u/Dear-March-2433

I had my first follow up appointment today since the beginning of January. I had my last IPL (4th) at that time so this follow up was to see how my eyes are doing. My dry eye specialist doesn't love the schirmers test because she says it can vary so much but I always request that she still does it so I can track my tear production and she's great about doing it for me.

In January my schirmers test was a 5 and 6 with numbing drops after 5 mins. Today they were exactly the same - 5 and 6. And it just barely was a 5 so you could argue it was just passed 4.

Anyway, she said I had no dry spots except one super tiny one that she showed me but it was very small and my eyes actually looked good. My main symptoms are burning somedays which is by far the worst symptom for me because I struggle to keep my eyes open and other days my eyelids burn which I think is due to not having enough tears and there being constant dry friction when I blink. Other days my eyes are okay and I just manage with drops and it's fine.

I have a positive ANA and negative antibodies for Sjogrens but I am scheduled for a lip biopsy soon to get a definitive diagnosis because sometimes antibodies can be negative and the biopsy is positive.

I guess what I'm saying is I'm really nervous. I'm so scared that I might have Sjogrens and what that means for my future. It is such a scary disease from what I have read and I'm just nervous. I also am nervous to try sclerals (in the process of trying to get them covered because they are too expensive out of pocket) and worried they won't work for me and I'll be stuck in my high prescription glasses forever which just adds to all of this being super shitty. I know being in glasses isnt the worst but mine are such high prescription that it really messes with my self esteem. That's all. I just needed to vent.

Oh also, she pushed on my glands in the slit lamp and said they're producing great oil and it's coming out just fine so idk where that leaves me. Maybe I don't have MGD at all? But I know my glands in one eye are slightly shortened.

And the other thing is, is it worth going to a specialist that does all the fancy testing and stuff? Idk what that would change for me but I know some doctors do like the advanced testing that shows your lipid layer density and all that. I have a meibography and I did the NIBUT and shirmer but that's all I've done. Curious what yalls opinions are.

I have a positive ANA of 1:80 DFS pattern, negative SSA/SSB, slightly elevated ESR, normal CRP, ultrasound of my glands was normal, but I have dry eyes confirmed with a schirmer test and a dry mouth that I've had for years which I would consider mild but recently has been causing me oral pain. I requested the early sjogrens panel although my rheumotologist said it is not well validated and sometimes can have false positives but I've also heard other doctors say they DO consider it accurate.

Anyway, here are my results. I just wanted some feedback on what I should do next and others opinions on how accurate this test really is and just any feedback and advice in general. I don't understand what these antibodies are and what they even mean or what they do and my current rheumotologist isn't super great. I'm waiting to get in with a new one.

Thank you

https://preview.redd.it/p9o6my5bl40h1.png?width=863&format=png&auto=webp&s=41bb3a6fa2ae8ca277b1e72e667affb4a92baec9

30(F) I have a positive ANA of 1:80 DFS pattern, negative SSA/SSB, slightly elevated ESR, normal CRP, ultrasound of my glands was normal, but I have dry eyes confirmed with a schirmer test and a dry mouth that I've had for years which I would consider mild but recently has been causing me oral pain. I requested the early sjogrens panel although my rheumotologist said it is not well validated and sometimes can have false positives but I've also heard other doctors say they DO consider it accurate. Anyway, here are my results. I just wanted some feedback on what I should do next. Should I consider these accurate? Should I move forward with doing the lip biopsy?

https://preview.redd.it/c5mhkk7xk40h1.png?width=863&format=png&auto=webp&s=51ef8aab44b62a9efac8234795360b77d00b5218

I have a positive ANA of 1:80 DFS pattern, negative SSA/SSB, slightly elevated ESR, normal CRP, ultrasound of my glands was normal, but I have dry eyes confirmed with a schirmer test and a dry mouth that I've had for years which I would consider mild but recently has been causing me oral pain. I requested the early sjogrens panel although my rheumotologist said it is not well validated and sometimes can have false positives but I've also heard other doctors say they DO consider it accurate. Anyway, here are my results. I just wanted some feedback on what I should do next. Should I consider these accurate? Should I move forward with doing the lip biopsy?

https://preview.redd.it/nt81kcjgk40h1.png?width=863&format=png&auto=webp&s=76eeec6845a858a67eb8e94739be31f160c6b1fa

Hi everyone, my husband is a USMC veteran who is in the process of filing his claims for benefits. I apologize if I don't use all of the right terms, he knows much better than I do how all of this works but I am trying to help him with what I can.

He was awarded 40% so far for claims that were approved as service connected, but he was denied for tinnitus which is crazy because he has it so bad he takes meds to help him sleep for tinnitus (also for nightmares but that's part of another claim) They labeled it as not service connected. Can he appeal it?

Also, he has his exam for his PTSD claim in a couple of weeks. We are submitting all of his documents that they requested but it doesn't specify what documents they need. It just says to submit any supporting docs we have. What should we include? He was diagnosed in 2020 with PTSD after many years of suffering with it and long before he even filed this claim. He saw his psychiatrist for about a year, was put on meds for nightmares and a mood stabilizer, started to feel better and stopped seeing her. He just has been managing it on his own the last 5 years or so. I did get the medical records from that doctor who has nightmare disorder and PTSD listed on his diagnoses but in her notes on the records towards the bottom of the file she has it listed that he mentioned he is no longer suffering from nightmares and has improved, which I don't think is accurate because he's never stopped having them completely, but anyway. I'm worried if we include that part of the document then that will contradict his claim and it will get denied? Should we just leave the medical records out?

Curious if anyone has ever had a burning mouth/tongue/gums etc? And did it resolve?

Just curious

What is everyones thoughts on the new Sjogrens drugs releasing this year or next? Will it help the dryness aspect at all? I saw mixed opinions on that. Will it attack the disease at its root problem?