purple2067

Hi all!

I have been suffering from sjogren's syndrome (an auto-immune disorder that causes severe dryness) for two years. Just to give you a little background, my eyes are severely dry. Lately my mouth has gotten worse as well, as far as the dryness. It didn't concern me, but when the right side of my mouth began to get numb, I got worried.

It is not completely numb, but I seem to have lost some of my sensation and ability to taste. It is only on the right side of my mouth. The best way to describe it is that it feels like I was injected with novocaine, and that it has started to wear off but isn't completely gone. The right side of my mouth is like this from the middle of my tongue, all the way to my palette and gums, as well as my teeth and cheeks. I can barely taste my food. This has been going on for about a week. My tongue is also white all over, but red at the tip. I went to the dentist two days ago and he said my teeth look great, and he doesn't see anything visibly wrong with my mouth. But he said that my tongue is probably white from dryness. Does that sound right????

I spoke with my rheumatologist over the phone several times, and he thinks that the lack of sensation in my mouth may have something to do with sjogrens, even though I have not been formally diagnosed yet. He said he thinks that sjogrens can cause neuropathies and other neurological problems. So he is sending me to a neurologist.

This is no longer a simple dental problem.

Does anyone know if sjogrens can definitely cause neuropathies? What do I do to get the sensation back in my mouth? Will it ever come back???

Also, I have never seen a neurologist before. What will he do? What kinds of tests will he run?