Polymyalgia symptoms

Due  to stitches in my wrists couldn't get to yoga for three weeks. When I went back I could hardly bend and thought it was due to aging. At around the same time I had excruciating neck pain. A month later had extreme tiredness as if I had a constant mild flu , my legs felt as if they had concrete blocks attached and my whole body felt as if I had been kicked up and down the road. At this stage doctor thought it was fibromyalgia.  I couldn't lift my arms to wash or dry my hair. 0ver the next two months I reached a point where I had half an hour's sleep a night as when I lay down I had excruciating pain in my calves and I had to get up and try to move about. I could not stay laying flat. I was like the tin man and couldn't turn or get out of bed, pick-up anything from floor , get dressed or even move the bed covers off my body to try to get out of bed. I couldn't do anything. I walked like a duck and my hips , inner thighs and even pubic bone I couldn't touch. I aged 30 years in 4 months. My blood tests at the beginning showed nothing out of the ordinary. Apart from the original sore neck all other pain was bi-lateral. 

I am convinced my PMR came from reaction to the shingles JAB.  I had an NHS annual blood test the same day I was pushed into having the jab.  Bloods came back totally normal as usual but 2 weeks later the pain started in my hips spreading to arms, shoulders, neck and calves so I could hardly get out of bed.  Went to A&E just before Christmas 2015 as I was desperate, kept there a whole day for tests and with sky high ESR and CRP, was diagnosed with PMR and put on 30mg of pred. Within 8 weeks, my bloods were down to normal and have remained so. Am now down to 10mg reducing very slowly by half mg a month and I am pain free although get tired easily as I do a lot,  but within my limits.

Symptoms included pain in both upper legs, night sweats, extreme pain when trying to roll over in bed at night, tired and weak. Bloods; my SED Rate was super high (shd be below 10 and it was 125) and I was anemic. After months of tests I Googled "high SED rate", PMR popped up. All the symptoms matched. Was prescribed prednisone and the pain was gone overnight. Since I had surgery the day before all this started, my Dr was looking in the wrong places.

a lot of polishing and cleaning. Sharp pain in hands, particularly right hand. Not used to it. A couple of days later struggling to lift arms above head, screaming pain trying to roll over in bed. Both arms.

I'd had an unfortunate bus ride the previous day - rough road, standing, roof too low. Took a few days to dismiss the idea of trapped nerves - the pain was not at all like nerve pain.

Stiff top of thighs and groin. Walking up and down mountains became a problem - last walk wondered if I could return to our truck without help.

Light massage caused more pain a few hours later.

Found different way of polishing. Wound back the activity. Rested more.

No chance of diagnosis, it was obviously something obscure. Much easier for the typhoid victim I gave a lift to hospital.

Four months later, back in Aus, took carefully chosen GP (not my own, we landed near where daughter lived) about 5 minutes to diagnose. Bi-lateral was raised by "which side is it?" - "both sides". No blood tests.

Carefully estimated pred - a couple of days high, a couple of days medium, a couple of days just right, modified by public holiday and weekend. Took longer to work it out than diagnose.

Went from crawling up stairs to running up two at a time. Diagnosis confirmed! 

Returned home a week later to my own GP. Quick acceptance of diagnosis. Lots of empathy and tlc during the roller coaster as odd other symptoms (mostly pred related) came and went.

Loss of fitness masked a blocked coronary artery, exposed in stress test, stent installed. Rehab gave me some fitness back without flare.

I swear that extreme fatigue is a precursor to PMR. I'd gone to my GP in March of last year to report being so tired. Blood tests done then, which did not include inflammatories, were normal. By May I couldn't move my neck so went to an osteopath. This helped a little but the pain and stiffness moved to my shoulders and thighs. A couple of days later I could barely turn over in bed or move when I finally managed to get up. I googled Stiff, painful shoulders and thighs and PMR was the first link. Off to the GP, who agreed with the diagnosis. Inflammatories were raised. I started on 15 mgs Prednisolone and had the energy of 10 mad women for a couple of weeks! Stiffness and pain went within 24 hours.

I'm down to 3 or 4 mgs now but still feel pretty wiped out.