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Dawn's Story

     My name is Dawn. I’m a 38 year old female who has been suffering from Sjogren's for years now.  It all started when I was around 14, and my glands began to swell up so bad, I looked like I had the mumps.  My mom took me to the doc, but they could not find anything wrong with me.

     Throughout the years, I noticed several changes.  My energy level was depleting quite rapidly and I noticed that I was sleeping more.  By the time I turned 30, things got really bad.  My dentist first noticed that I had extreme dry mouth and sent me to a Rheumatologist, who diagnosed me with Sjogren's.  I didn't think much of it until the next year, things really began to change.  My fatigue was terrible and my eyes and mouth were so dry.  I finally did some investigating and decided to see a specialist in the field, (my doctor also has the disease).  It took me a year to get in, but it was well worth it.  She put me on Plaquenil, which helped with the fatigue and dry eyes.  The next several years, things began to get really bad.  I also have been diagnosed with Lupus, RA, and Raynaud's.  I've tried several different treatments, Methotrexate, low-dose Prednisone, Imuran, and many other med's.  Imuran worked the best for a while, but I had to discontinue it because I got a yeast infection in my esophagus.  I had trouble swallowing and felt like I had a lump in my throat all the time.  (GI doc needs to examine for yeast.)  I’m finding that the yeast is a big part of my problem.  I've tried every yeast protocol out there, and nothing seems to help.  I’m also seeing an alternative doctor who specializes in yeast disorders and I’m starting to feel a bit better.  I've also discovered something wonderful for dry eyes.  It's an all natural product called “HYDROEYE”.  I started taking this around seven months ago, and noticed a big difference.  My eyes feel so much better.  It takes about a month to kick in.  I've also had a few friends try it, and they had the same results.

     Currently, I just take 200mg of Plaquenil and several supplements like Ginseng, Evening Primrose Oil, Digestive Enzymes, and Feverfew, which by the way, has helped with my headaches.

     I know others think we are just crazy!  Probably because most of us look okay on the outside-If they only knew how we suffer.  No matter how much we explain to family and friends, they just don't get it.  It's very frustrating at times, but I always say things could be much worse, I just pray they find some cure for these horrific autoimmune diseases.

     Please feel free to email me!

Story Copyright © 1998-2010 Dawn

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