Dry eyes

I have had dry eyes since childhood.

I have also thought I may have had Bartonella that long as well.

So I think Bart has possibly been the cause of my dry/red eyes.

bro123 said...
Did it resolve?

It’s better than it used to be - they were always red!
Now they’re good unless I don’t get enough sleep - or it’s windy out … etc.
I have blue eyes - and I have been told they are more sensitive. (Optometrist )

I use Genteal eye drops when needed.

I had severe dry eyes and dry mouth for periods of time along with many other symptoms. I am not sure if mold exposure, Bartonella, or Lyme was the direct cause. I had blood tests for Sjogren’s and had antibodies, but they were below the lab range for positive.

When I say it was severe, I mean it was severe, especially at night. My eyelids would stick to my eyeballs, and the sides of my mouth would stick to my teeth and my tongue to the roof of my mouth. I used OTC products that helped.

After moving from my parents’ moldy house, it went away. It has been some years since I moved from that house. Some of my symptoms improved or left quickly after moving. I don’t recall how fast the dryness stopped after moving, but it was a symptom cluster that came and went in bouts. I still have occasional bouts since with either eyes or mouth, but not severe like I had back then. Back in December, I had what I believe was COVID, and I had a brief bout of dry mouth and throat during that time that caused a lot of anxiety at night.

I am female and believe hormone insanity was also a contributor.

Post Edited (WalkingbyFaith) : 7/3/2022 7:10:52 AM (GMT-6)

Actually, I'm having a brain fart. I will always admit when i make a mistake, and I've spoken to many members by email. I confused bro with another user who emailed me.

That being said, I stand by what i said about Dr J's advice to several patients on here.

I also think multiple members on this site, myself included, have been lead on a wild "infections goose-chase" hunting for infections which do not exist, or are not the driving factor behind our symptoms.

That is not to say lyme doesnt exist, or that most of the members on here havent benefited from treating infections, mind you.

I personally think it is the same phenomena as is seen in post-covid, like in this article..

https://liu.se/en/news-item/postcovid-i-ogat-ska-utforskas

“ That being said, I stand by what i said about Dr J's advice to several patients on here.“

What advice are you talking about?

Garzie funny you'd say that, last night when I was reading this thread I thought to myself "huh, I literally have the opposite problem" and here you are describing that haha.

I don't take NAC for what it's worth but if you suspect any other supplements feel free to let me know and I can let you know if I take them.

For what it's worth, I think it's Bartonella because it can also cause pink eye and all kinds of stuff.

I have often relied on pattern recognition to help me navigate this health condition and immune dysfunction. My dad also had streaming eyes in the a.m. as I have. We also experienced dry eyes at night over the decades.

He suffered from low thyroid function and GI dysfunction as I do. Although never tested, I now suspect his immune system was also struggling with co-infections and mycotoxins.

I have wondered if these symptoms were more of an immune system histamine release.

Had a meeting with my LLMD Saturday. He said he has found Lyme/co-infections can co-exist with autoimmune and be the cause. He also said treating an infection could help resolve the issue with autoimmune.

Over the years, the autoimmune related blood test I have been consistently positive on, except for one lightly positive ANA a few years ago, is complements C3 and C4. That has been low for about 4 years. No positive blood tests for anything else - imnoglobulins, Anti-Ro/SSA and/or anti-La/SSB antibodies (both for Sjogrens), RA, C-reactive protein (CRP), sedimentation rate, imunoglobulins. Doctors kept saying I am fine there.

My feet slowly kept feeling more "crunchy," or off, and my eyes would itch at times and at night have bouts of dry mouth. Reading so much about Lyme, I just chalked it all up to Bartonella. I finally pushed for a lip biopsy, which turned out positive for Sjogrens Syndrome. No doctor believed it was Sjogrens before the biopsy. I can thank dcd for strongly suggesting getting the biopsy.

Whenever Sjogrens is brought up, the two things that are usually mentioned are dry mouth and dry eyes. The under mentioned symptom is neuropathy. And that is the most critical one that should be mentioned as my feet and ankles have now gotten worse. I tested positive positive for large fiber neuropathy and a podiatrist is going to do a punch biopsy to see if small fiber is also involved (biopsy is only way to know for small fiber). The neurologist, for unexplained reasons, didn't do a test for small fiber. Critical to know.

Whole point is if you are experiencing dry eyes, dry mouth, with or without neuropathy, it might be a good idea to be tested for Sjogrens. Blood tests for Anti-Ro/SSA and/or anti-La/SSB antibodies can be negative and still you could have it. I still do not have positive tests for those, yet the lip biopsy is considered the gold standard test for Sjogrens, and I was positive the first time.

This is not saying everyone with dry eyes or dry mouth has Sjogrens. But I should have had the lip biopsy two years ago or more as symptoms kept being chalked up to "it's Lyme." Same happened with my kidney. "It happens with Lyme." I know now the kidneys issue could happen with treatments for Lyme, but rarely with Lyme.

Peace of mind knowing it is not Sjogrens or finding out it is to know what to do can't hurt.