I want to share my experience for those of you recently diagnosed with PMR. I am 50 and was diagnosed with PMR at 48. I was placed on prednisone which worked but after awhile it only worked at dosages above 15mg/day. TOO MUCH! I gained weight and had the classic signs of Prednisone use (moon face, buffalo hump, upper belly fat, etc). I was on Prednisone for a year and a half.
Because I could not get relief of my symptoms except at higher doses of Prednisone and worried about some of the nastier side-effects of Prednisone, I decided to change Rheumatologists. I did some reading on the topic too and PMR is mostly diagnosed in people much older than I.
After finally weaning off the Prednisone (with some horrid problems I might add), I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. My new Rheumatolgist told me that RA can be tricky and appear like other things before presenting itself clearly as RA. Thing is, even during my treatment with Prednisone, I had swelling in the joints of my hands, had some foot problems including deformities. This rheumatologist told me that RA most requently shows up in the feet and ankles first.
PMR does not involve any small joints/bones. So if you find that you have any of those in addition to the back pain, hip pain stiffness, etc., I would seek a second opinion.
Just a word of advice from someone whos been there and done that.
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