Sjögren’s syndrome can cause painful, unpleasant dryness throughout the body. While there is no cure at this time, there are many strategies you may use to feel better quickly, and prevent serious complications down the road.
Severe dryness of usually moist body tissues, such as mouth, eyes, skin and vagina, are the hallmark symptoms of Sjögren’s syndrome. Some people may experience dryness of the nose or throat as well. Dryness in these tissues can lead to other problems, such as infections in cracked skin, yeast infections in the vagina, or corneal ulcers in the eye. Some people have swollen parotid glands on the sides of their faces, and in a small percentage of people, Sjögren’s syndrome can cause a form of lymphoma, or cancer.
Sjögren’s syndrome is best treated by a rheumatologist, or doctor specializing in rheumatic diseases. You may also regularly visit an ophthalmologist (eye specialist), gynecologist (women’s reproductive specialist) or dentist as part of a healthcare team. Your goal is to manage symptoms through medications, self-care and preventive strategies, and adopt healthy living practices to boost fitness and well-being.
Treatments for Dry Eyes
Eyes affected by Sjögren’s may burn, or feel dry, irritated, red, painful and gritty. Eyes are naturally lubricated by tears, moisture secreted through the tiny ducts on your eyelids. In Sjögren’s syndrome, inflammation of the glands that produce tears interferes with moisture production.
Medications to help boost moisture in the eye include:
- over-the-counter eyedrops that mimic natural tears, widely available in drugstores.
- prescription-only cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion (Restasis), an immunomodulator eyedrop (meaning it triggers the immune processes that create tears naturally) placed in each eye twice a day.
Another strategy for dry eyes is punctal occlusion, minor surgery to plug one of the two tear ducts in each eyelid. The purpose of this treatment is to close one duct so more tears are pooled in the eye, boosting lubrication. An ophthalmologist may either plug the ducts with temporary tiny collagen plugs or long-term silicone plugs. Either may be removed. Some doctors also use laser treatments to permanently seal the ducts.
Self-care and preventive strategies may also improve dry eye symptoms. Increasing indoor humidity with a humidifier or avoiding sitting in front of fans or vents can help decrease dryness. You may also try using goggles outdoors to protect eyes from wind and dust – prescription models are available, or you can pick up an inexpensive pair of safety goggles at the home improvement store. Get regular eye exams as often as your rheumatologist or ophthalmologist recommends, possibly annual or more often, depending on your eye condition. If you notice any pain or redness in your eyes, seek medical attention promptly, as these symptoms may signal and eye infection.
No surprise to me. When my son was in grade school he developed severe arthritis from food poisoning. It was by chance they discovered he was HLAB-27 positive. My husband and I were tested, we were the carriers. Please look this up if you don't know about it. Also another very, very important fact, just a few years ago both my husband and son were found to be extremely low in Vitamin D. I am borderline low. Extremely, extremely, important. I read it is actually a hormone. This has to do with cancer, MS, arthritis, immune function etc. Every since I started taking Vit D I don't get sinus infections like I used to.
Thank you,
Larry
Although the venous angioplasty therapy on neck veins has been done for MS patients at CCSVI Clinic only for the last 18 months it has been performed on narrow or occluded neck veins for other reasons for many years. “Where we encounter blocked neck veins resulting in a reflux of blood to the brain, we treat it as a disease,” says Gupte. “It’s not normal pathology and we have seen improved health outcomes for patients where we have relieved the condition with minimal occurrences of re-stenosis long-term. We believe that our record of safety and success is due to our post-procedure protocol because we have had to take patients back to the OR to re-treat them in that 10-day period. Otherwise some people could have run into trouble, no question.”
Calgary MS patient Maralyn Clarke died recently after being treated for CCSVI at Synergy Health Concepts of Newport Beach, California on an outpatient basis. Synergy Health Concepts discharges patients as a rule without in-clinic provisions for follow up and aftercare. Post-procedure, Mrs. Clarke was discharged, checked into a hotel, and suffered a massive bleed in the brain only hours after the procedure. Dr. Joseph Hewett of Synergy Health recently made a cross-Canada tour promoting his clinic for safe, effective treatment of CCSVI for MS patients at public forums in major Canadian cities including Calgary.
“That just couldn’t happen here, but the sooner we develop written standards and best practices for the liberation procedure and observe them in practice, the safer the MS community will be”, says Dr. Gupte. “The way it is now is just madness. Everyone seems to be taking shortcuts. We know that it is expensive to keep patients in a clinical setting over a single night much less 10 days, but it’s quite absurd to release them the same day they have the procedure. We have always believed it to be unsafe and now it has proven to be unsafe. The thing is, are Synergy Health Concepts and other clinics doing the Liberation Treatment going to be changing their aftercare methods even though they know it is unsafe to release a patient on the same day? The answer is no, even after Mrs. Clarke’s unfortunate and unnecessary death. Therefore, they are not focused on patient safety…it’s become about money only and lives are being put at risk as a result.”
Joanne Warkentin of Morden Manitoba, an MS patient who recently had both the liberation therapy and stem cell therapy at CCSVI Clinic agrees with Dr. Gupte. “Discharging patients on the same day as the procedure is ridiculous. I was in the hospital being monitored for 12 days before we flew back. People looking for a place to have the therapy must do their homework to find better options. We found CCSVI Clinic and there’s no place on earth that’s better to go for Liberation Therapy at the moment. I have given my complete medical file from CCSVI Clinic over to my Canadian physician for review.” For more information Log on to http://ccsviclinic.ca/?p=866 OR Call on Toll Free: 888-419-6855.
Other recent MS patients who have had Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation (ASCT), or stem cell therapy have posted videos and comments on YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFQr2eqm3Cg.
Dr. Avneesh Gupte, the Neurosurgeon at Noble Hospital performing the procedure has been encouraged by results in Cerebral Palsy patients as well. “We are fortunate to be able to offer the treatment because not every hospital is able to perform these types of transplants. You must have the specialized medical equipment and specially trained doctors and nurses”. With regard to MS patients, “We are cautious, but nevertheless excited by what patients are telling us. Suffice to say that the few patients who have had the therapy through us are noticing recovery of neuro deficits beyond what the venous angioplasty only should account for”.
Dr. Unmesh of Noble continues: “These are early days and certainly all evidence that the combination of liberation and stem cell therapies working together at this point is anecdotal. However I am not aware of other medical facilities in the world that offer the synthesis of both to MS patients on an approved basis and it is indeed a rare opportunity for MS patients to take advantage of a treatment that is quite possibly unique in the world”.
Autologous stem cell transplantation is a procedure by which blood-forming stem cells are removed, and later injected back into the patient. All stem cells are taken from the patient themselves and cultured for later injection. In the case of a bone marrow transplant, the HSC are typically removed from the Pelvis through a large needle that can reach into the bone. The technique is referred to as a bone marrow harvest and is performed under a general anesthesia. The incidence of patients experiencing rejection is rare due to the donor and recipient being the same individual.This remains the only approved method of the SCT therapy.
I have Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, AND Sjogren's and the combination causes symptoms that are so varied and painful I can't even begin to describe it accurately.
Have you ever crumpled up a piece of paper into a really tight ball in your fist? Like you would if you were going to angrily throw it in the garbage? Have you ever tried to UN-crumple that piece of paper afterward because you remembered it had some important information on it so you have to take care not to rip it in the process of opening it?
When I wake up in the morning my muscles and joints are so inflamed and/or dry that I feel like I'm that crumpled up ball of paper having to be UN-crumpled without being ripped. On average it takes me 2 hours of stretching, while laying in bed, to be able to get up and attempt to make to my bedroom door. All that to combat ONE of my symptoms.
Does THAT sound like the kind of joint inflammation and dryness that this article mentioned?
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