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polymyalgia

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Annabelle
Annabelle

My Mother, who is in her seventies has had this condition for a year and a half now and her doctors (three at her surgery) have been less than helpful and could not even diagnose what she had, although in extreme pain, until I wrote to them and 'told them' what I thought she had. I have had no medical training but the symptoms seemed obvious to me as this is not a 'rare' illness. During her illness she has not been treated at all well and she has not even been called in for blood tests for over 9 months, she just gets a repeat prescription at her chemists each week. That is only because I insisted on this and negotiated with both the chemist and the Doctor because of my concern that she was forgetting to take the tablets. And that is my main concern. Since this illness, but before its diagnosis, I was slightly worried about her memory. Since diagnosis I am now extremely worried. The doctors keep 'fobbing me off' and are not taking it seriously and say 'it's probably the medication' but is this normal, everyone else I know with this illness has not had this.

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • MrsO-UK_Surrey
    MrsO-UK_Surrey

    Posted

    Hello Annabelle - I'm sorry to hear about your mother's problems. Memory loss is listed among the many possible side effects of Prednisolone. You don't say whether your mother has ever been seen by a rheumatologist or whether she has been on a reducing programme of Prednisolone, but in view of the fact that she hasn't even had any blood tests in 9 months, I would certainly ask for referral to a rheumatologist in the first instance and a change of GP in the second instance if your dissatisfaction with their care continues. Good luck.

    MrsO

  • Brighton_belle
    Brighton_belle

    Posted

    I have only just logged on and appear to be having problems submitting so am testing with this attempt
  • Brighton_belle
    Brighton_belle

    Posted

    hi there, seem to work this time! I have logged on to this site specifically to answer your 'cry for help'. My partner was diagnosed with GCA 2 years ago and when tapered down to 10mg of predisolone experienced short term memory loss which became more pronounced with each reduction.Her rheumotologist arranged an MRI scan and numerous blood tests -all clear.

    We asked our GP for further tests to find out wether this memory loss was independent of her GCA/steroids, we saw a Psychiatrist and then a Neurologist, the verdict in both cases- a RARE side effect of PMR/GCA and the tapering of steroids. May I suggest that you ask your GP for this kind of investigation because it would appear that unlike the main causes of DEMENTIA, this is a recoverable condition and can be improved with a higher doseage of predisolone.

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