Terrible cramping in hands and feet

          I had the same problem but it quickly went away. Only happened two ot three times and then gone.

Contacted rheumy about having electrolytes checked. In the meantime eating foods high in potassium. 

Are you sure your pred is enough? PMR caused me to have cramps in my hands and that is where I feel it when a flare is threatening - the ball of my thumb becomes painful and can cramp if I try to hold something "wrong".

But also do check with your rheumy - it might be something else. Although there was a thread a few months ago where someone's initial symptoms involved their hands cramping and curling as you describe and because it was left it just got worse. Her doctor refused to have it that PMR affects hands. Leeds reserach group looked at it - yes it does, and feet too.

I read that thread and I couldn't believe her hands were cramping so bad that they were curling. That sounds just horribly painful. Fortunately my doctor does know that hand pain can be a symptom of PMR. But she does refuse to believe that feet can also be a part of PMR. Because I have almost as much pain in my feet as I do in my hands. I have purchased some compression socks that my husband will put on my legs when my feet and legs are hurting. But when my legs are involved I know that's my sciatica. But this socks do seem to help some. With the joint pain I'm currently suffering I put my socks on last night and it actually helped with the ankle and Joint stiffness and pain.

JUST PMR EileenH?! JUST?  Maybe you’ve never suffered the unimaginably intense &  debilitating joint pain & stiffness that PMR can create rendering someone unable even to stand up or move.  I have & when I read what you wrote “just PMR” I want to scream at you, I won’t of course.  I PRAY that you NEVER go through the devastation that PMR can wrought on a human body & the weight gain & other painful side effects of LONG TERM use of prednisone that can take YEARS to safely  taper off from...YEARS Eileen not weeks or days but YEARS.  

Now I just know you will take the huff at what I am about to say and before I start I will say welcome to the club none of wants to be in. You will get support and advice here which I hope will help you in your PMR journey.

However ...  Get off your high horse barbara. Knowing some facts is a good start before attacking anyone like that. You have screamed at me - you used capitals which is taken as shouting in social media. Obviously you are new to the forum? Yes, on checking I see you joined an hour ago. This post is over a year old and you will note that no-one else was upset at me saying "just" PMR - and also note that I used quote marks for the "just".

I used the term "just" PMR as opposed to GCA or inflammatory arthritides in the sense "Is it only PMR or is there something else going on?". PMR isn't the disease - it is the outward expression of an underlying disorder. In our case on this forum the disorder is probably an autoimmune problem creating the inflammation but there is a range of other things that can cause it including forms of inflammatory arthritis and some cancers just to name 2 areas. I was replying to someone who has had "PMR" for some time and has been unable to reduce below a dose that suggests that this possibly isn't "just" PMR, there could well be something else causing the symptoms. And I suggested as much. That is all.

For your information: I have had PMR for over 14 years. I still have PMR. I still require pred to manage the symptoms. For 5 years I was not diagnosed and never treated - I was fobbed off with "your age" and a load of other excuses because I was realtively young and my markers (ESR and CRP) were never out of normal range - even when I was immobile, couldn't toilet myself or get up off the toilet without great difficulty, crawled up the stairs on hands and knees and was confined to the house or where I could get to with the car which was parked outside the door. If I had to walk - I had to go home. I couldn't stand to iron or prepare food - not least because my hands were badly affected and holding things was difficult.  Luckily I was freelance so was able to work - I only had to get from bed to chair in front of the computer.

In fact the markers were raised for me, but not to above the top of normal range. Eventually I worked out from internet research what it might be - not only the GP but a rheumatologist hadn't helped. The second rheumy was pretty useless too - but did give me pred which gave good symptoms relief after less than 6 hours.

I have "met" thousands of other PMR patients through the forums and have also "seen" every variant of PMR there is as well as cases of GCA that have led to irreversible loss of vision because of poor diagnosis skills on the part of doctors. For the last 10 years I and a group of other women who "met" here and went on to form PMRGCA charities have worked to help prevent this unnecessary suffering.

So you see - to be shouted at like that is rather hurtful. Because you are 14 years too late - I have crawled the crawl too. And now spend some hours on the forums every day trying to help others. Perhaps you feel I shouldn't bother?