I'm 49, could I have PMR?
Posted , 15 users are following.
I have had severe pain and stiffness in my shoulders and neck for about a month. my hips have been hurting for about 1 week. I gave fibromyalgia, but this seems different. I've feel like I am coming down with the flu. it takes me about 3 hours in the morning before I can get up and dressed. All the stuff that I have been reading says PMR affects people over 50, usually over 70. I have am appt. with my PCP on Tuesday and don't know what to expect. Any advice?
0 likes, 65 replies
lynda62707 Snoopboxermidge
Posted
first, let me say...luv your "handle"!
2) yes it's more common for a pmr diagnosis after 50....with that being said, who's to say what's "normal" anymore! normal changes ALL the time!
3) I suspect (and hope) your primary will refer you to a rheumatologist for bloodwork and a consultation, at least that was my experience.
4) after that, should it be confirmed to be pmr (a few more tests may be in order), buckle your seatbelt and hang on to your seat....๐ต๐
5) best wishes to you and keep us posted!!
Snoopboxermidge lynda62707
Posted
I'll let you know. BTW, Snoop was my cat, Boxer was my cat and Midget was my dog. They are all passed now. I started using that years ago when they were young.
lynda62707 Snoopboxermidge
Posted
Awwwww...that's so cute!
I'm a dog lover as well, had AT LEAST one my entire life! they are family for sure! right now I'm proud mamma to Cody, a beagle/terrier mix! He's also my therapy pup!!
Snoopboxermidge lynda62707
Posted
I have Andy, a corgi, and 2 cats, Simba and Patches (brother/sister)
Anhaga Snoopboxermidge
Posted
Our first cats were Simba and Motley! Also brother and sister. We named Simba (a beautiful black cat shaped like a Siamese, even to the kink in the tail) and Motley had been named by her birth family because she was a multitude of intermixed colours (no white background).
Anhaga Snoopboxermidge
Posted
I'm so sorry to hear you have these symptoms. It does sound suspiciously like PMR. And as for the age, there's nothing which says PMR has to wait to strike until after you've had your 50th birthday! However there are a number of things which can give PMR symptoms and these need to be ruled out by your doctor through simple blood tests. If nothing else worth further investigation is found, then the diagnosis is usually confirmed by giving a trial of a week of prednisone (prednisolone in UK) at a relatively low dose, usually 15 mg per day, sometimes 20 mg, thereabouts. A higher dose isn't a good idea because pred can mask the pain of other things when given at a higher dose and that won't help the diagnosis. If you feel much better (at least 70% and probably even more) within a few days that will likely confirm PMR diagnosis.
Snoopboxermidge Anhaga
Posted
I see my dr. regularly for chronic pain, but this is much different and is not being help by my meds. I hope that he will at least try the prednisone. he is usually pretty good about listening to my concers.
ptolemy Snoopboxermidge
Posted
If it is not being helped much by your meds, it is quite likely it may be PMR. If you take steroids and you have a miraculous effect, it probably is PMR!
BS8 Anhaga
Posted
i asked the GP for a trial week, it was refused?
ptolemy BS8
Posted
Did your GP give any reason for refusing like what are they going to do about it and what do they think the diagnosis is?
EileenH BS8
Posted
Try a different GP and if that doesn't work insist on a referral to a rheumatologist - which will take forever but the sooner you are on the list, the sooner you will see one.
BettyE Snoopboxermidge
Posted
Before your appointment with your doctor it's a good idea to make a detailed list of all your symptoms. Probably nobody has them all but the more info your doctor has the better.
My PMR was first thought to be OA until I happened to mention that I'd lost weight and, together with all the others, that one seemed to be the clincher in my case.
I've forgotten what all the blood tests were but it was a long list and included liver and kidney function, thyroid something to exclude Rheumatoid Arthritis and also inflammatory markers ( ESR and CRP ). I don't think any are conclusive it's the over all combinations.
Hope you get a prompt and correct diagnosis.
mary19068 Snoopboxermidge
Posted
Hi Snoopboxer....
My naughty cat is black and white called Jaymi...who is very naughty but i love him to bits...๐น
If you are diagnosed with PMR be sure to ask your doctor and rheumatologist to tell you all there is to know about prednisolone (Steroid).
I wish i had asked about Prednisolone at the time i was diagnosed with PMR so i could have been well informed about pred side effects, and it would have not been so much of a shock had i been prewarned. My doctor and rheumy did not volunteer info on the medication before prescribing it. Having said that it is not to say you will experience a variety of side effects as our bodies deal with all medications differently.....hope all goes well for you.....
Silver49 mary19068
Posted
Interestingly, I asked my GP why he hadn't informed me of some of the more common side effects which I experienced and his reply was that not everyone gets them. The information would have been helpful but I appreciate his reasoning to an extent.
Snoopboxermidge mary19068
Posted
don't you live cats. my pets are my babies. my husband and I weren't able to have kids. so my pets are very spoiled. i have pretty bad lung problems and was on pretty high doses of prednisone for about 3 years. it would vary depending on hospitalizations and symptoms but I rarely got below 60 mg. so I know all about the side effects. from what I understand the dosing for PMR would be much lower. thank for the warning thoug. it would be a shock if you didn't know what to expect.
lynda62707 Silver49
Posted
sorry silver, on this one point, I'd have to disagree. I'd Much rather be informed about "possible" side effects in order to make a more educated decision about what to do.
ptolemy Silver49
Posted
Better than my rheumie who said there were too many to mention!
mary19068 Silver49
Posted
Hi silver49
Yes, not everyone gets side effects from pred, but the majority of patients do so i think the doctors and rheumys have a duty of care and to inform patients of the troublesome side effects of prednisolone, so that patients know what is happening to them when a side effect rears it's ugly head. I know for sure if i had known about the adversities of prednisolone i don't think i would have taken them. I wish i had read the info leaflet that came with them but i didn't, because i thought if there was anything untoward i needed to know about them i would have been informed by the medical professionals....alas had to find out the hard way. Still, a distant memory now, but i do feel for those patients going through it..that's why i am still on the forum to give some comfort, encouragement and a giggle if i can......stay warm, happy and positive....๐๐
EileenH lynda62707
Posted
The theory is that if we know what can happen - it will. Seems a cock-eyed way of looking at it to me but there you are...
Silver49 mary19068
Posted
I read the leaflet and almost didn't take them, mary 19068. Where would I be now?
mary19068 Snoopboxermidge
Posted
Hi Snoopboxer....
Yes, i do love cats i have had quite a few over the years, but i get sooo sad when they go due to illness or as in the case of 2 of mine, were run over. I promise myself i'm not going to have another but i always do.
Oh! good you know what to expect then with preds. I imagine that was some time ago when you were on 60mg were you on them a long time? ....enjoy your pets Snoopboxer.... Jaymi was a source of comfort to me during my pred days, even though he was a little terror.....
lynda62707 EileenH
Posted
kinda the "placebo" effect?? no thanks, I'd rather not be a guinea pig!
just give me the facts man!๐๐
Snoopboxermidge mary19068
Posted
it was about 15 years ago that I was on the 60 mg (that was usually the lowest dose, sometimes I would end up in the hospital on iv solumedrol).
mary19068 Silver49
Posted
Hi silver49
The same as you were before you took preds, but without the troublesome side effects....๐
lynda62707 Snoopboxermidge
Posted
what is solumedrol?
EileenH lynda62707
Posted
No - if you expect them they will happen... Not that you are being a guinea pig.
mary19068 EileenH
Posted
Hi EileenH
I expected to win the lottery yesterday but i didn't. I don't go along with that theory....๐๐๐๐
Silver49 mary19068
Posted
Wish I knew what the emoji is as it's a square and I can't reciprocate even if I knew as they're not working for me either.
ptolemy lynda62707
Posted
Methylprednisolone
mary19068 Silver49
Posted
Hi silver49
The emoji is a face that looks puzzled...with rolling eyes....
lynda62707 mary19068
Posted
.....but I THOUGHT I had the winning ticket!๐
Snoopboxermidge lynda62707
Posted
solumedroll is a strong iv steroid
Silver49 mary19068
Posted
I like that one. It says it all.
Anhaga Silver49
Posted
second best, ๐
Anhaga lynda62707
Posted
I looked it up and it's a kind of methylprednisone, but in my search I came across an advisory from Health Canada as it can cause hypersensitivity in people allergic to cows' milk.
Silver49 Anhaga
Posted
It's just come up as a square.
Anhaga Silver49
Posted
I guess your device lacks whatever the program is. I use the screen keyboard of my touch screen laptop to provide the emojis. It's Windows based.
Anhaga
Posted
And Chrome browser
Silver49 Anhaga
Posted
Some emojis have been appearing and I used to be able to use them. Seems to be the new format.
ptolemy Anhaga
Posted
Perhaps we should not be using Apple products for this forum, as I said the skull works, but I think that is it.
Silver49 ptolemy
Posted
Now you have me thinking. I'm going to try emojis on my phone.
Silver49 ptolemy
Posted
Trying emoj๐ฒis ws. . on my phone. They work but please themselves where they are inserted
Anhaga Silver49
Posted
i don't see any emojis on the forum. Have just been using ones off my computer.
ptolemy Silver49
Posted
I get the same problem as on my computer some show a question mark and only the skull works. ๏โ