PMR's Psychological Component

They say there is no definitive cause for PMR however stress could be a factor. I truly believe that stress was a major contributing factor in me developing pmr.

I also know if under any stress now my body reacts in pain and that includes Toronto traffic😠 which can bring on pain.

It has been known for some time that stress exacerbates most autoimmune conditions if it doesn't set it off in the first place.

This is why we are always suggesting that pacing yourself and learning how to rest is the way to go.

This condition (and others) seems to strike hardest at those who didn't know what 'rest' meant before PMR struck.  It is a hard lesson to learn for those who always held everthing together - now I have problems keeping myself together let alone anyone else!

Hi, in my own case I feel that stress DID play a role,  but as a precipitating factor. I already had a family history of autoimmunine conditions (eg. RA, Scleroderma),  and then along came a period of significan stress - and then, guess what, PMR raised it's little head . . . .. . !   J

I believe that stress is a trigger

Stress is for me a fairly nebulous term/ A bit broad to do much with. And I was educated with metals and materials where stress is the force applied and strain is the result. Aplly mild stress and when removed the strain disappears. Like elastic. Too much stress and when removed there's some residual strain. Like squeezing plasticine.

Its also very difficult to categorise and measure whatever strain I've been under. Plus, just like materials, people have different strengths.

While I have difficulty finding a cause for pmr I can reasonably chart the life changing journey of a chronic disease. PMR seems particularly difficult to manage as, particularly in its early stages, it requires significant change and adjustment, and has a large element of uncertainty, with all that means for the psychology. As time passes we become used to the condition as it effects each of us, confident in predicting what is likely to happen as each new pain or change occurs. Plus the symptoms are controlled and reduce as it hopefully goes into remission. The addition of pred to the mix is something else to adjust to and brings with it its own mind changing side effects.

It seems like we all agree on the stress component in bringing on PMR however the psychological and mental we have not really discussed.

These are so individual and how we react to them will be different. For me personally loosing a portion of my intelligence due to prednisone I find tragic but I am resigned to the fact and make fun of it with hopes one day it will return. In hopes one day I will be able to formulate words and sentences together with ease and elegance.

What I find the hardest is fighting the depression and mood swings. This not only effects me but people around me and normally I'm very happy go lucky. Having worked in a psychiatric facility as a social worker im cognitive in understand the effects of depression and its devastation.

I know personally if I don't swim a minimum 3 times a week the depression and moods can set in. Recently prior to Christmas I missed my swimming but was still getting a lot of exercise however for me this was not enough to keep depression at bay. Swimming for me clears my mind. I slipped into a deep hole in which most people would have been hospitalized or done harm. I knew I would bounce out once back on a routine of swimming (for others it could be walking or yoga).

What disturbed me the most was when I told my rumi I was in a deep depression she stated this was not her expertise. She also screwed up my meds for the 2nd time, needless to say I will have the pleasure of firing her this week. My GP concurs and will refer to another. My point is mood swings and depression can be devastating for the average person so do not let a Dr. sluff you off, reach out. Most if not all of our mood and depression symptoms come from prednisone, understand this, exercise is a wonderful way to keep it at bay without being put on more medication.

I hope my story helps someone.

Emotional stress certainly wasn't something I was experiencing any time prior to PMR arriving on the scene (had plenty of it since though!).  In my case, I believe a tumble off a train in the dark on to an unexpectedly low platform (now built up!) was the trigger.  I already suffered from spondylolisthesis (spinal slippage) and I believe the injury exacerbated the original problem, causing inflammation in my spine which led to PMR.  PMR remained undiagnosed, therefore, untreated resulting in GCA arriving on the scene a year later.  We know that stress, both physical and emotional, can certainly trigger flares in the inflammation, and I believe that my PMR arrived following physical stress to my spine.

In my case, a "perfect storm" of a significant physical injury and several major sources of psychological and emotional stress all occurring over a very short period of time.