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Polymyalgia Cause

Posted , 11 users are following.

glyn6942
glyn6942

I have only had this condition for about three months. I was discussing it with a collegue who said that her sister thought she had contracted it after her Flue and Pneumonia jab. Mine started just after I had had the injections. Has anyone else noticed this or heard of other occurrences?

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • Elijo
    Elijo glyn6942

    Posted

    I attribute mine to stress.  There had been so many very stressful occurrances prior to this sudden onset of stiffness & pain.  Stress is powerful and we often don'[t realize what damage it can do to us.  It may be trying to tell us to slow down, who knows.
    • Tastyron
      Tastyron Elijo

      Posted

      Yes, I'm putting my outbreak down to stress. My PMR came on about a year after my dad died. We lost all four parents in a little over two years and although you don't realise that you are under stress, it seems to catch you unawares. Plus my very physical job for a "pig" of a boss didn't help. So, stress is my favourite for my downfall.

      Ron

    • Elijo
      Elijo Tastyron

      Posted

      You went through a lot, and all of those close deaths in a short time.  Certainly it takes a toll on you,even we do not realize it at the time.  I'd injured myself on a 3 hour kayak ride, my brother died 9/1, my sister couldn't handle it and took so much anger out on me, my husband took a tour to Spain and on the 2nd day I tripped and injered myself, pain during the whole tour, returning, still having pain, dealing with my sister's difficult behavior, finally I stiffened up and could hardly move.  Stress, stress, stress.  Sometimes it is unavoidable, but we have to look at life and see what is  really important.  PMR does give you a w hole new perspective and attitude in life.
  • steve_1
    steve_1 glyn6942

    Posted

    I don't think you contract it as it's an autoimune problem.

    You probably develope it.

    Anyway up, on a scale of one to ten the pain reaches about eleven.

    Not funny but you have to joke about it or else you'ld cry.

    • Tastyron
      Tastyron steve_1

      Posted

      You're right about a positive outlook. Funnily enough, although this is quite a serious physical problem, I find that it has focused the mind. Whereas I was just coasting through life as you do, I find that I am planning my recovery and looking forward to the future. 

      Or am I just a bit weird or what.

      Ron

    • Elijo
      Elijo Tastyron

      Posted

      No, that is not weird at all, it has helped you to focus on something important in your life, so maybe there is a reason for getting PMR or some other serious illness.  I  trulky feel there is a reason for everyithing.
  • mphooey
    mphooey glyn6942

    Posted

    Mine started after a two week drive trip to Ohio and back to Philadelphia by myself. While out there I had a one-day gastric event which left me feeling sore, achy and limp like a dishtrag. I suspect a virus triggered it and my autoimmune continued it. I am on 5 mg pred now plus methotrexate/folic acid. Now pain is entirely in my knees which have OA also.
    • paul45653
      paul45653 mphooey

      Posted

      How quickly did your knee symptoms come on? I was playing tennis doubles for 2 hours yesterday and last night my knees went to h.

      Pain in flexing etc. Hard to tell if it's a flare or something else. At 85 it could be anything.

      2 years PMR. Now at 7 mg pred.

  • angelcake61
    angelcake61 glyn6942

    Posted

    Hi

    I also began to experience the severe symptoms of PMR within days of having my flu jab and did think caused it.

    I do wonder  if it was lying in wait and the flu vaccination awoke it, or maybe it's just sheer coincidence.   Flu vaccination ingredients differ each year but are given at the same time of year and around this time my PMR symptoms start to return with the cold weather, maybe therefore the time of year has something to do with exacerbating the symptoms.   I have not been tapering since about November  and will stay on 3mg until spring.  I have had PMR for 2 years now.

    all the best

    angelcake 

  • Anhaga
    Anhaga glyn6942

    Posted

    Only had the flu vaccine once, the year they were telling all us oldsters to protect the young uns so I can't blame either the flu shot or the flu.  But I think there were two things that precipitated my PMR.  First of all, I agree with Steve about how it's something in us already.  But we are wondering what triggers the disease to manifest itself.  I sat down one evening and started to list all the stressful things in my life during the fourteen months or so before I was diagnosed.  When I got to fifteen items and realized I still hadn't counted the most recent thing from that day I stopped typing, deleted the list and stopped looking back.  The final trigger was probably returning to work after recovering from a broken leg, not understanding how much that had taken out of me, but in retrospect it was the final straw on top of a pile of major stressors going back several years.  

    We may also want to be asking people what makes them feel better, what makes them begin to have hope that PMR will eventually fade away. 

    • Elijo
      Elijo Anhaga

      Posted

      It's an oppotunityi to reevaluate our lives and dicover what is really important to us.  This has all happened for a reason.
    • Anhaga
      Anhaga Elijo

      Posted

      I sort of agree with you although I think I had a pretty good idea what was important to me before, and that hasn't changed.  What has changed is that I have had to learn to let things go.  So there are things that are important to me (e.g., fighting to preserve our built heritage in a community where "developers" rule) but I no longer have the physical ability to carry on going to meetings, or being involved in the day to day battles.  This is not really a positive outcome to my disease I don't think.  I mean, it's all very nice being able to use PMR as an excuse not to get involved in things, but ....
  • JanSP
    JanSP glyn6942

    Posted

    My GCA started three days after an infusion of Reclast for my bones to deal with my severe spine issues. My doctors now think the Reclast acted as a catalyst as I was probably genetically predisposed to autoimmune. My mom died of lupus and had two other autoimmunes. I also have PMR and PBC. This is probably a repeat of info for some of you who have read my other posts but I wanted glyn6924 to have this if he/she hadn't seen my other notes.
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