Hi. My name is Dianne aka Hawkeye. As I travel this journey, I have learned much about Sjogrens and Me. I call it a personal journey as I realize each of us dealing with this are unique, with shared experiences. I started in my 60’s with complaints that were misdiagnosed several times by different professionals in areas of rheumatology, ophthalmology, dentistry, and even a clinical trial. I taught middle school for over 30 years and pushed through various episodes of illness and depression. Finding Sjogrens (which I had never heard of) was a God send. It has eased my feelings of anxiety and fear of being sent away AGAIN with “You are just aging, adapt”. For me I attacked my symptoms one at a time and read everything I could find. NOW I openly tell others what I have and what I need. My diet is specific for me and my body, my need for fatigue acceptance has been hard but good, my need to be outside is critical to my mental health. Others either accept what I say or not. I know what works and self care works for me. I encourage others to take all the time you need to take baby steps and even back up and try again. I’m excited to find a forum for sharing. Any way my story or choices can help someone , I’m on board. Thanks for creating this forum.
Welcome aboard Dianne! I’m not surprised that getting your diagnosis was a long journey. Unfortunately that is the norm for a lot of conditions, especially autoimmune.
Fatigue is very hard to accept but it is easier to handle it once it’s been accepted.
Thank you. I DO FEEL better about dealing with symptoms. As I ponder my journey, I realize most of my health issues, if not all, are Sjogrens related. I also think my mother had it and was repeatedly misdiagnosed. She was the perfect
example of stoicism and determination.
Thank you for welcoming me.
Dianne
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