Chris from Taiwan shares her Sjögren's Syndrome & Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) Journey

I am Chris from Taiwan and I have Sjogren's Syndrome.

Sjogren is a disorder of the immune system, often defined by two most common symptoms, like dry eyes and dry mouth which is exactly what I have. I was diagnosed when I was 42.

I was very healthy, and led a very active family life. I loved travelling. When I came down with this disease, it just made my life very difficult. It made simple tasks, very difficult because the eyes were just burning painful every single day. I used to walk in big shopping malls with an ice pack over my eyes because I just couldn't keep it open. And I couldn't travel. It was very difficult to travel by air, especially with cabin air and being in a very tropical climate.

I was very scared because I didn't know much about this disease and I couldn't find any help anywhere so  I became very depressed.

I went to see doctors, and they just told me that I had an excessive dried eye than normal and gave me eye drops. I knew something was wrong but I just couldn't pinpoint it.

After 9 months I made an appointment to see my rheumatologist and he confirmed the likelihood that I have Sjogren's.

I started also having other symptoms like pins and needles sensations in my upper body, heat or this burning sensation in my upper torso, which I couldn't explain.

I started to have little jerks and little spasms in my legs.

I even joined the Sjogren's World Society and  those discussions just frightened me more because I saw people taking Plaquenil, but still, everybody's disease we're still progressing. And the worst of all is that people seem to be getting more autoimmune disease one after another. So I just didn't believe that is the right course for me. And that's why I started searching and finally, came up with something that seems to share some light and that gave me hope and which was the LDN.

I met two patients who have Sjogren's like me in this United States through the internet.

I went on the net, and I bought my medication through the internet pharmacy.

I started taking it a November 27th of 2007. So it's over three and a half years now.

 I remember clearly I had an unusual rash that afterwards I realized it was some kind of an yeast infection.

I immediately saw results in about eight days. My saliva came back in eight days,  and I was almost broke down and cried because I just couldn't believe it.

And then my eyes improved, even though the improvement in my tear, film production wasn't as dramatic as my saliva, but that just gave me all the hope in the world.

I had some headaches and anxiety. but after about four months of taking LDN at 4.5 milligrams, every night, I developed a reoccurring urinary tract infection that just wouldn't go away.

And my LDN began to fail as well because the LDN benefits that I had experienced were wiped out. I had a case of candida overgrowth. So I immediately treated with a strict diet and antifungal medications and LDN began to work again. But after another seven months, LDN failed me again.

When I found out that it was a matter of LDN build up in my body so I experimented with a lower dosage, and I skipped a few nights, and now it has performed more consistently, and I'm still able to enjoy the benefits of LDN.

LDN is the best thing that ever happened to me. I have great relief from my symptoms, and I have hopes again because I believe that LDN stopped my Sjogren's from progressing and possibly even prevented any other autoimmune diseases from developing. So overall speaking, I am just a happier and healthier person.

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