this helps. All the best.

Had swollen lymph node protruding from side of face. Dermatology did biopsy and drained, it was full of fluid. Get scan about every six months to check for malignancy.