Mother recently diagnosed with PMR | Arthritis Information

Hi...........Saw this chat room and thought I would ask fellow PMR sufferers how we can best support my mom is just started the prednisone 9 days ago and have yet to feel much relief (79 years old)..Unfortunately, I do not live near my mom but do have siblings in the area. My mom has been in lots of pain and finds it more difficult in the morning until about 11 when it the pain subsides somewhat. I am just trying to understand the PMR a little-I know one can't understand something truly unless they have gone thru it themselves but any info you could provide from a person with PMR and what you have found to be helpful would be most appreciated. Can you exercise with this after the onset of it and does the exercising help? What about diet? Any suggestions I can pass on to my Mom? Thanks for sharing your insight with me!Dear Kid, What dose of pred is she getting? The usual reaction is surprising relief from pain in a day or two after starting pred. That quick relief with pred is said to be one means of diagnosing PMR. Hi there

I was diagnosed with PMR about 6 mths ago. I agree with Bob....if it is PMR a majority of the pain goes away within 24 hours....so after 9 days there should be a huge difference in the pain levels. What doseage is she on? Get her to tell her medic immediately that the prednisone has not made any difference. She may need to be on a much higher dose. If you are not happy with your doctors attitude go find another one who knows what they are talking about! I had to change docs as I could see he didnt know much about PMR. You can learn a lot on the internet!! My doc has never mentioned anything about my diet so far. As for exercising I am lucky to have a heated pool locally where i can go about 2-3 times a week and that is wonderful. GOOD LUCK.Dear kid:

I have the same question as Bob and ellegee - what dosage was prescribed for your mother? I am 43 years old and was diagnosed with PMR 9 months ago. My Rheumatologist started me on 10mg prednisone. After the end of day 1 and no relief, I called her and she told me to double up, which bumped my dosage up to 20 mg/day. At the end of day 2, I thought she was a miracle worker as I felt remarkably better and practically pain-free. I am now down to 7.5 mg and doing quite well. A couple months back, I tried to come off prednisone too quickly, and within a week, my symptons returned with a vengence. This time around, I am more gradually and patiently weaning down my dosage.

Good luck! I hope this information helps - I'll check back to see what you found out.