unanswered questions
Posted , 9 users are following.
I have writtenon here a few times but need some very important answers that nobody can give me, I believe I have had PMG for 2 and a half years, went to doctor on many occasions to be told I had depression and was put on citalopram, had all the PMG symptoms but also anarexic type symptoms, nobody listened to this as I am a larger lady,they really worried me as i no longer wanted to go out to restaurants, no longer ate meat and veg, mainly only wanted sweet things and soft things, after a year went to see a mouth specialist as had a small lump on my tongue, he said it was nothing to worry about but said he wanted to talk to me as he did not understand why i was on antidepressants, after talking to me he said you have Polymyalgia, I had never heard of it, went to Rheumy who confirmed it and started me on 15 mg of pred symptoms almost disappeared but not the eating, and no weight loss, then had tooth absess, tooth out pain killers and antibiotics, went to see another doctor in my practise who was so nice told him i did not feel very good, he sent me for blood test,phone cal ten to midnight by emergency doctor my liver function results were very high, was stopped from going on holiday until they ha come down, decided it must be the drugs, all ok until august when i had spinal problems and was put on gabapantin and pain killers, still not eating, doctor sent me for blood test liver problems again, doctor sent me to liver specialist, have bupa insurance so was seen fast, he wanted to do a endoscopy, which he did he said it all looked ok and he took a biopsy of a small polyp, he said he did not think this would cause my anarexic symptoms, my doctor has given me fortasip drinks to help me. 2 weeks later results are back Oesophageal cancer, you can imagine how I felt, more tests needed to see ho far it has spread, first test done and looks like it has not spread, if this is so I am the luckiest girl in the world, 2 more tests to go before they decide what to do, the whole reason I am writting this is because nobody says they have heard of Anarexia as a symptom of PMG and yet on Google I have read that 30 per cent of people with PMG have this.I have tried to contact prof in southend as I believe him to be best in country but he is away, and I believe all doctors should be aware, thank you for reading this.
0 likes, 16 replies
ptolemy vanessa66630
Posted
constance.de vanessa66630
Posted
Try not to get depressed. Easily said, I know! If you need to talk, get something off your chest, keep posting. There is always someone on this forum who will listen, and you will get advice from our experts.
Regards and good luck fr Constance. 💐💐
Handbrake vanessa66630
Posted
vanessa66630 Handbrake
Posted
lodgerUK_NE vanessa66630
Posted
If they had ever read the British Society of Rheumatologists Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Treatment of PMR, they would have seen 'weight loss' in the symptoms list.
ptolemy lodgerUK_NE
Posted
VickieS ptolemy
Posted
vanessa66630 lodgerUK_NE
Posted
EileenH vanessa66630
Posted
Vaness is quite correct. In 2010, Baskar Dasgupta said in the Diagnosis and management of PMR in the "Concise guide to good practice" series:
"The cardinal features of PMR – proximal pain and stiffness with a raised acute phase response – are familiar to most physicians. However, the diagnostic presentation is varied and this may lead to diagnostic error:
• proximal pain and stiffness can occur in many other illnesses
• a third of patients have systemic symptoms such as fever, anorexia and weight loss.
• a considerable number (15–30%) may have distal musculoskeletal manifestations such as peripheral arthritis, distal swelling with pitting oedema and carpal tunnel syndrome.
I have come across doctors who insist that the features in the third point do not belong to PMR. However, whether they want to dispute the interchangeability of the terms "weight loss" and "anorexia" or not - he has used both in his dissertation.
I think it is fair to say though that it is weight loss that was either not intentional or associated with a normal appetite that rings the bells for cancer. Many people have eating problems at any age and for various reasons that leave them not wanting to eat - and the feeling ill of PMR is one.
Nefret vanessa66630
Posted
I don't feel that Dr. Google is the best one to consult and I have no idea where that figure came from, can you tell us the reference?
I was diagnosed with PMR (I'm assuming you mean PMR) in 2002 and haven't ever come across anorexia as a symptom before. I know that some patients lose weight before diagnosis, but that is hardly the same as anorexia - I would be more inclined to think it was a symptom of cancer, not PMR.
vanessa66630 Nefret
Posted
lodgerUK_NE vanessa66630
Posted
Cancer is not necessarily a death sentence and the earlier it is diagnosed the better the prognosis.
How do I know, I have family and friends who have had both early and late diagnosis, the early diagnosis are still living. Am I speaking from personal experience, not at all, just an older person who has watched with amazement the strides made in treating cancer since 1954 when I first lost a close friend to Breast Cancer who was 23 with two children.
Nefret vanessa66630
Posted
ptolemy vanessa66630
Posted
VickieS vanessa66630
Posted
vanessa66630 VickieS
Posted