hi to all, anyone out there suffer from sjogrens syndrome
I 47 and was diagnosed in 1993. I get sick of being so d r y everywhere. Of course this includes mostly the internal organs. Any new news? tks Keryn
from downunder Australia.

Keryn,
I've got Sjogren's (plus Raynaud's, SLE, RA, and the docs are throwing around Fibro right now too).

My eyes are the biggest problem. Despite putting "goo" in them at night, I still wake up in the middle of the night b/c they are dry. I drink tons of water (at least a gallon a day) which I think helps... My skin is mildly dry - so I lotion up 2x a day (with the summer heat I get so sweaty/slick from the lotion!)

My problems surfaced after I had Lasik surgery. Although I had tested positive for Sjogren's - had not had any problems prior to surgery. Had been wearing contact lenses for 15 years with no problems other than allergy season. Doctor said my eyes were fine for the procedure - did the Scwin's (or whatever) test that came back normal. Have learned since then that he did a BIG no-no. And he is one of the pioneers in our country. Taking legal action against him...

My doc told me recently that they are making some great advances with Sjogren's. Some new drugs coming to the market (U.S.) in the next couple of years. The National Institute of Health is doing some fairly-large research studies on it right now.

Do you drink a lot of water? I don't do any caffeine, sugar or artificial sweetners. I stay away from alcohol too since it's dehydrating but every once in a while I just gotta have a cold beer...

Best of luck and keep us posted on how you're doing.