Hello,
I have been dealing with an autoimmune disease called Sjogren's Syndrome for about 7 years now. My anxiety problems all started when since I have had the Sjogren's Syndrome. This disease causes many different symptoms, mainly dry eye, dry mouth, fatigue, joint and muscle pain. I think a lot of why I have anxiety problems and panic attacks stem from having his chronic disease. Does anyone else have a similar story?
Sjogren's Syndrome and anxiety
Hi
I was diagnosed with Sjogren's 9 years ago. I have a younger sister diagnosed at age 29 (21 years ago). It is an unusual disease, everyone has differing symptoms. Approximately 14% Sjogren's sufferers develop non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The symptoms vary during each "flare up" and anxiety, depression, extreme fatigue, panic attacks are all a part of them. I experience dry eyes and dry throat. My sis has had her tear ducts sealed, and has had many surgeries, removed many nodes and glands. Has had her teeth replaced, and her jaw bone. She has a severe case of Sjogren's, and now has another auto immune which often accompanies Sjogren's, lupus. You can find out a great deal of information at the Sjogren's site. I have found it helpful to know that there isn't any real definitive set of symptoms, but there is a list, which will help you understand the scope of the disease. The anxiety is one of the hardest symptoms for me. I am not taking drugs for anxiety, and my BP goes sky high, when it is otherwise normal. I have ended up in the ER too many times with chest pain, etc. I now have paroxsysmal AFib which in itself causes a great deal of anxiety and panic. I believe the anxiety and panic often comes with a chronic disease. My son has Crohn's and goes through similiar symptoms along with the pain, suffering of Crohn's. Not many people can handle, especially at a young age, the thought that the rest of their lives will be spent battling a physical problem which doctors are often unable to pinpoint very quickly, and then add all the tricky treatments, and you have all the earmarks of chronic anxiety. I hope you are doing well. I hope you find your answers. There is so much to learn regarding auto immune diseases. I would suggest getting your proper rest is one of the best remedies. Good luck!
I was diagnosed with Sjogren's 9 years ago. I have a younger sister diagnosed at age 29 (21 years ago). It is an unusual disease, everyone has differing symptoms. Approximately 14% Sjogren's sufferers develop non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The symptoms vary during each "flare up" and anxiety, depression, extreme fatigue, panic attacks are all a part of them. I experience dry eyes and dry throat. My sis has had her tear ducts sealed, and has had many surgeries, removed many nodes and glands. Has had her teeth replaced, and her jaw bone. She has a severe case of Sjogren's, and now has another auto immune which often accompanies Sjogren's, lupus. You can find out a great deal of information at the Sjogren's site. I have found it helpful to know that there isn't any real definitive set of symptoms, but there is a list, which will help you understand the scope of the disease. The anxiety is one of the hardest symptoms for me. I am not taking drugs for anxiety, and my BP goes sky high, when it is otherwise normal. I have ended up in the ER too many times with chest pain, etc. I now have paroxsysmal AFib which in itself causes a great deal of anxiety and panic. I believe the anxiety and panic often comes with a chronic disease. My son has Crohn's and goes through similiar symptoms along with the pain, suffering of Crohn's. Not many people can handle, especially at a young age, the thought that the rest of their lives will be spent battling a physical problem which doctors are often unable to pinpoint very quickly, and then add all the tricky treatments, and you have all the earmarks of chronic anxiety. I hope you are doing well. I hope you find your answers. There is so much to learn regarding auto immune diseases. I would suggest getting your proper rest is one of the best remedies. Good luck!
-
~*schnauzermom*~
- Posts: 183
- Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2005 9:24 pm
I have 2 autoimmune diseases...Sarcoidosis and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. My sister (she has ITP which is another AI disease and she believes she has fibro, but has not been dx'd formally yet) got me this book which I am picking up tomorrow...The Autoimmune Epidemic: Bodies Gone Haywire in a World Out of Balance--and the Cutting-Edge Science that Promises Hope (Hardcover) by Donna Jackson Nakazawa (Author), Dr. Douglas Kerr (Foreword). From the amazon.com reviews, looks pretty good.
I have gone organic with food as much as possible, drink filter water and stay FAR away from processed foods (ie packaged stuff with additives, chemicals and preservatives, MSG, trans fats, partcially hygrogenated oils and the like). I exercise, practice relaxation for myself and have learned not to get stressed as others seem to note that flare ups usually come right after a stressful period. My emotions used to go into negative and total meltdown mode and not going there has proved to be a challenge, but I remind myself that getting angry will not solve anything, I just end up hurting myself with it. The thyroid issue is something I work with everyday. Anxiety can happen with too much thyroid meds, so I need to adjust accordingly. The Sarcoid, right now I am still in "clinical remission" and hope it stays that way. It will be 2 years this May when I was dx'd with this one. Good luck!
I have gone organic with food as much as possible, drink filter water and stay FAR away from processed foods (ie packaged stuff with additives, chemicals and preservatives, MSG, trans fats, partcially hygrogenated oils and the like). I exercise, practice relaxation for myself and have learned not to get stressed as others seem to note that flare ups usually come right after a stressful period. My emotions used to go into negative and total meltdown mode and not going there has proved to be a challenge, but I remind myself that getting angry will not solve anything, I just end up hurting myself with it. The thyroid issue is something I work with everyday. Anxiety can happen with too much thyroid meds, so I need to adjust accordingly. The Sarcoid, right now I am still in "clinical remission" and hope it stays that way. It will be 2 years this May when I was dx'd with this one. Good luck!
"Afterall, everybody only hears what he understands." by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe