Wanted to throw one more opinion into the mix. Was out of town so sorry it's late. I too have Sjogren's and am experiencing my third bout of bronchitis in a year.

The problem with Sjogren's is that you actually can do too much of a thing that is supposed to be good for you, like drinking water. Sipping water frequently during the day keeps you hydrated. But gulping gallons of it will actually end up aggravating the dryness, I think because you are washing away things your body needs (sorry this is so vague, but I am very brain-fogged right now).

I suspect the same thing could apply to the sinus irrigation. Gentle rinsing up to twice a day with something that is not pressurized, like a neti pot, will help you keep hydrated without irritating your sensitive nasal passages. I am using a USP grade mixture of sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate which has no preservatives or iodine and is isotonic and pH balanced, and it does not burn.

But I personally would steer away from high pressure devices like water piks. You don't want to blast away all the mucosa. And I imagine that rinsing too many times a day would start to sting after awhile.

I did the Zithromax for this latest bout of bronchitis/bacterial infection. Happily, the mucus is no longer green and my sinuses seem fine now (I used the neti pot once or twice a day too, and it helped). But the thick mucus plugs in my chest are still present and my cough has not cleared up.

In the past, my cough has always been the last to go away, sometimes persisting for a couple of months. I can't tolerate products like Mucinex or anything containing guaifenisen, so it is a challenge to clear up the congestion. My primary care doc believes the mucus plugs are a feature of Sjogren's, and she warned me that it is possible they won't completely go away.

Also, don't know if this is helpful or not, but I go through bouts of chronic fungal infections of the sinuses, mouth, throat. Gross, I know, but the ENT I had in Denver told me it was a product of the Sjogren's too. Those things would take months to clear up.

fanfaire