PMR and bursitis
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi everyone, I wondered if anyone could give me any input on having bursitis alongside PMR? I tried searching for bursitis using the search function but it brought up loads of posts on other forums which don’t help at all.
My story so far is that after 6 months of suffering I started on Prednisone about 6 weeks ago and reacted in classic PMR fashion, namely that about 75% of the pain disappeared practically overnight and then continued to reduce ever so slightly over the following 6 weeks. The pain I still have left is mainly in my left thigh (hip and thigh bursae), particularly after walking for a long time. Nowhere near as painful as before (I had really bad pain 24hr in both knees, both hips and both shoulders) and not painful at all at night, but a bit of a nuisance and worrying all the same.
Saw my doctor on Thursday and told him all this, and he told me this is all par for the course, and he wants me to start reducing gradually while doing specific exercises to combat what he has diagnosed as trochanteric bursitis in addition to the PMR, but to let him know immediately if the pain of the PMR comes back (I have great faith in him by the way – unlike the first 3 doctors I saw when all this started!). I cut my dose from 15 to 12.5 on Saturday, and have duly been doing my exercises from the exercise sheet he gave me this weekend, and also ventured on quite a long walk yesterday because it was such a beautiful day – trying to take it easy as he has told me to, but I was enjoying it so much I may have overdone it… Anyway today my left thigh is hurting quite badly where the main bursa is located, and I am wondering if it’s just because I have started with my exercises and walking and it is perfectly normal for it to feel a bit delicate, or if it is the PMR pain raising its ugly head because of the reduction in prednisone dosage and I should ring my doctor...
Bit more background about me in case it sheds any light – I’m 51 going on 52 and 2 years into menopause, but am on HRT. I have also had Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (hypothyroidism) since 2006 so also take 100mg of thyroxine daily, along with the prednisone and calcium.
Has anybody else had this PMR bursitis combo? There seems to be an awful lot about PMR and bursitis on the internet but they don’t seem to be mentioned together, as if they are always two completely separate things. I meant to ask my doc about the specifics, but clean forgot. Would love to hear about anyone’s experiences, opinions or ideas!
Thanks for reading!
1 like, 16 replies
meggies
Posted
Like you, I have suffered with awful bursitis, in both hips. Being vegetarian, I eat fish virtually every day and oily fish most days. I have also taken a fish oil supplement for many years. Despite this, I have sky high cholesterol (on statins) & also have very seriously low Vit D - both of which should be helped by my diet. It has not helped my bursitis either.
I am pleased it works for you, but as Mrs O said, before taking any 'over the counter' supplements, we should check with pharmacist or GP. Krill oil is not recommended for people taking 'bood thinners'. ,There are many over the counter supplements which are beneficial for many people, but they may interfere with other medication - St John's Wort being a classic example.
Hope it continues working for you.
Margaret