How long before I feel normal in the mornings?
Posted , 6 users are following.
It's almost a year since my PMR diagnosis and at 13 mg Prednisone, my blood work is showing improvements ESR is 11 and C Reactive Protein is 17.7. These are the lowest counts I have had so far. I reduced to 12 mg 2 days ago and will hope the counts behave (hopefully keep going down) when I see the next monthly blood test counts. I was hoping the morning joint pains would improve more quickly but I still resort to Tylenol #3 most mornings.
QUESTION
Do my counts for ESR and C Reactive Protein have to be in the normal ranges before the pain is eliminated or at least reduced to a more tolerable level?
0 likes, 4 replies
ptolemy alebeau
Posted
My counts have always been very high, currently CRP is 88 and ESR 112. They have been lower or higher but always in double or triple figures! Sometimes I feel rough but other times I feel fine. I have always been told to see how you feel rather than relying on blood count figures.
EileenH alebeau
Posted
I would say that you should have stayed at your starting dose until you got to normal range readings for your blood markers or they stopped falling and stabilised before you ever started reducing. Then that level of pain relief should be your guide - you shouldn't feel worse at the end of a reduction than you did at the start. And symptoms always trump numbers ...
alebeau EileenH
Posted
That actually sounds like a good plan, too bad the PMR specialist didn't take that plan of action from the start. I will definitely ask the doctor about that strategy. In the meantime I will continue on my current reduction plan, even though my markers are a little high. I will decide after my next blood work whether or not to increase the prednisone until the counts are in the normal range, then start reducing again.
Thank-you
EileenH alebeau
Posted
You are probably OK as long as the numbers don't start to rise. You just don't have any margin for change - as soon as it is too low you will know, no cushion!