Thanks for all the info! I think you and I are on similar paths as far as seeing an improvement regarding diet. though, I haven't cut out bread or sugar. Currently, I've kicked most of the dairy, but I'm still struggling with an addiction to cheese. Though even that has been cut down, and I find myself making better choices to not have it even when it's available. (though lately I've not been doing well at all on the food front, and reverting to easier convenience foods... Somedays I have to pick my battles, and food loses. I know in my head eating better helps me physically, and when I'm feeling bad making bad choices will just perpetuate the cycle of feeling bad... So I'm getting back on the wagon regarding the food choices I want to make for myself.)
It's also great to hear there are options for improvement on the contacts part. Also thank you for the recommendation on eye drops. My doc wrote a perscription for both daily drops and overnight salve lubrication, however both were over the counter, and the pharmacy techs & pharmacists weren't confident in the product & information about purpose.
Since diagnosis in July I've been dealing with new meds and fighting the major symptoms, joint pain & fatigue, and then fighting the subsequent negative medicine reactions. I've always been dry - dry skin, dry hair, dry brittle nails. I've always hated lotions and greasy things, as it's not natural on my skin. Adding lotions or creams to my skin feels much like a normal person holding the insides of okra, or snot... Gross huh?
As for my dry mouth - I've always needed to drink with my food, and only until recently has it been dry when talking, and sometimes even just sitting not even using my mouth. I have the biotene gum, but I don't care for constantly chewing, and even with the gum I'm still unable to carry on conversations. I have found the most helpful is the halls sugar free losenges (next to the cough drops, but not listed as cough drops - I LOVE the blueberry). However, this isn't a solution, just a mask or temporary immediate fix for the issue, as it comes right back after the losenge is disolved.
Back to the eyes... When I stopped being able to wear contacts I thought I was just contracting pink eye. I went to optometrists, and opthamologists, for 1st opinions and 2nd opinions from each, and even more than that, because I had to go everytime I had the conjunctivitis flare. None of them picked up on Sjogren's as a possibility. They gave me steriod drops, salves, allergy drops, and the steriods seemed to help the flair the best, but again never fixed the problem. It was like there was an issue always there waiting to pop out. Low and behold - there was... The problem is my eyes don't "feel" dry. They're not painful or uncomfortable daily. I cry, and their are tears just as normal, or if I feel any emotion overwhelmingly the waterworks well up, just as normal. I only have flairs when I use contacts, or when I am emotional, for example, cry or get really angry, then it explodes into conjunctivitus. Which still isn't dry... Then I get all leaky and ocassionally yellow goopy. Because I don't feel their dry it's been harder for me to start the "treatment" of using drops 2x a day, because I forget.
Right now I have bigger fish to fry, and this "inconvenience" doesn't make the important list. I'm curious to know by not placing this as a priority and not treating the issue, will it continue to progressively get worse?

I'm sorry for blathering for so long - apparently I needed to vent a bit. I hope I didn't overstep your kindness, but it seems like we have a bit in common, and I could benefit from every bit of your experience.