Weather!!!!

We're only 400m here.  We don't usually get snow till mid to late December.  Ah well - I had a feeling we might suffer after such a splendid summer!  

I did hear mention on Tuesday night  of 300m for your neck of the woods...

It'll go away and we'll have a lovely November  - she says hopefully 

Yup - Birkenstocks with Norwegian socks! Managed that even at minus 10C - I imagine Toronto is below that?

But my problem was before PMR/in the early days when my big toe joints were so sore I couldn't bear a shoe on them. Then later my whole feet felt as if I was standing on sharp pebbles/broken glass and the ONLY shoes I could bear were my mountain walking shoes, sandals didn't provide the support that reduced the pain.

Bizarre disease this!

I recognise this one as I had the same problem with the feeling of pebbles under my feet 2 years before diagnosis and was sent to an orthopaedic surgeon. He sent me for an ultrasound which picked up inflammation and I then had an appointment for orthotics. Podiatrist wonders if it has possibly been PMR as it has now cleared up with the steroids!!!!!!

I'd also had less obvious problems with my feet years before - we were still in Scotland at the time. All the orthotic people did was provide me with very soft molded insoles that would only fit inside trainers and actually did nothing. On moving to Durham my neighbour was a chiropodist and she told me who to ask to be referred to - and this lovely lady took one look at the back of my heels and designed special carbon fibre insoles - which still only worked inside big heavy shoes/trainers but at least helped the pain. No use for a dressy shoe though.

When I first moved here I went to a chiropodist since I couldn't even cut my own toenails  and as for sorting out all the hard skin - one session actually had me back at the pain clinic in the end as I leaned forwards to do my heels and my entire back muscles went into spasm! In the spring of this year though she commented on the difference she could see in my feet since i've been going to her. They are actually a completely different shape! The main change has been since getting the back problems sorted out - and they are definitely "add-ons" which PMR probably makes even worse.

The group in Leeds did some work last year that showed PMR affects hands and feet - despite a LOT of doctors denying it. But there are probably 20 people on the forums who have described this feeling of walking on sharp pebbles - I think it can definitely be a sign of PMR and I suspect it is tenosynovitis.

One of my fist symptoms was pain in the joint of my left big toe that came on very sudden;y two summers ago. I couldn't figure it out and thought I was maybe developing gout, A short time later I was out on an eady walk and suddenly my left calf muscle cramped up, but nothing I could do would alleviate it. I couldn't even walk  home. Tried everything to stretch it out, but it continued to feel like there was a knot in it. I finally went to the doctor who thought I maybe had a paritally torn muscle, but he didn't really know what was going on either.It eased off some, but every time I would try to go for a walk, it would get much worse, sometimes unbearable, but when I would stop, it would get better. The toe joint pain would come and go, sometimes a month between episodes. Fast forward to now, as I'm about 2 yrs into PMR, I've been seeing a massage therapist who is doing myofascial work on me for a headache I had from Jan-Aug (another long story). He was the only person who could get rid of it for me inonly 2 sessions, and now I've had him working through the other muscle pain issues I've had with my PMR. He explains the muscles beautifully as he works. As he has worked on the muslce in my calf, he explained how the rest of the muscles around it that also have some odd tight areas, are ones that attach to the big toe. As he has relieved the calf pain, I've noticed that the big toe pain hasn't surfaced. Hmmm. Makes me wonder if some myofascial pain syndrome was maybe my first affect of my PMR and continues to plaque me. BTW, before I saw this therapist, I had 6 sessions of Bowen, and I'm one of the unlucky people that it didn't help.

Oh that's interesting when I saw rheumatologist for my first visit I had been having pain in ball of my foot it felt like I was walking on pebble he did ultra sound on it but said there was nothing unusual showing on that but did mention it felt more raised than other foot, I also had been having problems with certain fingers but no swelling ,the pain in foot stopped as soon as steroids started , the fingers are still a bit tender now and then if I do too much .

I'm in Florida and it's going to be 86 degrees this afternoon.

Actully that's because we had a cold front come through which

accounts for the 86 and not being 96.  We have such a long

hot, hot, summer that anything below 85 is wonderful.....

however still running the a/c

When you are sitting here in 1 or 2C it is difficult to believe there's someone out there sitting on a beach scorching!!  Mind you, I might moan about snow in October, but I'd rather have it than 30-35C.  We're never satisfied, are we?😄

It's still spring here and we are expecting 30*C today! I'm in Canberra, Australia's national capital city.....It's been hot - hot - hot elsewhere in the country for weeks! Going to be a hot summer me thinks!

PS I have the big toe pain too, thought it was just my feet falling apart from the excess weight from the pred.... I've had to get orthotics made for my shoes - they help with everything but the pain in the big toe!