SmartPatients is the Sjogren's website I follow. It's really helpful

Hello, my name is Penny and I've had Sjogrens for a long time. I take amed. called Pilocarpine (generic for salvagen). I'm on the maximum dose 4 times a day. It helps some. I choked all the time, sometimes I choke so bad it makes me throw up. Was embarrassed to eat in public or in front of anyone. Finally in 2019 I agreed to have my esophagus stretched because the inflammation had gotten so bad I choked on drinks....
After the surgery was rough for about a month but I feel much better now. I can eat without choking and I don't need 3 glasses of water to wash down every bit of food with. I would have to drink constantly or suck on throat lozenges because I'd have a constant tickle in my throat. Sjogrens is horrible. My mouth feels like cotton, I get mouth sores easily,, sometimes from brushing my teeth and hit the side of my mouth. Maybe TMI but I'm female and get painful vaginal tares sometimes just from rough TP. I will always need eye drops, they feel like there is a ton of sand in them. When I wake up in the am or during the night I have to sip water so I can open my mouth,, if I force it I get tares.. This disease dries out all your mucus membranes inside and out. Feel free to contact me if you need to.

I have RA and Sjogren's (and a bunch of other autoimmune diseases) and there's a terrific Sjogren's site where people share all kinds of info. It's really helped me to understand and cope with both. SmartPatients Good luck, it's not always easy dealing with both.

I don't have much of an appetite 😕 and my taste and smell have been off for years. It's frustrating for my husband because I can't really tell if something is spoiled or going bad. And I have a hard time deciding what to eat because nothing really tastes good to me anymore 😕. I guess it's because of the dried out membranes. For a while I had a lot of bloody noses until I started using a moisturizing nasal spray everyday. I hate to take a shower because my body itches for a few days. It's weird because it itches under my skin, I know that probably doesn't make sense but I don't know any other way to explain it, scratching doesn't really help. I slather on lotion, I use CeraVe. It works well but it's a never-ending battle. My skin is almost like a sunburn that constantly peels.
All I can say is hang in there because the longer you have it it seems it just gets worse. Drink lots of water. Most people just don't get it 😒.

Thank you for your reply Penny, as this is relatively new to me it is really helpful to hear from someone who is going through the same thing, i have already lost weight as i have no appetite, i am also curious to hear if you have ever lost your taste and smell as i did about 4 years ago.