Outskirts Press, INC.

Inspiring, Enlightening Memoirs of a Challenging Illness

Like most people, you may never have heard of Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that affects moisture-producing glands in the body. Or you may have a friend or relative who is dealing with this often debilitating chronic illness. No matter who you are, Tales From the Dry Side is an invaluable educational tool. Approximately four million people in the United States have Sjögren’s syndrome, which is extremely difficult to diagnose, and even more difficult to treat. People with Sjögren’s often go undiagnosed for years, their symptoms dismissed by doctors or classified as psychosomatic. All the while, the patient is increasingly unable to participate in daily life. Written by Sjögren’s sufferers from various regions of the United States and Canada, Tales From the Dry Side brings you thirteen courageous men and women who share their journey with diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment of Sjögren’s, as well as candid portraits of how this illness has affected their families, their personal lives, and their careers. This book brings hope and comfort to the millions suffering from Sjögren’s syndrome and to those who suffer from any of the eighty other identified autoimmune diseases, as well as to anyone faced with overwhelming obstacles.

“Books like this are a wonderful opportunity to have the Sjögren’s story come to life. I am humbled by those patients that are willing to tell their story. Women and men who are willing to stand up, share their struggles and their triumphs as they manage this confusing and common, yet unknown disease.” – Steven Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation

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Introduction

Imagine for a second what your life would be like if every day, you had to carry a bottle of eye drops with you everywhere you went and you had to use those drops every hour, stopping what you were doing to protect those precious windows to your soul. Imagine for a second what your life would be like if every day, every single movement of your body produced agonizing joint pain and you could no longer participate in the daily activities of your life. Imagine for a second what your life would be like if every day, you struggled to catch your breath while walking or trying to climb a flight of stairs. Finally, imagine that you were so sick on the inside, yet appeared so healthy on the outside, that people thought you were making it all up.