pmr treated by chiropractors, homepathic drs,and nutritionist

There is another some-time member of the forum whose doctor put her on such a diet - it didn't appear to help her any more than the more "normal" diets the rest of us eat. In fact, I suspect it was so extreme she struggled more than we did!

On another forum there are a bunch of ladies, all taking pred long term , who have lost a lot of weight using the Slimming World approach. One has lost 16lbs in 7 weeks, another considerably more but over a much longer period. 

The main problem with the sort of diet you are on is obtaining the amount of protein you need to keep your muscles healthy - often a problem when on pred. But I'm sure he had made sure it is balanced.

A study was done a few years ago in RA patients using such a diet and it worked for half of them to relieve joint pain. However, they struggled to stick to the diet even during the study as it is pretty extreme. But that was RA - and PMR is not RA. I'm a bit surprised at his concern about abdominal fat being a source of inflammation in the context of PMR. Many people who have developed PMR symptoms were slim and very fit beforehand - not a lot of abdominal fat to blame.

I can't claim that this diet has helped the PMR at all. It is easier for me than most, though, because I own a vegetarian restaurant and have delicious food already cooked! At age 70, I'd rather lose the weight slowly, just in case I have some elasticity left! The diet I'm on is consistent with my values, not suggesting it for anyone else, just reporting. Sugar has always been a huge issue for me, and I always thought I'd abandon it at some later date if needed - guess I'm there. And it hasn't been that hard. I do treat myself to very dark chocolate sweetened with stevia and some fruit. The protein is not an issue - tofu, tempeh, nuts. There is more protein in vegetables than most people think - brocolli for instance - although one has to eat a lot, which I do!

Ah - that's fine then! It's the people who DON'T know I worry about! I would know what to eat - but I can't be bothered. It's bad enough cooking 2 meals anyway. Special night tonight - we're eating the same except I will have a ton of veggies to go with the gulasch! But he wouldn't live without meat and I still like meat and fish - but only good stuff.

well that is certainly good to know, i saw a chiro yesterday, he spent 31/2 hrs with me,all kinds of information regarding joint inflammation, how it happens, how should be treated, muscles, natural treatment to bring the inflammation down, all starts in the gut he maintains, as he is a nutrisionist as well, very knowledgeable re how diet can get gut healthy, in turn rest of body heals, so how long have you had pmr, been on pred, and how much, wondering if can work with this dr, and my rheumy,he is dead set against typical, popular script med,s of course, but now that im on, can,t change that right now, also, are you doing physio, exercise while having pmr symptons? i am planning on doing this, was hoping i could get  this pain under control before starting any of that, as apparently any activity, not use could set me back, he also advise, the Coq10 enzyme, lipase enzyme, sierra sil, chia, of course i,m not going to run out and buy all of these, but perhaps there is one product that will aid in this disease, cut the duration of it, ?

Hi Cheryl

Diagnosed wirh PMR 14 mos ago September 2015 but went off sick April 2015 just not feeling well but can now trace it back for a year prior to diagnosis. My symptoms came on slow over the year and then between April and diagnosis in September the symptoms really progressed.

I started at 15mg and then up to 20mg within 1 week then started splitting to control the afternoon pain. Bu November i started lane swimming (I'm a water person) which really helped stabalize my mood,depression from prednisone and keep my weight stable. My diet is high protein little carbs and sugar.

I can't say no carbs but i don't have rice pasta bread or sugar. Do i cheat with a desert, sure i do but i eat alot of meat and cheese and dairy as well as veggies.

As my chiropractor says studies show inflammation can cause depression so let's work on reducing the inflammation. My shoulder is 100% better. I'm just finishing another reduction to now at 15mg. I'm extremely sensitive to prednisone and have alot of side effects as well as i have problem dropping the standard 10% so could only drop 0.5mg ay a time using the drop dead slow method.

I would get your pain under control but remember to not over do any exercise your body will push back. I swam 3-4 days a week and walk short distance when not swimming.

I hope this helps

Mariane

how long have you been on prednisone, and had pmr Anhaga, before you started physio

I had pmr about 14 months before diagnosis and starting prednisone.  I heard about a therapy called low intensity light therapy which may help by reducing production of the pain-causing cytokines and it is offered here by chiropractors and physiotherapists.  I prefer physiotherapy so when I was starting to reduce to the physiologic dose of 7 mg, just about five or six months after starting pred, I started getting the therapy.  She has also done other things to help me, like dry needling and giving me some exercises for my arthritic back, etc.  Please note that I can do the exercises with a minimum of discomfort - in other words quite normally - which I likely would not have been able to do before pred, and none of them stress muscles, they are designed more for maintaining and improving mobility, and keeping my spine as straight as possible given my advancing years....

what was the original dose they started you on that you were able to reduce to 7 mg, i started on 40 mg oct 12

Fifteen mg, June 2015, where I stayed for about five weeks.  Then I reduced by 1 mg per week to 9.  Had to go back to 10 for a couple or three weeks then started using dead slow method, that would have been August 2015, I think.  I'm now at 2.5 mg.

oh that explains how you are so low now, since you started at 15 mg, there is no way i can get that low so fast i,m sure, from what i,ve been told

You must never compare yourself with other people.  We are all different.  And your situation is, from what you've told us, fairly unusual in that you started at a high dose but may have been misdiagnosed.  Nevertheless it should have been relatively easy to reduce early on, I mean in terms of how your adrenal glands would respond not necessarily easy for you, although you say the prednisone didn't control your symptoms properly anyway.  I don't know at what point it becomes physiologically more difficult, maybe three months, would that be considered "long term" usage?  Actually just looked it up and see four months mentioned.  Go on, Cheryl, you can do it, get that dose down so that as soon as your rheumatologist is back you can see her and get this ordeal over with!

You know Anhaga i started basically at 20mg and my 1st reduction was within 4-5weeks to 17.5 using a method slower than the drop dead slow and it was nasty and suicidal.

As you say everyone is different and encouraging someone to drop 1mg weekly for me would have been devastating. Not exactly the slow method that most of us advise which is no more than 10% using the slow method.

Mariane I must point out to you that one mg per week was, in fact, less than 10% of my dose between 15 and 11.  I was given that reduction schedule with the proviso that if I felt any returning symptoms I was not to reduce further.  I believe my doctor felt that symptoms would return within the week, if they were going to.  And she proved to be right.  I might have been one of those people who could have started at a slightly lower level.  The more I read on these forums the happier I am that once I was finally diagnosed I got the doctor I did.  When I showed DSNS to her when I had problems going form 10 to 9 she was perfectly fine with my using this method which of course is never more than 1 mg per month.  But you know I do a lot of other things to try to improve my health.  As I've posted before, I didn't think it made sense to take a dangerous medication like prednisone, which was not going to cure me, wean myself off it, basically returning to the same body which became ill in the first place.  I thought I'd lived a healthy life, but there were things I could do better, plus I learned the crucial role stress had played in my eventual collapse into illness.  

Count yourself lucky to be able to drop 1mg per week. Alot of people would find that very difficult myself included.

I think I'm probably "average" as you must remember that most people posting here are probably newbies who don't know what to expect and people who are having difficulties.  And please note my doctor told me to stop reduction if I had problems, it wasn't an effort to race me off pred.  I don't really think luck has anyting to do with it.  I've worked very hard to be where I am today.