Too young?

Hi Gail! I know just what you mean about being 48 and feeling 88!

Anyway - Hum - what do you mean by comforting words? Do you want me to say "no can't be, you're too young" or "yes, perfectly possible"? ;-)

If your doctor thinks you may have PMR from the symptoms - at least he is one who WON'T dismiss you as being too young as you are under 50. We have several people in their 40s and early 50s who have come across doctors who dismissed them as not being old enough. The youngest person in the medical literature who was finally diagnosed as PMR was 26!

Your doctor seems a bit unsure if he's sending you for blood tests - but a high ESR and CRP so support a diagnosis. If they are normal though - that doesn't stop it being PMR. I have very low results for them, always have done, and my PMR responds the way it should to steroids: I was 70% better 6 hour after taking my first dose! It is not unusual for younger patients with PMR to have atypical blood results and it does confuse the issue.

Have you mentioned the headache and temple pain to your GP? Do you get any pain/discomfort in your jaw when chewing? Get him to see if he can find a pulse in the temple that is sore.

Now the comforting words: if it is PMR and you are put onto 15mg a day of prednisolone you will feel much better very soon! As I say, for me it took 6 hours to go from being as you are in the mornings to being able to get out of a chair and walk downstairs properly, not like a toddler, one step at a time.

Many people are scared of pred - it isn't as bad as it is painted by any means. Yes, some people put on weight but you don't necessarily do so. There are well over 80 side effects - no one gets them all, some get none. But what it does do is manage the symptoms so you get a life back and can move and the pain is much better. It doesn't always go away 100% but it should be 70% better very quickly (if it isn't, it may not be PMR). On that note - I hope he has asked for a vit D test - low vit D can cause the same sort of symptoms and is often found in patients with PMR.

Don't expect to be back to normal just because you are on pred - some doctors seem to think that's it, no more problems - but it isn't entirely. And don't fall into the trap of thinking "I feel fine" and catching up with all the things you haven't done for weeks/months because if you do you will end up thinking the pred's doing nothing. You have to learn to pace yourself or the PMR will turn round and bite back! Things will improve in time, the PMR may even go into remission but that isn't going to happen next week or even next month and you must be patient, patient too about reducing the pred dose because if you try to go too fast the PMR symptoms will come back. Pred doesn't cure it, it allows you to manage the symptoms and then you have to find the lowest dose that will do that.

Good luck - and come back and tell us if the GP decides that is what it is and whether pred works for you. Then we'll answer any questions you have if we can and tell you how to get more helpful info. Do tell us where you live - there may be a support group nearby!

Eileen

Eileen has said it all, I do not feel anybody could add anything to it! My doctor told me I might need to take a

low dose of steroids for many years but fortunately I was was considered "cured" after two years, this was

about 10 years ago. I have been fine ever since. There is no doubt about PMR when having taken the first

few doses you feel, as Eileen says, 70% better!

Hi Anthony

So good to read your post about your recovery from PMR after two years on steroids, and that you have remained fine during the 10 years since - many congratulations. We so rarely hear from people who have recovered and stayed well which is a pity because such news is particularly heartwarming to those still battling, so thank you on their behalf. I, too, managed to 'kick' PMR/GCA and steroids 18 months ago although it did take quite a while longer than you - just hope I'll be as lucky as you and continue to remain free of it. Keep well.

Yes - and a thank you to Anthony from me too! It is so good when people who have got over PMR and remained well for some years chime in. So many who recover disappear - and let's face it, the most likely people to appear on a forum are the ones who struggle - which tends to be a bit depressing for newcomers! There is also a decided lack of men. Of course that may be because the overwhelming majority of PMR-ers are female and we're all over the place ;-)

I'm hoping to follow in MrsO's footsteps but if 5mg of pred does the job that's fine by me too!

Eileen