PMR Flare , please help.
Posted , 15 users are following.
Hi Dear Forum friends
I have been on this dreadful PMR journey for nearly 6 years now, and I thought I'd recognize any PMR flare ups early by now, still it caught me by surprise and in a vengeance !! I am in a great deal of pain and discomfort, and I am losing my wit how to deal with this ! I have been doing the DSAS method steadily and managed to get myself down to 7 mgs. I started on 30mgs, and with many flares over the years. I have been quite stable and pain free until 3 /4 weeks ago, when I had a relapse of my sciatica problem, which made me very confused with the type of pain i had with PMR. Anyway, as time went by, it became more like PMR flare, as I started to have pain across my pelvis , and then it moved up to my shoulders and upper left arm. The pain is intense, gripping , throbbing and constant. My shoulder felt heavy and it is painful the whole time. I went from 7mgs to 10mgs for 8 days without relief, now I am taking 15 mgs for the the last 4 days, and the pain is only mildly better.Should I persevere on 15mgs for another 1 to 2 weeks or more until the pain is gone before I go back to my 7 mgs, or shall i reduce it from 15ms more slowly. I am also taking co-codymol , and Naproxen, (even though i know they do not do much for PMR! but when the pain is bad, I'd just try anything!)
I really appreciate some advice from all of you, and get my life back on track again. Thank you All.
0 likes, 21 replies
pam7653 ling42044
Posted
Ok! As you've suggested, I made an appt with a physiotherapist this week and I also see my Integrative Medicine Dr too! As I've posted before, I have had PMR for nearly 6 years, My hips/hip flexors and piriformis are my biggest issue. Never my shoulders! I was at 20mg Prednisone last AUG and got down to 10mg this April. I thought I was on my way. Well 10 days ago I feel I had a flare so back up again to 20mg. I'm finding that for the first time in 6 years I have pain after simply walking a mile or cycling. Cycling has been my exercise of choice as its easy on my joints. So whats going on now? This forum has mentioned a physiotherapist so I got an appt. Has the long term Prednisone use messed up my muscles? I want blood work done but is there any certain blood work I need to make sure they take?
I am in the states. PLEASE HELP!
EileenH pam7653
Posted
It sounds to me as if you have myofascial pain syndrome as well as PMR - and some bursitis problems as well. If you have a flare - then exercise that was OK becomes too much.
Symptoms always trump blood results - but the only things that really show anything are the sed rate and the CRP levels. But even they are unreliable - you can have symptoms without raised markers in about 1 in 5 patients.