Is pain always bi-lateral?

Hi djwillms,

They even let Aussie's join!

I was diagnosed in November too, and still trying to get my dose right - havn't gone down further than 12.5mg so you are doing well.

I don't always have bi-lateral pain, in fact hardly ever. It might hurt both sides, but in different spots. It started in my hips and thighs too - weird random painful spots on my upper thigh muscles and even in my calves. It felt like I had a huge tension knot in my muscle, but there's nothing to show for it except the pain.

Flip

looks like a similar discussion going on here:

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/muscle-pain-in-back--398198

Hi dj,

You seem to have managed to drop quite quickly from an original 40mg down to below 10mg in 6 months, I have had PMR for 11 months now and have dropped from 25mg to 14mg and still get quite a few aches and pains. There will be others to help you further on this site so welcome to our forum and good luck.

Welcome djwillms you will learn a lot on this forum we have some excellent people with lots of knowledge, i am a newbie my self and am still learing. 

Sorry i cant help you, but some one will be along who can, take care

Hi dj, pre diagnosis, the pain started in the right side of my neck. Up until diagnosis my pain was bilateral but always worse on my right side. I am right handed and probably throughout my life my right hand side to my body has probably received a harder hitting than the left. That is my right leg is my leading leg, I use my right shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand more than my left. 

But taking about your medication for a second. I believe you are reducing far too quickly and by far too big a reduction. If you continue to reduce it would mean that you are off medication in less than 8 months! A world record I think! I would have said that this pain could simply be put down to the pains of life, but because of your rapid reduction I think it could be because you simply are not taking enough anti inflammatory drug, prednisolone, to cover the amount of inflamation still in your body. You say that your blood tests are almost back to normal, well if you were on the correct level of medication they actually would be back to normal because the drugs would be suppressing any inflaamation and therefore a normal blood test would result.

i'm tempted to suggest you up your preds, that way if the pain goes it will tell you that the lower dose of preds were not quite enough.

dj, I have no medical qualifications but others on this forum do. Listen to their advise. All the best, christina 

dy  my pains have allways been bilateral.  started 2.5 years on pred, and had pain  right through to  1 mg. which  had to rise to two mg recently,  although the pain was  very slight,  which i think most people have.      but i have noticed in the last two weeks  the pain has almost gone   the buttock pain was first to appear   and the   last to disapear   so hang on in there    dj

 

It could be piriformis syndrome - judging by the position! Also known as "fat wallet syndrome" in men! Is quite common amongst PMR people.

PMR pain tends to be bi-lateral but of course there are always exceptions. 

I would hope your ESR/CRP are back in normal range - that is the ideal to aim for. You get to the lowest reading you can with pred and then look for the lowest dose that maintains that.

There are an awful lot of people from your side of the pond though I doubt many are Yankees! But Minnesota is the capital state of PMR - much of the research was based on populations in Olmsted County. It's all those Scandinavian genes!