Being tested for polymaylgia Rheumatica

thank you so much for replying i believe i have it also or something very similar too it... my blood tests come back tomorrow hopefully ill have some answers then . ive seen about 15 doctors and finally one listened too me i know my own body something is not right. ive been told many things like i have CFS depression even cancer from doctors i just want a firm diagnosis before i go crazy ... have never experienced anything like this in my life trying too keep positive and once i get treatment ill be fine ... thanks again for replying lol its not all in my mind as ive been told

I stand corrected and rightfully so. I read the suggested paper and am more bewildered than ever. However, so far, I don't see the GCA as a looming threat. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I just wish things could be a bit more clear cut ... but that's the body for you.

hi thanks for replying i believe i have something some kind of disorder i have looked Takayasus arteritis sounds like it could be this .. it really could be anything as alot of my symptoms mimic other autoimmune diseases and yes there are so many of them. thank you for sharing the paper very interesting read 😀. i get my blood results tomorrow i hope i get some answers then as too what is going on ...

hi there,

thanks for replying i got my blood tests back and nothing showed up .. maybe i am one of those 20% of people that it doesnt show up in . im really not sure what too do or where too go from here its hard to get a doctor too actually listen . hopefully ill get some answers soon thanks

hi there,

thanks for replying i got my blood tests back and they show nothing of concern so apparently its all in my head... my doctor has sugguested i go and see a psychiatrist yep thats the answer too all my health issues not... ive decided too go and see a natropath as no doctor seems too listen . i know my own body and something is not right its awful too feel this way day in day out .. hopefully i find some answers soon .

Up to 20% of patients with PMR/GCA have normal blood markers - I had 5 years of doctors acting like yours. I am convinced the rates of PMR without raised markers are far higher than they think just because of this attitude - no abnormal bloods, must be a mental problem...

Unfortunately, if it is PMR a naturopath is unlikely to be able to do much since only pred reliably relieves the symptoms. But good luck.

The point really is that Tanya is VERY young to be considered for PMR ( 39 when the guidelines say "over 50" and was always going to have problems finding a doctor who WOULD consider it. HOWEVER -  the signs are that there is possibly something autoimmune going on - dismissing it as "all in your head" is potentially negligent. But we meet it all the time.

Rats - there was NOT meant to be a smiley face there...

thanks again for replying 😀 the only thing that came up in my other blood tests i got done was my uric acid is very high .. im at a loss atm as too what the bloody hell is going on when it affects my quailty of life at my age ... whatever it is its painful i was walking yesterday and my legs felt like they couldnt move and my hips feel like they are broken. im actually quite scared as too what it is hopefully i find a doctor who listens sooner than later...

thanks for your concern 😀

If you have a very high uric acid level then they should be looking for the cause - you have symptoms of something to go with it.

Hi, Im completely new to this as my Dr has suggested I might have PMR. I was, however, diagnosed with Fibromyalgia last year and have been on a cocktail of drugs since. Some help, some do not. But that diagnosis came after 17 years of being ignored by my doctors. I'm 34 in April. I would fight for answers. I took in a long list of my problems and was eventually sent to see a rhuematologist on the back of that. I'm a bit confused with this possible PMR diagnosis but Ill just wait and see what the bloid tests come back with. If anything. Keep going back, keep mithering, take a list. Ask to be referred. Good luck.

You say you've been having problems since you were about 17?  Have you been properly investigated for allergies, or sensitivities to environmental factors like chemicals which are ubiquitous in our world now?

Yes, for 10 years I was constantly tested for numerous things.But at high school I was badly bullied, a trauma which can lead to Fibromyalgia. And mine has slowly but gradually got worse. Now the Dr thinks it could be PMR. I dont think so as Ive had numerous x-rays and blood tests which show normal. Im not sure how enviromental or chemicals can lead to this constant excruciating back pain, joint pain, muscle pain, stiffness, IBS, fatigue and so on. If it did wouldnt there be more like this?

If the doctor thinks it may be PMR rather than fibro then it is very easy to tell the diference: PMR responds very clearly to a moderate (15-20mg, possibly 25mg but not more) of corticosteroids, fibro does not. x-rays will show nothing in PMR and in up to 20% of patients neither will blood test, it is a diagnosis based on the symptoms and clinical history and response to steroids. 

However, if you have had the same symptoms snce you were a teenager then it is extremely unlikely to be PMR (albeit possible, the youngest recorded case in the medical literature was in their early 20s). But maybe they could identify things better now - things have moved on a lot in the lst few years.

Environmental factors are probably a part of autoimmune disorders - just one piece of a complex jigsaw puzzle though and their need the right shaped space to do their damage in concert with a load of other factors including our genes - which are individual to each of us.

Thank you EileenH, it was bad enough having the fibro diagnosis I dont need PMR too! I think he's just covering all bases now as my previous doctor (lovely woman but useless) didn't really understand or know what to do. I do have a lot of pain around my shoulders and neck now and thats what has triggered my new tests.

It could be just spasmed back muscles now - but is this your GP/PCP or a rheumatologist? Because you really do need to see a specialist about the rest of the stuff because it does sound very autoimmune in origin. Non-specialists are out of their depth - though to be honest so are some rheumatologists. 

The Rhuematologist diagnosed the fibro but my GP is the one thinking PMR, it was when I said I have popping or bubbling sensations in my elbows as well as legs and once in my head. I could see his concern but another GP had told me it was Restless Legs. But I feel much better seeing this GP than anyone else in my surgery. He does, as much as a GP can, specialise in stuff like this.

I think you need a better rheumy - IMHO fibro is the lazy doctor's go-to diagnosis. But PMR at 34 is a very atypical and does need to be investigated by an expert. But the first thing to do is try a moderate dose of pred (20mg) and see if it makes a difference. If it doesn't help at all, it almost certainly isn't PMR.

Environmental illness can manifest in a lot of ways, and I'm no expert.  When one of my children was quite small she tested allergic to several things and at that time I did a lot of reading, so although I can't give you any specifics I do know it's a modern problem which is still (my daughter is now nearly 40) not given enough attention.  Yes, muscle pain is one thing you can get.  The most common thing is of course hay fever type symptoms.  There are also gut problems for many people.  Another common trigger nowadays is artificial fragrance.   But people can react to all sorts of things.  One of my friends was terribly itchy and it took her computer savvy husband to help her figure out she was allergic to cinnamon!  It all depends on what an individual is vulnerable to and it can be quite difficult to sleuth out the culprit, if it is indeed an environmental factor.  If you google environmental illness you'll get some good basic information about what it is and the many symptoms one can get.  It may be one cause among several to help explain your symptoms.  It really was your young age and the fact that doctors didn't really find anything to explain the problems, which made me think of it.  It's possible that as you have grown older other things have joined the party, Many of us develop aches at a relatively young age (I've had osteoarthritis for many years, diagnosed at age 40 but I know I had it before that). 

Thank you Anhaga but these arent hay fever symptoms (I do get a bit of hay fever in spring/summer). I have excruciating pains, not aches. It can be difficult to move at times. I can be bedridden at the worst of it. My joints have shooting/stabbing pains, I have muscle pain, it can hurt at times to be touched, I get numbness in my feet and hands a lot. I have been tested over and over again for numerous things. I know which foods set off my IBS so stay away from those and my amytriptaline can make me itchy. But having these symptoms for so long and being told by GPs that it could be allergies Ive already done/had tests to that effect. Its not. I truly dont think Ive got PMR as numerous blood tests and x-rays have not picked up any inflammation. All my symptoms are of fibro but if there is something else underlying that can help get ridcof some if this so I can have a life again, great.

There is little difference in presentation between fibro and PMR - they really can be very very similar. x-rays don't pick up inflammation and 1 in 5 people with PMR don't get raised blood tests. The only difference - as I said - is that PMR responds to a moderate dose of pred. That will answer one question - if it does respond it isn't fibro. But it might not be PMR either and a GP is never going to work it out if it is a complex autoimmune disorder.

I wasn't saying you have hay fever, just that there are many different kinds of symptoms which can be caused by environmental factors, sinus being one.  Sorry if you misunderstood.