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possible PMR

Posted , 4 users are following.

grandmaDylan
grandmaDylan

I've been back to see my gp after finishing my weeks trial of prednisolone. It did help with my pain and made it possible to sleep through the night which was a real novelty after years of broken sleep. Whilst I was taking the pred I actually woke up refreshe and alert. Having been off them for a couple of days I am back to being woken constantly through the night with pain and awful back pain during the day. My gp said my esr was 55 and it should go below 10 after taking the 4 weeks pred he has prescribed me. I am to go for a blood test in 3 weeks and go back to see him in 4 weeks and we'll take it from there.I

2 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • EileenH
    EileenH grandmaDylan

    Posted

    That's great! Though I'm not sure 4 weeks will get your ESR to below 10! Would be nice to see though.

    Just remember that 4 weeks won't have cured it and don't agree to too fast a reduction - as a start, never reduce more than 10% at a time at any dose, even at 15mg.

    Good luck!

  • MrsO-UK_Surrey
    MrsO-UK_Surrey grandmaDylan

    Posted

    If the steroids are working, Deborah, try not to let the GP take you off them again.  Once that pain returns and you start yo-yoing the dose, it can often take even longer to get things under control.  You haven't said what your ESR was at diagnosis before taking any steroids.  It could well be that at 55 it has already dropped from a previous higher level, and will need a little longer to improve still further.  When we start steroids we can usually expect about a 75% reduction in our pain levels within a couple of days or up to a week, but not a complete resolution in the pain, except for a very few lucky people. The steroids aren't curing anything they are just damping down the inflammation that causes the pain until PMR, if it is PMR, decides to go into remission.
  • debbie27473
    debbie27473 grandmaDylan

    Posted

    Hi. I might be misreading your post and if so forgive me but are you saying that the first blood test you will have had since stopping the pred is not for three weeks? If so, any reduction in your ESR will have dissipated by then! At what point as it 55? As I said, if I am wrong just ignore me and blame my pred fog! Best wishes, Debbie
    • EileenH
      EileenH debbie27473

      Posted

      No Debbie - he's given Deborah a prescription of pred for 4 weeks so will check the ESR after 3 weeks so the result is back before the next appointment with him - and he'll work from there.
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