NO ACCESS TO A RHEUMATOLOGIST, BUT COULD THESE BE THE SIGNS OF PMR?
Posted , 18 users are following.
Hello,
I'm in need of some evaluation, opinions and general feedback from experienced sufferers of PMR.
I'm a 66-year old male of Scottish/Irish descent, and several years ago, I started experiencing increasingly severe bouts of stiffness in the neck, shoulders, and backsides of the upper arms (i.e., the triceps), all associated with considerable pain and restricted motion, particularly when trying to extend either of my two arms over my head.
The condition lasts throughout the day and evening, and is far worse upon rising in the morning, but the onset of severity seems to slowly begin shortly before bedtime each night. All-in-all, the condition has progressively worsened and I've visited no less than 4-5 general practicitioners (GP's), all of whom essentially refuse to diagnose (or treat) it as PMR or fibromyalgia. In other words, they absolutely will NOT prescribe prednisone or prednisolone. Instead, they have referred me to local Rheumatologists who have all had excessive waiting periods of anywhere from 10-12 months.
However, amazingly, and almost entirely by accident, I've since discovered (after taking some prescribed for our family pet), that the entire array of symptoms are virtually 100% eradicated by a daily dose of 15-20 mg of prednisone. In addition, despite their referrals to specialists, I was also able to get one or more of those general practitioners (GPs) to order-up some key blood tests. Here are the results of those tests:
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR): 29 (Ref = 12.7-20.2)
C-Reactive Protein (CRP): 24 (Ref = 0.0-3.0)
Rheumatoid Factor (RF): <10 (Ref = 0.0-14.0)
Anti-Nuclear Antibody (ANA): Positive/High (Ref = Negative)
Anticyclic Citrullinated Peptide (Anti-CCP): 6 (Ref = 0.0-19.0)
Blood Sugar (Glucose): 158 (Ref = 65-99)
Needless to say, without ready access to prednisone or prednisolone, I remain in a fair bit of pain, and I've been enduring it now over a protracted period of time (close to 3-years). So my question is this . . . despite being a male (apparently 4 out of 5 sufferers are female), are these collective circumstances enough to support a 'sound' diagnosis of PMR by a specialist (when and if I ever get to see one)? Or could these symptoms and circumstances still be something other than PMR?
Thank you.
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Danrower Regulator
Posted
FYI
I sent you a private message with my contact info
Regulator
Posted
Well, I've finally made some minor progress with this whole mess. After considerable pressure here yesterday, my local GP at the VA has authorized a short-term (30-day/30-tablet) prescription for Prednisone, to help last me through my upcoming visit with a rheumatology specialist on October 10th. Its hardly the usual or recommended treatment regimen for someone diagnosed with authentic PMR, but it will allow me at least some short-term relief by way of daily low-level dosages, until I can (hopefully?) get the rheumatologist to make a firm and formal diagnosis.
As I've said here before, all of my symptoms react fabulously to a single dose of 20 mg, which tends to last me as long as 2-3 days without the need for additional Prednisone (or added pain relievers). But now that I have this fresh supply of Prednisone, I think I'm going to try and start-off with 10 mg per day for the entire period until the October 10th visit with the rheumy. On the 'positive' side, my array of upper-body symptoms should most certainly be at bay by then, but on the 'negative' side, most of the key blood test markers including ESR and CRP are likely to have been depressed back towards 'normal' ranges. All I can do is hope that this won't complicate or postpone the rheumy's diagnosis.
Thanks again to everyone. I'll make sure to keep this board posted of any future progress.