Could this be Sjögrens?

Posted , 5 users are following.

Symptoms started around a year ago with pain in the left side of my face/jaw/ear. Intermittent but happening on a daily basis. found a small lump under the skin under my ear/jaw area. had a scan and was told it was a swollen lymph node and it should go down but it never has. Last few months im also suffering with very dry, gritty eyes, eye/head/neck ache. the pain subsides with ibuprofen but im using a lot of eye drops for the dryness. i have intermittent nose/sinus irritation and my scalp is very itchy despite trying all kinds of gentle shampoos. Does any of this ring true with anyone who has been diagnosed?

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3 Replies

  • Posted

    HIya klwpvcf, wow, what a name to type..lol..

    Ive had SORGRENS syndrome for 30 odd years now and it was that swelling by my ear on my jaw that diagnosed me, I too get very dry eyes still and the swelling at times. i had scans on my swelling and it was just swollen..they could find nothing..I get meds over the counter at any chemist for my dry eyes..there is plenty. out there. as far as the swelling goes, it comes and goes, there is nothing to help it go down, but I just grew my hair over it..and thought well there is plenty of people much worse off...i also get neck aches, but i have arthritis too so I cant take ibuprofen as its dangerous to take long time, I just take Osteo Panadaol SR, 2 x 3 times-a day., the sinus gets bad too, plenty of non drowsy over the counter meds too, just dont let them get infected, The, fluid dried up in my left ear and crystalised I ended up with total dizziness-vertigo 24/7 for 14 years it took and it just went away as quickly as it came...it was hoffific i couldnt turn my head, if I stoond on something ss small as a matchstick I thought I was on the edge of a cliff. I had a walking stck and my husbans right arm. whenever we went out lol., i hooe this helps and you find answers on here you need, it is an awesome site, we all support eachother and we are veryempathetus because we are all suffererd..you need to see a Rhumatologist to get diagnosed properly, although a good enlightened gp can diagnose yo too, be blessed and have a lovely weekend.

  • Posted

    Sjogrens disease can be visible on an ultrasound but the disease is spread throughout the whole gland and not just one lump.

    Dry eyes can be caused by lots of things so no, there's no reason to think that you have Sjogrens just based on your symptoms. If you'd like to get some blood tests specific to this condition you can ask your Dr.

    I find that the eye drops make the symptoms worse as the preservative is irritating. My optometrist tells me that taking fish oil is proven to help. I also use a Manuka Honey based eye drop which is very effective and I don't need to use them very often.

  • Posted

    I truly feel for you I do have dry, gritty eyes, eye/head/neck ache too. I do have changes consistent with Sjogren's. I can't salivate or produce tears. I take Pilorcarpine to help salivate. I also have Hashimoto's thyroiditis which showed the antibodies in my blood after taking Lisinopril for over 8 years; my lips swelled three times their size and it happened three times. This is called angioedema which was an allergic reaction to the high blood pressure drug. The Hashimoto's slows everything down and causes weak nails and brittle hair. It also causes joint pain. The Sjogren's causes everything to dry up and this explains the dry gritty eyes for which I use eye drops. It also causes my lips to be so dried out and no lip balm has helped me. This could also account for your itchy scalp. Try not to wash your hair everyday. Coconut oil and olive oil are good for the scalp and nails. You can use them as a on your hair and scalp for at least ten minutes before you wash your hair out. Blessings, donna

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