PMR AND WORK?

If you really have PMR, you will shortly feel marvelous with no pain.  

Yes - find another doctor who has some idea about what PMR and being on pred means. Particularly when you have a physically demanding job - while she is sitting on her backside telling you porkies! You could probably manage the effort she has - I still struggle to clean my flat for a couple of hours in a week but I can write for hours on the forums.

You do NOT feel 100% just because you are on pred whatever she thinks. All pred does is manage the inflammation that is being caused by an underlying autoimmune disorder that makes your immune system attack your body by mistake. The underlying illness is still there and the fatigue remains because your muscles are intolerant of acute exercise. You have to learn to pace yourself and rest appropriately so you don't over-tire your muscles so they don't get totally sore again. If you go to clean houses for 40 hours a week you won't be able to gain any benefit from the pred which is just managing the symptoms to give you a reasonable quality of life.

You need to stay on the current dose until that sed rate is down to nearer normal - and that could be 6 weeks or more. Then you will need to reduce very slowly in small steps to find the lowest dose that will give the same result as the starting dose did. It is important to do that slowly so you find the right dose - go too fast  and get too low and it will all be back like it was last week. 

Are you sure it is Vit C and vit D? Isn't it calcium and vit D supplements? Vit C won't do anything but you do need calcium and vit D supplements to try to reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

Where do you live (country and region will do, not your address)? Knowing if you are UK or USA make a difference as to what we tell you and in the UK there are support groups in some places. 

And here's a reading list you may find useful:

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/pmr-gca-website-addresses-and-resources-35316

But ask any questions you like - we'l do our best.

Hi Carleen, 

I agree totally with Eileen!! I've had PMR since December 2014 and haven't been in work since January 2015!!!!! I have a very physical demanding job, standing and walking for 8 hours on a moving high speed train, there's no way my GP or company doctor let me set one foot on board, we all know PMR doesn't take kindly to hard work!!!

good luck Andrea xx

I agree with everything said by Eileen. I have 2 friends who were pain free after 2/3 days but not me.   Some people might be pain free  but not everyone by any means.  I would ask your GP to refer you urgently to see a Rheumatologist at your hopsital, else change  GP.   I was diagnosed on 22nd Dec as my bloods were very raised and I was put on 30mg by the hosp where I went to A & E as I was in so much pain in all muscles.  Although I was pain free in the day, a few days later in the small hours the pain continued to wake me and stayed with me until the Pred kicked in around 11am.  I had awful lethargy which I still have now to a certain extent and I have to lie down in the afternoon.   In desparation,on the 18th January I split the dose afer seeing this tip in discussion on this site, 20mg at 7am after eating some toast or natural yog, then rested back in bed to allow the Pred to start working.   That day I was not only pain free all day but more importantly all night too.   My GP is open to any suggestions and is very sympathetic. I cannot imagine working easily with this condition as you need to rest a lot.  I am almost housebound still which I hate as I was a very active, busy and fit person before PMR and used to love cycling.Today I have split 25mg to see if this holds OK. I sincerely hope you are lucky with the Pred and that it works for you. Good luck.

Just on a very practical level it sounds to me like you are probably self employed. If you are in the UK and too ill to work then you may be entitled to claim Employment and Support Allowance. There may well be an entitlement to other benefits too. I would not hesitate to contact Citizens Advice for free advice. You can either drop in to your local branch or phone them. I don't think I'll be allowed to post the website address or phone number, but you can google citizensadvice. (I speak as a citizens advice volunteer advisor)!

Hi there,

Sorry to hear that you have contracted PMR.

As Eileen pointed out, you'll likely not be able to work right away, especially in a job that can be physical. 

Everyone is so different that I find it hard to believe your doctor would make a statement like that.

I went back to work after one month, but at a desk job....no physical work. Even with being in top physical shape, a nationally competitive athlete, it was difficult.

Sitting at a desk was hard enough and many days I struggled. There are attached side effects by being on prednisone and these can be taxing mentally and physically.

I would count on not going to work right away, but rather let your body figure things out so you can feel better and heal faster.

Good luck,

Shawn

 

WHAT? I think you will end up as bad as ever if you do all that work when you've only just started steroids. 

I know now that I could not have done it, even if a GP (who has clearly never had PMR...) said that I could! Couldn't even clean my own house!!

oh, they make me mad!

 

I suspect everyone is different but I agree you have to take it easy. I've managed to work a pretty physical job as an elementary art teacher, lifting, going up and down step stools, lifting clay, on my feet all day - but I too split my dose.  Started at 15 mg and now am at 8mg (4 at 10pm Rayos and 4 mg at 8am pred).  Works for me for now but I don't lift any of the heavy boxes anymore.  I just ride the bike after work (no more bodybuilding) and that seems to be fine too.  Good luck and find what works for you!

I'm thinking that Carleen's doctor might simply not have understood the implication of their words.

Is the doctor writing this on some kind of employment compensation form, or might it be just a matter of instructing the patient that it is now time to begin testing what activity is possible now as the patient's recovery begins.

As Eileen has mentioned before, residual bursitis (and other insults to the afflicted soft tissues) tends to linger like an injury for some time after medication reaches it's therapeutic range.

It was a few months after my initial, generous dosage of prednisone took effect before I could climb up onto a scaffold, I had so much soreness and had lost too much strength already, even though I am very light.

Getting back to work might not be a bad idea, but the duties and duration needs a huge adjustment as you already know, and in many jobs it is all or nothing, where a different worker would need to fill in.

I'm hoping that your employer is able and willing to be flexible.