Polymyalgia symptoms

Shoulder, arm and finger pain and thigh pain and ESR & CRP were raised from start.

My symptoms were pain all around my hips and pelvis, struggled to lift legs over stiles

When out with the dog, general moving about became difficult.

never heard of PMR. After a few months went to the doc, blood tests.

Bloods all fine. Switched on Doc who did the test with Prednisone, miracle -

within a few hours the pain had gone.

That was two years ago.

Down to 5mg per day.

What I thought was hip pain, but it then was Pelvic girdle, definitely bi lateral, over about 4 months it moved to the back of the top of my thighs(glutes) then shoulders and upper arms, at 3 months of increasing pain, my crp was raised but not crazy high all others were in the normal range.  I was 52 when it started 18 months ago, diagnosed 14 months ago and am on the DSNS taper for the last 3 months and am headed to 4mg

Yes the pain was bilateral although slightly worse on my left i.e. non dominant side and I still is (mind you I did lose the use of my left leg for~2months as a child as side effect of chicken pox)

My bloods have NEVER been raised. My ESR hit the dizzy heights of 7 once...

My very first noticeable symptom was not being able to sleep with my arms above my head. Then it was tiredness and stiffness that crept up over a period of months while I lost my spring - coudn't manage step classes. And then one day I went to the gym to use the cross-trainer to get ready for winter and skiing - the pain in my thigh muscles after about 2 minutes was excruciating. I thought it was aging and being unfit (theugh why I should have been so unfit was a mystery).

I went to the GP but he just dismissed it as "your age, there's nothing wrong because you bloods are fine". It was 5 years until I got a name - and even then, it was a DIY diagnosis.

I just felt bad for a couple of days . So basically over the weekend I went from my normal self to aches in my legs and general feeling of sickness . I went to my doctor who ran blood test and my inflammation markers were elevated . From that he decided I had PMR. However in a few days of having been diagnosed I started feeling better . By the time I got to the rheumatologist two months later the pain and yucky feeling came back so I was happy to get on the prednisone to relieve the pain. Also of interest was the fact that my sed rate had been elevated for two years prior to my getting PMR . I also ran a low-grade fever in the morning that same two years.

Aching arms that got worse over two or three months until it had me in tears; meanwhile legs joined in, neck ached and I coild hardly bear to move.Went upstairs like a toddler one step at a time.

Second episode was different.   Again began with arms aching but acted faster. GP tested ESR and CRP, both raised so straight back on Pred.

Sudden onset of hip pain which I initially put down to a sport injury but within a few weeks the shoulder pain started. I was lucky my GP was quick off the mark and although blood results only showed a slight raise she gave me a low dose of Pred. The benefits were felt within 24 hours. 9 months later I am pain free although any attempts at reduction, even following the DSNS method have resulted in severe dizziness and nausea - too early! Listen to your body.

Mine started with painful wrists, then upper arms and thighs. I don't know what my send rate was, but I actually had to tell the doc that I had pmr, and even then she didn't order the test until I called and insisted.

Hi suzanne970, my symptoms at the start were waking up one morning with very stiff legs in the groin and stiff shoulders. Getting out of bed and almost not being able to walk or put my shirt on. I did not know what had happened to me. Nothing seemed to help until my Endocrinologist gave me a prescription for Predinisone.

Good luck on your journey, try and put a smile on your face. 🙂

After a severe illness bursitis bilateral, PT made it worse, steroid injections helped, then the shoulders started- steroid shots helped that but my pain doc suspected "an inflammatory disorder ". Over about a year started to feel unwell after high altitude sickness, low grade fever evenings, generalized weakness, weight loss. Triel of curcumin made me worse and anemia found. Doc thought I had GI bleed but endoscopies found none. Misdiagnosed as "fibromyalgia'" and rushed me out the door with no guidance. Self referred to rheumi CRP 111 elevated and rare.,15 mg pred instant relief. Other causes ruled out such as cancer.,

Hip pain for a couple of weeks which spread to left hip then back then shoulders followed by neck. I couldn't turn over in bed. About a month after it started i ended up on the floor crawling at that point I went to the doctors and said it's not arthritis. Luckily I had a good doctor as I'm only 53 so not typical. She took bloods and everything was raised. On the mend now though.

Difficulty standing, and first few steps painful and difficult.  This progressed to stiff neck, and difficulty getting out of bed, climbing into and out of the bath was an adventure, thought I'd have to give up driving as no longer able to do proper shoulder check....  Doctor at time said my bloodwork was fine.  After over a year a different doctor looked at the tests with suspicion and had them and others run again, and diagnosed PMR.  I've since learned that while the first doctor thought I was just a hypochondriac old woman who needed a heavy duty painkiller prescription to shut me up (didn't fill it) my blood markers were significantly raised.  They are still not wonderful, so I suppose something else is going on as PMR is very well subdued.