Question: Dear dr.

I've had dry eyes for one month and the symptoms are moderate.

My tongue has a white coating on it but it had been like that before the onset of dry eye symptoms. I wouldn't say it feels dry or abnormal.

Yesterday, after brushing my teeth I started feeling this burning sensation my mouth. It felt like someone scraped my tongue really hard using a very rough brush. It feels better now but it still feels a bit weird.

While brushing teeth, I was looking at something on my computer and the toothpaste stayed in my mouth longer than usual. After brushing teeth, I sat down to get back to work, and suddenly it felt a little painful in the ear and upper jaw (right next to or below the ear lobe).
The pain is very mild and I felt it a couple of times today. When I rub the tiny area near the base of my ear lobe with my finger it's a bit painful.

The reason why I've decided to consult a rheumatologist is that I'm worried about the possibility of having Sjogren's. My dry eye symptoms come and go throughout the day, and when my eyes are irritated I have a headache. It seems that my dry eye symptoms are also causing irritation in other parts of the face because the nerves are all connected.....

QUESTION:

1. The burning sensation of the tongue after brushing teeth, the mild irritation near the ear lobe area all happened at once last night. I understand your salivary gland is affected if you have Sjogren's.
Would I need to fly out of the country (I live in a country where no lab test for Sjoren's is available) because of the two things I just mentioned? Are the symptoms I experienced yesterday a clear indication of Sjogren's?

2. If it's okay to wait and observe, what things should I watch out for?

Thank you.