Ashley Fenker

For those Sjögren’s patients who suffer from inflammation of the parotid glands, like myself, lemons and sour candy are your tickets to salivation.

Try pushing down on your glands that run on the side of your face starting by the bottom of your ears. Normal people don’t have to do this to salivate, but my body needs a little help to trigger these glands.

I remember the first time the doctors gave me a prescription ticket written out for unlimited “Sour Patch Kids and Lemons.” It seems like a glorious prescription—a child’s dream. I haven’t always been the right girl for the job because I can’t say I love sour candy, but my brother always loved helping me with the doctor’s orders.