Living with Sjögren’s Syndrome

     What IS Sjögren’s Syndrome?  You might ask. 

The short answer is:
     "Sjögren’s is a chronic autoimmune disease in which people’s white blood cells attack their moisture-producing glands.
Although the hallmark symptoms are dry eyes and dry mouth, Sjögren’s may also cause dysfunction of other organs such as the kidneys, gastrointestinal system, blood vessels, lungs, liver, pancreas, and the central nervous system. Patients may also experience extreme fatigue and joint pain and have a higher risk of developing lymphoma.  It is a systemic disease that affects the entire body" -The Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation website

     I have had symptoms of this disease for as long as I can remember.  When I was a kid, I would always laugh instead of cry, (because my tear ducts don't work right) which of course use to freak my siblings out, ha ha.  Crying is suppose to be good for the soul, and some days I really wish I could cry.  I think my husband is thankful though, that I can't turn on the water works like some women can,  hardy har har.  But it hurts to cry, for me it's like little shards of glass are making their way out of my tear ducts....not fun!  It's not that I can't cry at all, I can.  But only a little and I have to be REALLY upset to get those little ducts working. 

     One really annoying thing about this disease is, the inability to sweat.  I live in the desert dang it!  The coldest it's been since we arrived 3 weeks ago is 60 degrees!  And that's considered "cold"  according to the locals we've talked to.  When I get hot, I tend to turn bright red, swell up, and sometimes pass out.  I don't have to do anything physical, my body just can't cool itself down naturally, so it shuts down.  It stinks.  But, like I said before, I've been dealing with this since I was a kid so I've kind of gotten use to it...or at least learned my limitations when it gets above 70 degrees.
    
~Jenny