I have had a new flare-up of polymyalgia, and the symptoms are somewhat different this time.

Hello Elaine, I agree with you on the Stress factor contributing to PMR. In October 2012 my Mum was diagnosed with vascular dementia and subsequently sectioned under the mental health act. It came as a huge shock to me. I then had to go through the ordeal of  Court of Protection to gain access to Mums personal affairs. I'm also an only child so had to endure this arduous process of legality all alone! Mum deteriorated very very quickly, I felt as if I was on a run away train, having no control over anything!! Mum passed away in September 2013. The following 12 months carried on from the last with solicitors, the clearing out and selling of my family home etc etc,,,, during this time I began to feel 'unwell' I couldnt put a finger on  what I was feeling really! Aches and pains in muscles and joints that I just put down to getting old, plus I've worked on the railway for over 20 years again I put it down to wear and tear! When suddenly Christmas Day 2014 I just seized up altogether!! Diagnosed with PMR March this year, so yes most definitely STRESS has caused it!!! 

A lot of folks on this forum have put it down to stress including me!

I am 1000% convinced my PMR was triggered by 5 years of unremitting work and personal stress.  January 2015 was a peak of stress and I think my poor body blew an autoimmune gasket. 

I too have the lifelong seasonal allergy component that adds to my feeling very extra-unwell at certain times of the year (including today - I took a long lovely walk yesterday not realizing the pollens were especially high until i got home and began reacting with the sneezing, watery eyes, sore throat etc.).  As so many others here have advised, you must do the best you can to take the time you need to rest and recuperate.  Easier said than done for certain.  Hang In there. 

It does my heart good to read other sufferers attest to the important role of stress in PMR. As I have written on other posts, I know for sure that my PMR was caused by severe stress of a kind which may even cause me to lose my home.

Exercise helps with stress too. As I mentioned elsewhere, a rheumatologist cautioned me quite sternly, despite my rather advanced age of 84,"Now you know,

you MUST exercise!" And so I do, and while I still have some sleep problems, they're much better and so is my body. I'm also occasionally seeing an old-friend psychotherapist, and talking is a big help too.

Good luck and thank you to everybody, Barbara

  

Hi Elaine,

I'm going to jump on the stress bandwagon as well.  I 'm also sure that a long period of family and work stress were the cause of my PMR.

as far as the flare goes, I have had 2 flares in my 2+ years with PMR and the symptoms of the first one (I was ai 1mg at the time) were similar to the original pain in arms, shoulders, butt etc.  The recent one was different and affected my calves but I felt the stiffness more frequently and I was very tired.  This last flare, according to our team of experts, was likely caused by having surgery (arthoscopic ankle), being away from home for a couple of months and returning home for Christmas with family.  I actually felt well during all that time at 4mg but when I tried to decrease my body was not happy and I am actually still at 9/10mg alternating.  So..... Yes the symptoms can be different.  

I hope you are able to decrease your dose without much trouble but go VERY, VERY slowly because it does seem more difficult after each flare.

hugs, Diana🌸

Absolutely Elaine - when I was first diagnosed with this weird and wonderful illness I had never heard of it and after the first shock of finding myself in this very different situation I looked it up on the web.

My first question was "where did it suddenly come from?" there was not much to be found as to origins - one day I read somewhere that one of the suspected factors could be grief - for me that made perfect sense.

Within a year I had lost both my parents, have a sister diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer, a husband who suddenly ended up in intensive care (he is fitter than me now!) and on top of all that we moved house.

So I absolutely buy into the grief/stress theory.

 

Anything that causes "stress" to the body can contribute - illness, injury, environmental factors, over-doing things physically, emotional stress may all be involved. The stress of the sort you are all describing may always have been the final straw, or not even the final straw but a definite part of the process. No one single thing has been identified - but the immune system can be upset by a lot of things.

The second "dose" of PMR is often nothing like the first - whether that is good or bad depends on how it turns out I suppose! Once the autoimmune disorder is there it never really goes "away", just "into remission" - like Sleeping Beauty.

Others have already said it - SLOW REDUCTION is the key. And rest - not the staying in bed sort, the "not doing things that aggravate it" sort.

Just to add to the flare up discussion - my flare up was very different in areas of pain and stiffness but similar to the general affect on my health and activity.  My original bout of PMR (2007) started in my left clavicle and then spread to my shoulders and back and then affected me all over. This flare up (2014) started in my left hip and then spread to all my lower limbs and although my shoulders and arms stiffened it was no where near as painful in my upper limbs this time - mind you because I recognised it and my GP diagnosed it quickly this time I was put on increased pred immediately and so was given pain relief within a week of onset whilst the first time it was over a month of pain and stiffness before it was diasgnosed.  My Rheumatologist says that this is often the case - the disease can just affect a different area in flare up.  Am now back to reducing - just going from 7 to 6 following the slow slow regime - I know that last time I felt best on 3 mg but in my effort to get off the pred I was reducing still and had got to 1.5 mg.  My rheum  has suggested that if I can get to 3 mg this time to consider staying at that level - we shall wait to see.  Am about to try acupuncture to see if that helps in the reduction and improves general well being - has anyone else any thoughts on that?  Good wishes to all .