PMR's Psychological Component

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We all know that various moods, frustrations, depressions etc accompany living with pmr. We are all subject to different subjective pmr experiences however mind altering activity can be a helpful diversion though no cure. This activity can virtually include any activity that takes one's focus beyond this life altering malady....activity that absorbs one's positive and  spiritual energy. Constructive (sometimes uncomfortable) physical exercise helps to keep blood and oxygen moving through both aching and unaffected muscles. Ultimately most of us who try to live with the above within our daily lives seem to do better.

Online there is quite a bit about pmr & stress which is connected to our adrenal glands. check it. this then gets into more about how our bodies work and how our bodies and minds fall victim to the tribulations in life with stress being the trigger.

SO ASK YOURSELF, .IS STRESS CONNECTED MY PMR?   And do share your experience  . think good thoughts

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • Posted

    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.

  • Posted

    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!

  • Posted

    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
  • Posted

    I believe that stress is a trigger
    • Posted

      I had no physical or emotional stress to cause a trigger, unless it was the malady itself.  I had a very very gradual onset - years not months.
    • Posted

      Mine also had a very slow and creeping onset - but I have had 2 major flares, after about 5 years and 8 years, both of which were probably related to stress. But stress was by no means the only trigger, I am sure of that.
  • Posted

    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.

    • Posted

      Funny Julian, I studied engineering in college (not that I can remember any of it! ), so I actually can understand what you are saying! Physics huh?! Cause and effect, ...
  • Posted

    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.

    • Posted

      good words maid mariane. swimming, when i lived in the big city was also a godsend however I now live in a small community by the North Atlantic where I cannot swim so i walk, cycle snow shoe and ski. It's all good. Mood swings are part of pmr. Fortunately medical marijuana (mmj) in Canada is legal and it helps (when I need it) with my physical and psychological pmr symptoms. 

      I have met some fine doctors and I have met some who should not be practising. My bottom line re my pmr is me, my own intuition regarding my health. I innovate my doctor's treatment/medication plan according to how my body is reacting to both. So far this works for me though I accept that my condition is something I must live with. There is no exception. I realize that my attitude to all this is another bottom line.

      I believe that people should question medical advice if it is not working for them. There are options

    • Posted

       Thank you maid mariane for your story. Hearing others talk about their experiences does seem to help motivate me to consider swimming, or getting in pool! Wish. Knew why I struggle to get to a pool! wink 

      Luckily for me lately with the pain causing sadness, I'm now asking myself that question I mentioned on another post that my Bowen gal taught me...

      "how does that serve you?" In other words, which feels better...being in the sadness or pain in my mind or putting my mind in a lighter, joyous, smile frame of mind.  smile it just worked for me right now as my upper back really hurts. wink 

    • Posted

      You are absolutely right. We need to educate ourselves and take control. Luckily my GP has been awesome and welcomes information as my Rumi as my 90 yr old mother said about her after a visit feels a little threatened and off balance when I walked in with charts and questions.

      I totally belive in knowing your own body along with the information of this disease to find the right path for you.

      Every person has their favorite exercise or release that can control or help control those mood swings, luckily for me it's swimming. I have not only benefitted emotionally but it had enhanced my mobility as well and decrease the pain. I am truly fortunate. I now know all the swimming I did all summer to relive pain delayed my diagnosis of PMR, I lived in the water daily.

      I can't stress enough if you suffer from mood swins/depression that any firm of exercise is extremely beneficial on so many fronts. Once you do it 20 times it then becomes a routine of life. I know it's hard when you hurt but it does get easier.

      Bless us all and thank you all.

  • Posted

    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.
  • Posted

    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.

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