Good news everybody!
::Saracasm::
I have officially been diagnosed with Sjögren's Syndrome!
======================
---For Those Going WTF Is That?---
Sjogren's (SHOW-grins) syndrome is a chronic autoimmune
disease in which your body’s immune system attacks the moisture producing
glands of the body.
Sjogren's syndrome often accompanies other immune system
disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. In Sjogren's syndrome, the
mucous membranes and moisture-secreting glands of your eyes and mouth are
usually affected first, resulting in decreased production of tears and saliva.
The two main symptoms of Sjogren's syndrome are:
Dry eyes. Your eyes
may burn, itch or feel gritty, as if there's sand in them.
Dry mouth. Your
mouth may feel like it's full of cotton, making it difficult to swallow or
speak.
Some people with Sjogren's syndrome also experience one or
more of the following:
Joint pain,
swelling and stiffness
Swollen salivary
glands (particularly the set behind your jaw and in front of your ears)
Severe dental
issues
Skin rashes or dry
skin
Vaginal dryness
Persistent dry
cough
Chronic Bronchitis
Dry sinuses or sinus
issues
Prolonged fatigue
It may affect other organs of the body, including the
kidneys, blood vessels, lungs, liver, pancreas, peripheral nervous system and
brain.
For more info, see:
======================
While it isn’t a good thing to have, it is a huge relief I
finally have a doctor who is recognizing that there is more than Fibromyalgia
at work and trying to help me fix it rather than just masking symptoms with
medications.
As of now, I have been diagnosed with two clearly recognized
autoimmune disorders occurring on top of Fibromyalgia and my Dysautonomia. Having
a doctor acknowledge that is huge. It’s
only taken 10 years to get this far.
I asked him about the disability application, and he is
totally 100% on board and told me how some of it would work, as far as how he’d
get paperwork to fill out after I submitted my application. He renewed my permit, so I now have a permanent
disability parking permit. It actually comes with a little ID card here in Louisiana.
Apparently some states use it to verify you are the tag owner.
Only thing he didn’t do, which bummed me, is he didn’t give
me another shot in my wrist. He said after what happened last time ( me passing
out ) he wanted to try something else. So I got a topical instead, which has to
be specially compounded and sent to me. I’m hard pressed to think it will work,
but I’ll try it before I knock it and beg for the injection again.
I finally have hope that things are taking a turn in the
right direction with all this medical crazy I have lived with for years.
I will still need people who are willing to write on my
behalf for the disability application.
If you already have ( thank you guys again SO much! ), I plan to use
those.
If you are willing to write a statement, please let me know.
I’ll be starting this whole process in January, after the
holidays.
