Hello to all. This is my first post on this site recommended from the Arthritis Canada site. We all seem to have so much in common especially the need to get as much info about PMR ect and have someone who understands. I was diagnosed in March 06 after 6 months of pain, weight loss, high ESR, CRP, white cell count, high temperature and anaemic. The worst thing was not knowing what was wrong, repeated blood tests, CT Scans, Ultra sound, Bone Marrow Biopsy and no diagnosis. It was great to know I did not have the dreaded C after all this I did wonder, if I was feeling this bad it might be a relief to just know and get on with some treatment. By this time I am feeling 'depressed' not sure that is right now, I was just so sick of pain, tests and thinking I must be going mad if they can't find out what is wrong! I am 61,female, patient husband, 2 great daughters, a wonderful grandson and live in Australia.
Then came the diagnosis of it might be PMR... take 10mg of pred and should be beter in a couple of days. It took 2 to 3 weeks to kick in and what a relief to feel alive again! I am still on 10mg pred and expect to be until April 07 then start to taper. Have had one go 10mg 1 day and 7.5mg next day and was soon in pain , so back to 10mg everyday. I did get a 2nd opinion and was told he would have started me on a higher dose but to keep on with this dose for another 6 months at least. I have regular blood tests and see my GP monthly. I read everyones posts with great interest and have learnt so much from you all. I hope I will be able to contibute and ask for help along the way also. Keep on posting...I was so glad to know that PMR is a real illness ( I had never heard of it and neither had anyone that I know) and there maybe light at the end of the tunnel?
Hi LynM. Good to hear from you. I was diagnosed in Feb, and started at 20 mg. I still have pain, but it's not getting worse. I would rather have some pain and not so much prednisone. As long as it doesn't get worse as I drop the dosage I am supposed to be ok.
It's a very lonely, frustrating thing to have since most of us don't know anyone else who has it. It's one of those things that won't kill you, so there's will not likely be a lot of intense research on it. No one knows how bad the pain is. I'm 66 and have developed cataracts, a side effect of the prednisone. I am an artist and muralist and, of course, am concerned about my eyes. Should be simple, but it's scary, anyway. Good luck to you, sweetie.
Thanks Betsy for your kind words and as the old saying goes " there is always some-one worse off". Can you have the operation to remove the cataracts while on Prednisone? Best wishesHello,
Betsy, sorry to hear about your cataracts, as you say "it should be simple" I work for 2 ophthalmologists. They perform 5-6 cataract surgerys per week. Our staff considers the surgery very routine, but when you are the patient there is nothing routine about it...but for surgeons it is a very common procedure.
My eye pressures were elevated from the 15 mg, the pressure started to decline as the prednisone dose tapered. If the pressure did not, the doc was going to put me on glaucoma drops temporarily until the pred was lowered. I see him tomorrow for the 3rd pressure check, I am hoping that the pressure will continue to drop.
I think one thing that we all can be thankful for, is that this PMR does not cause permanent damage...it is very limiting at some points, but I keep telling myself that when it's gone---it's gone. My goal is to get off the pred. and hopefully be able to manage it with ibuprofen or other OTC pain relievers.
I am curious to know that if we did not starting taking pred, and just took OTC pain relievers, would that be ok? However, I guess I can say that now as the pain is not extremely severe.....I keep forgetting that I couldn't move in bed, and getting out of bedwas a huge, painful chore. So I guess that I just answered my own question..
Sorry for rambling, I am on my 2nd and last cup of coffee...and am delaying painting our den.
Enjoy your Sunday....
Janet/puffy
I live in the San Francisco Bay area,(Walnut Creek) and we have that "foggy" Thanksgiving weather...we don't get the fog like SF does, thank goondess.
Hi Lyn and welcome.
I'm relatively new, too, having only been diagnosed in October. Presently I'm on 20mg prednisolone and trying to taper to 15mg. Have been symptomatic for years but the last 12 months or so the pain and stiffness has been worse. My eyesight is affected and I was having the most horrendous headaches and pain in my eye. Thankfully most of the pain in my head and eye has gone with the prednisolone but my eyesight hasn't recovered. (Seeing ophthalmologist on 5th December).
Hope you are having a better day today. I take comfort in the fact that there are others "out there" who know what I am going through, as I know of no-one in my vicinity who has PMR nor of anyone locally who is as "young" as me to have the disease.
Take care, Love Judi
Hi, All!Hello All,
Judy, I agree with Reni regarding the headaches and eye pain. I would suggest really trying to see on ophthalmogist before 12/5. Did you tell the doc's office your symptoms and that you have PMR.?
My docs that I work for (opthalmologists) said that cataracts do not go away after stopping the prednisone. Another side effect is glaucoma, that does go away after lowering the dose or stopping. As my earlier post mentioned, my ocular pressure was high, but has dropped.
Reni, I am having the same problems with my eyes...I am having trouble seeing at a distance, and even my close up vision has changed. I thought it was the pred also. But, I have not had a new prescription in several years and that old close up vision(presbyopia) does get worse with "age" I find that when I do close up work then try to look at a distance, it's quite blurry.....
Happy Thanksgiving to all,
Janet in California
Puffy, Thanks for the info. I went to my regular eye doctor to be referred to the one who will do the cataract surgury. I was psyched up to get it over with, but he said mine weren't bad enough yet for medicare to pay for.
I told him I can't drive at night, there are blue halos around every light and long lines of light going through the circles. It's so frightening to not be able to see at night all of a sudden. Anyhow, he said with correction my eyesight is 20 25, and has to be 20 40 for medicare to pay. Does that sound right to you?
I had to get the 0 glasses again. I was really disappointed. May folks told me, as you did, there's nothing to it. Also, with the lens implant, I could get rid of the glasses.
Thanks for the post, and have a great day.
Hi, all. I'm 56, was diagnosed in Feb/06, and am currently at 4 mg prednisone. I had vision problems when I was on 15 mg and it turned out to be blood sugar spikes that made me more myopic - I'd start the day with my "regular" glasses, and end up with eyesight so poor I couldn't drive home from work unless I wore some with a much stronger distance prescription from 10 years ago - I started taking daily chromium picolinate supplements (recommended to take along with a biotin supplement) and it cleared up the problem immediately. I now only take the chromium picolinate a few times a week.
It appears that prednisone depletes the chromium in your system, and the insulin your body produces requires the chromium to regulate your blood sugar. There are research studies available on the internet, if you google "reversal of corticosteriod induced diabetes with chromium" or something similar. Just thought I'd mention this in case it helps someone else.
It's so helpful and reassuring to know that I'm not the only one having vision problems. I've read that prednisone can increase the risk of cataracts, but I've only been taking it since early September & blurriness has definitely increased to the point where I'm always squinting and going back and forth with my regular correction and bifocals to try and see clearer.
I can't tell you how thankful I am to read the messages here and gain some insight as to what is going on with my body! I have an appointment to have my eyes checked next week and one to see the rheumatologist December 7th.......hopefully he can tell me more than my regular doctor.
Take care.....gentle hugs......Judy
Hi all
Reni - the appointment for 5th Dec is my referral from my GP from the beginning of October! We don't have the luxury over here in the UK of ringing up a specialist for an appointment. We have to wait for our GP to refer us in writing to a hospital in our health trust area. Woe betide anyone who lives in a rural area (like I do) who has to travel to the county main city hospital. We cannot be referred out of our area (funding issues) except in exceptional circumstances. Worcestershire (where I live) has an arrangement with the teaching hospitals in Birmingham for neurology and oncology but all the other ologies have consultants in Worcester Royal Hospital so we are stuck with them. I have seen both eye consultants over the years as I have had problems for a long time. I don't think either of them are much use. Let's hope my wonderful GP has put something decent in his referral letter - he must have done as I got the appointment through quite quickly and didn't have to wait 6 months like my last appointment.
Hope you are all having a great day. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Judy -
Just a heads up about the vision problem & chromium depletion. You might want to print up some info off the internet & take it with you when you see your doctor. Neither my GP nor my ophthalmologist knew anything about it. I might never have found out if I hadn't been googling everything I could find myself.
Ruth
Thanks for the heads up on chromium depletion, Ruth. I'll put it on my list so I can talk to my doctor about it. My list is reallllly getting long and thanks to everyone here, my doc is going to be well educated by the time I get done with her.
Judy Hi Reni We can see the specialist again if we are still "current". We normally have follow up appointments at the specialist's discretion. Depending on the specialist we can make direct appointments through their secretary but some hospitals here will only make the appointment when you attend the consultation. In an emergency they will normally fit you in. If the consultant has discharged you, you can only see them again if the GP refers you. Hope you are having a good day. Love Judi
I was very upset when first diagnosed, it took a couple of months to come to terms with it and I could not believe that I really had something badly wrong having been a fit person all my life - I rode horses once a week, every week and six months prior to diagnosis had been attending the gym x2 per week too. I loved my exercise and do miss it. However, I have had to adjust and have realised that it could be so much worse. I have also realised that it is not so much the condition that bothers me now but how I am going to wean myself from Pred. As I say, I have been on 17.5mg for one week now, having been on 20mg for 5 months. I am rather more achy than I would like but nothing I cannot live with. I am hoping that I do not start to feel any worse and in fact hope I will start to feel a little better in a few of weeks so that I can start to reduce the dose again. I have not had an eye test since last year and all your comments have now prompted me to make an appointment. My mother suffered from Glaucoma and so I am conscious of watching out for this condition. When my doctor prescribed me the Pred I told him about my mother's Glaucoma but he said not to worry but I am not so sure now. If anyone new reads this website please add your comments as it is good to hear the views of others. There does not seem to be too much information available to read up on, particularly on how best to reduce Pred. Hi Barbee, Good to hear from you. I started 20 mg in Feb 06. I'm now at 8 mg. I think most of us felt relatively pain free on the large doses at first. From what I can see, it is normal to have some pain as we taper off. We're supposed to be fooling our bodies into producing it's own or something. As long as the pain is bearable, I think it best to just wait it out rather than up the dosage. I want off this stuff. I will usually have maybe 4 really bad days, then it levels out again, and the pain is managable for a few weeks. As long as it doesn't get worse and stay there, I feel I'm making progress. Be sure and have your eyes checked. My dad had glaucoma, so thay puts me at risk too. So far, just cataracts, courtesy prednisone. Have a great day.
Thank you again for your reply - I'll get my eyes checked too! Hi, Barbee - Good luck with your prednisone reduction. From 20 - 15 mg., there is usually no difficulty reducing by 2.5 mg at one time, after that, the guidelines that make the most sense to me are to reduce by no more than 3 mg. per month until you reach 10 mg. From there, 1 mg. per month is realistic. It usually takes a couple of weeks to adjust to a reduction, so you may have some aches & pains related to prednisone withdrawal for two weeks or so. If a 1 mg. reduction is difficult, you can always reduce on alternate days for a while (e.g. 5 - 4 - 5 - 4 and maybe 5 - 4 - 4 - 5 - 4 - 4 - etc.) or by 1/2 mg, as someone else suggested. Doctors with a lot of experience with PMR tell their patients to expect relapses as they are quite common, so it's sometimes necessary to go back to an earlier dose, then reduce again according to the guidelines. It's always disappointing to have to put the dose back up. I usually stick it out as long as I can before I go back, as long as my lifestyle isn't affected (i.e. being able to do farm chores, ride my horse, do shopping & housework, etc.) Let us know how you are progressing. Best wishes, Ruth This is a very interesting topic, suits my condition at the moment. Ruth, if you have to go back up, how long do you stay at the higher dose? My rheum doc said one month..........I don't like the thought of going backwards. I have been 10 mg of pred since October 22. I was at 15 mg for 6 weeks, 12.5 for 6 weeks, and scheduled for 10mg for 2 months. I was pain free until a few days ago...I have been on 10 for 6 weeks, so the withdrawal, as I understand it should have been 2 or 3 weeks into the taper, not after 6 weeks. I am sooooooooooo discouraged. We are having a new furnace installed, therefore have been with out heat for a few days..........could that possibly make symptoms worse. I live in California, so the weather isn't drastic....plus I am post menopausal, therefore, cold does't bother me too much. I am scheduled to taper to 7.5 on Jan 1, and stay on that for 2 months....and continue the taper...... I saw my rheum doc on 12/1...........I wasn't having the degree of symptoms that I am now, so I did not discuss it much. However, he did say not to taper while having symptoms..... ???? Thank you, Janet from Calif. Hi, Janet - We recently had a nice vacation in So. Cal. Is that where you live? About the prednisone reduction, I can only speak from my own experience and how I handle it, which may not be the best way. Sometimes I found that stressful situations (e.g. special events, travel, etc.) will cause a flare up of my PMR symptoms, so I might take extra prednisone (sometimes as much as double) just for a few days, then go back to where I was at. I did that for my neice's wedding in August, and for a visit to a guest ranch in Arizona recently. As long as it's just a few days, there aren't any problems with prednisone "withdrawal". If I found the "flare" persisting, then I would consider going back to my previous dose - e.g. back to 6 from 5, or maybe even 6-5-6-5 for a week or so. So far, I've only had to up my dosages for short spells. I manage to get by - with more aches and pains than I would like, but not so bad that I can't function almost normally. I arranged to get 1 mg tablets, so it makes tapering easier. They're more expensive, but IMO it's worth it. Ruth Hi Ruth, I live in No. Cal...30 miles from San Francisco. I have considered going up to 12.5 every other day for a few days, but wasn't quite sure about it. It's strange how you can be pain free for so long at a certain dose, then have sypmtoms surface. Not as severe as initially, but it is disturbing My rheumatologist said some pts are put on methatrexate (sp) I don't even want to think about that...I just want to wean and get off pred. Another question---when we are weaned off pred and are completely off, are we still going to have PMR? Does this stuff make it go away or just control it until it burns itself out? Thank you for your reply....I might try 12.5 today, 10 tomorrow and so one for a few days....what do you think? Janet from California Hi, Janet - Your plan of alternating days sounds okay to me. That's what I would do. Then space the 12.5 days farther apart. Sometimes I just get tired of toughing out the pain & stiffness and up the dosage for a day or two just to give myself a break, always with the goal of getting lower as soon as I feel up to it. It's my understanding that the prednisone just alleviates the symptoms of PMR, but doesn't cure it. Sometimes I wonder if the PMR does more lasting damage to your joints & muscles if you don't go on the prednisone, or don't start it as quickly. It seems that those who suffered with the PMR longer before diagnosis have the worst time with it. On one of my "google trips", I read that there's an initial acute phase of PMR that's quite severe, then a longer "chronic" phase that is not so severe, and that it can disappear as quickly and mysteriously as it came. Many people on this board (and others) seem to have had it for more than 2 years, but somewhere I read that in 90 percent of cases, it is gone within 2 years. I don't know if that's really the case. Good luck with it! BTW, I am also 56, and was diagnosed in late Feb/06. Ruth Hi Ruth, I am going to take my morning pills now....I am late in doing so. Well, I am hope that the info you read holds true. Because the initial onset for me was severe..........then prednisone really helped, and hopefully we are passing through chronic stage and getting to the "mysteriously leaving" stage. My symptoms started in February and finally diagnosed in July, however, I started on prednisone in May as my rheum. doc thought I had some other kind of inflammation. (it was a 30 day stint of pred) and when I was off that, boy did I hurt. That was another indicator that my condition was PMR. How long did you have to wait for your dx/treatment of PMR? We are having our furnace and a/c replaced, so we have no heat...that probably doesn't help with my pain.....plus I keep going...want to get the house decorated for Christmas.... I wonder if all PMR people have a difficult time relaxing...... Enjoy your day, Janet/California Adrienne, Gee, on Pred for only 8 months and now you are off.....gives us hope. I am more stiff and sore today, and I agree, getting on and off the floor is a chore, or bending over to pick up something. Adrienne, are you under the care of a rheum doc? My schedule is to be off completely in Nov. The doc said do not taper while having symptoms...that is a little discouraging, as I have symptoms, but not scheduled to taper until Jan. I will be 53 the day after Christmas.......I'm not used to hurting or being limited as to what I can do....but I keep going....as sounds like the rest of us. Janet/California It's clear and cold here, visualizing the snow gives me the Christmas spirit, plus it's cold in our house..................new furnace being installed Hi, Janet - I'm inclined to take control of my own health, so when I first went to the doctor and he dismissed my aches as the "mild osteoarthritis" of the hip joint that showed up on an Xray, I started searching on the Internet for information about OA, and happened across information on PMR. I went back to my doctor right away and he did a SED rate test to confirm, then gave me a prescription for prednisone. I'd say that the condition took several weeks to reach the point where I knew it wasn't just muscle strains and went to see the doctor. So from first symptoms to DX wasn't more than a month or so. Just this week, I'm having very sore and stiff arms & shoulders - I never know whether I've strained something doing my barn chores (pushing & dumping the wheelbarrow most likely) or whether it's my PMR flaring. I think I'll bump up my prednisone again (sigh) because it's beginning to get me down - I've been trying to stay at 4 mg. It really bugs me when my partner (who is a horseshoer and has a very physically demanding job) responds to my complaints with, "Well, I'm sore, too." It's a whole different thing. If I ever get back to "normal", I'll never complain about "normal" muscle aches again! Hi Ruth, Boy, I agree as far as being sore-vs. being sore. Our soreness is from doing nothing...it's just there. I don't mind "work out" soreness, as there is a benefit to that. I feel like a big blob of mush from not being able to do my weight/resistance training, exercise ball class and pilates. I can see what the lack of exercise does/doesn't do to our bodies! I have been more sore that last couple of days, so went back up to 12.5, and will only do that for a few days, then back down to 10. I am confused..my rheum doc said do not taper while you have symptoms....Soooooooo, if I still have symptoms ( which appeared after 6 weeks of 10mg) do I stay on 10 mg forever, or go back up to 12.5, then drop again and hope I can go back to 10...... I want to taper to 7.5 in Jan, as he planned out.... Basically, do any of you still have mild symtpoms at your current dose and just stay there? Thank you, Janet in California Hi Ruth, I just re read your previous post regarding prednisone reduction....... Sorry, I duplicated my question..........I think PMR has affected my memory
Janet [QUOTE=Adrienne34] Ruth, I am really impressed by your active life. I can barely do house cleaning! I hate house cleaning anyway, so maybe I am just using stiffness and aches as an excuse!
My name is Anna. I am soon to be 67 and today was told I may have pmr. I read up on this disease as was surprised to see it only effect people of fifty. Gee, I hate to burst someone bubble but I had this when I was 28 and made the rounds of doctors then too. It was never dx. It started coming back about 5 months ago. The doctor has put me on pred starting tomorrow. Oh yes, that is what they put me on years ago too. I really hate going on pred but I also hate the pain. I hope there is not to many bad side effect to it as I can not remember what it felt like when I took it when I was younger. Oh well time will tell. How long can someone tell me, will it take to see the difference when I start the pred? I take tylenol and advil during the day. I want to meet the person that says this is our golden years.lol Please keep me informed and certainly appreciate all you can tell me. Anna Hi Anna & Betsy, ditto to Betsy's post except in my case Pred took 2 to 3 weeks to kick in. So don't get disheartened if it takes a little longer for you too. Hopefully you will be soon have manageable discomfort and not that horrible pain! What dosage has your Dr started you on? I have been on 10mg since March 06 and hope to start tapering April 07. Not looking forward to the tapering down but am hoping to get rid of this jelly belly etc. Merry Christmas & A Healthy, Happy New Year To ALL. ( and if we put on a few pounds ..we can blame it on the Pred!!!Ho! Ho! Ho!) XX Lyn HI Well started my pred. I sure hope this does the trick. I have so much to do before the holidays and boy it sure puts a crimp in everthing. Thank goodness for the internet. Did a lot of shopping on it. I was very wary of starting the pred, but so far no side effects. Hope this will take care of the pain and I don't have to take anymore. Have a feeling that isn't going to happen. What is considered a high sed rate? Mine was 65 yesterday. Which by the way means absolutely nothing to me. The nurse thought it was high but the doc did not so just curious. hope everyone is doing well. I liked that it interfears with housework. In my life getting up does that. Housework is not my biggest dream. I would love a nice clean house but hey I would love to be a millionaire and as I see it neither of those are going to happen.lol Please keep in touch. I sure felt like it was all in my head. Doesn't help that the doc was not sure what it was. They sometimes act like you are intruding on there time. I also have a breathing problem which has never dx. They don't know why. I was afraid this was going to happen with this also. Thanks guys for the support. Anna Hi, Anna - If you're like most of us, at first you'll feel great on the prednisone. I felt like Superwoman! When I started (approx March/06) I was getting so much done, feelng so strong, no aches and pains (not even the ones I'd had before the PMR). It often takes a few weeks to feel any adverse side effects. Besides the unseen side effect of (possible) osteoporosis, for which I take large doses of calcium daily, and a tingly feeling in my face, my only real side effect was vision fluctuations caused by blood sugar spikes due to chromium depletion, which cleared up when I started taking chromium picolinate with biotin. Also, some leg and foot cramps, which might also have been blood sugar related because they cleared up around the same time. I also make sure I have at least 1 banana a day for potassium depletion, and I'm taking a supplement called Recovery powder (www.recoverymedicine.com) - I don't know if it's making a big difference, but it contains vit. C, glucosamine, etc., so I'm assuming it helps. My highest dose was 15 mg. / day. I didn't experience any significant weight gain, nor moon face, etc. I've been as low as 4 mg. per day, but now am having to up my dose - hoping to stay at about 7 mg, haven't stabilized it yet. Good luck! Let us know how you make out. hi Just got back a couple of hours ago from my doc. He put me back on pred. 20mg. a day and told me to try to get off as quickly as I can. He also put me on Boniva for my Osteo. He wants me to take calcium supplement also. I have been doing that but it sure makes me sick to my stomach. Do you have to take calcium and if so does it bother you and if it does what do you do about it? Will keep in touch. Anna Hi Anna! I am male and 69, so we are almost the same age. I would advice you not to get off too quickly. I have heard that reducing by 1 mg per month is the best way after reaching 10 mg. I have had to go back up to nearest higher level twice since last summer. I started taking Prednisol (as it is called in Sweden) in June 2005 and I am down on 5 mg. Just talked to the doctor and she wants me to stay there another month. I am lucky not to have any pain, and the puffiness is more or less gone. I have managed also to stay more or less at the lower weight I got before starting to take Prednisol. I take Calcichew D3 - two pills each day. The reason to go back up on 5 mg was I felt the fatigue that has to do with PMR. Now I am OK for walking but get tired easily when lifting or similar physical exercises. We have had excessive rain with flooding that causes road closures and on Wednesday we had a landslide in motorway E 6 1 hour north of Gothenburg. Almost all Sweden will have a green Christmas. Snow only in Lapland far up north. Have a nice Christmas! RDSwede Hi Swede, That's great your pain is completely controlled. I always have some. Different degrees on different days. I'm with you. 1 mg a month when you get under 10. I'm at 7 now and can't wait to get off the prednisone completely, but can't rush it since I still have pain and fatigue. I've also maintained my weight, even lost a few lbs, but the dr. called yesterday and said I have a low blood count. So now, they will probably tell me to eat more. I was going to ask you what Calcichew D3 is, but when I looked back to get the spelling it's pretty obvious, huh! Chewable calcium? Have a wonderful, green Christmas! Hi Betsy! We can get Calcichew with different tastes. I prefer citrus taste and an alternative (which I donīt like so much) is mint. I bought some in California last summer that tasted like dry calcium and they were not so nice to chew. You can read in English about Calcichew D3 on http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100000414.html In Sweden we pay only part of medicine up to a value of about $ 260. The discount we get is higher and higher when we get close to the maximum sum. Sometimes we get an alternative to the medicine on the prescription if it has the same ingredients. Otherwise you have to pay the difference. We also have a maximum for doctors fees during a 12 month period. I think it is maximum $ 130. We pay in full but after the maximum is reached we donīt pay until the 12 months are over. That also includes X rays, ultra sound etc. By the way - there is a Swede up in space that wants to come down with Discovery this afternoon/evening depending on where you live. He is the first Swede in space and has waited 14 years! He has astronatut education as well as Russian cosmonaut education. Ragnar HI to both of you: Don't feel bad about Christmas. WE are going to have a green one also. I live in Vermont in the USA. Usually by now we have at least a few inches on the ground. Tonight it is raining and are expecting sleet. I'm glad I'm not on the highways tonight. I started my pred this afternoon. I also have IBS so taking the calcium was really raising the dickens with me. I have stop taking it for now and will try to eat foods high in calcium. I know it is not the same but it seems like i'm trading one problem for another. One that is not very pleasant. Oh well time will tell. I would love to go and visit Sweden some day. This year I went on a train trip around the country. What a treat that was. Really enjoyed it. If i'm going to travel I guess now is the time to start. If i ever get this thing under control. Nice to talk or should say write to you guys. Take care and Have a Very Merry Christmas. Anna Hi Swede, What an exciting Christmas for Sweden! Hopefully the astronaut is safely landed by now. Thanks for the info on calcium. I'm about to check out that website now. Here in Texas we have more like a brown Christmas, no snow, no grass. sort of horse colored. Anna, I hope your prednisone has kicked in by now and you're feeling much better. Did it keep you awake all night? I have IBM too from time to time. Always in the middle of the night. Something else to keep us from sleeping. Merry Christmas to everyone. Also a happy birthday to Puffy and ReniBetsy,
Thanks Reni. I live in Texarkana, barely Texas. San Antonio is wonderful. I love it there. I have a daughter in Kerrville, and grandaughter in Bandera. It's like a Winberg painting when you get out of town west a few miles. There's a certain romance to the hill country that the rest of Texas doesn't have. Merry Christmas and God bless you and your family too! Hi Giorgiana! The Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang seems to have done a very good job as he repaired the solar module or whatever he did. He also took the longest spacewalk and has a new world record in frisbee - he threw it while in space! It seems he will be chosen for the next mission, so they may come together in June. We had a nice Christmas and as it has been green, there has been very few road accidents. Otherwise Christmas is very bad in that respect. Letīs hope for a better year with pred. After all, it really helps even if it takes time. We have taken core of a golden retriever and I really have been able to keep up with him without getting tired and sweaty - as it was for me last summer. Ragnar Hey my fellow sufferers; Did a dumb thing over the Christmas Holiday. December sure has been one really bad month. I got the stomach flu with you know the runs and sick to the stomach. It really put me down. I guess some of this is age. DARN lol. My daughter in laws who are God sent did all the work for the meal and cleaning up. Sick for 5 to 6 days. Don't know if PMR increases the extent of a flu or not but WOW. Finally started feeling a little like a human again yesterday and with not to much pain so did not take any thing to keep it away. Last night the pain started coming back but to late for pain pills to work with a lot of effect. Seems like when a regime of pills is not taken it sure does not take a long time to revert. the doc told me to try and decrease the pred and see if it keeps the pain away with less pills. This I have been doing and it was working, on the day I was not taking the pred. I took an advil and it seemed to be working. As I said yesterday was my day off pred and like an idiot I took no Advil. I also notice the tingle and in my hands and now in my feet and legs. Does this happen to any of you or is this something I should worry about. Damn it is hell to get old and Lord how I love the Golden Years.lol Yes, all us December Babies have had a great birthday. You know not to many people have been born on the 20th. Usually around that day but not to many. I hope you all had a Very Merry Christmas and Have a very Happy New Year and very healthy one too. Anna hi Just me again. I got my PVE data back. So my viens are all right. NOw does PMR cause leg swelling? In a way I hope so, if not then I'm still looking for the culprit. Hope everyone has had a happy Holiday and very good start to the New Year. Thanks everyone Anna hi Does prednisone cause suppression of breathing, skipping heart beat. Have both but they sure seem to have increased since i'm like in my fourth week of taking the stuff. It seems i'm always tired and walking from point a to point b is such a stress. If i'm suppose to go to surgery for my leg in February, I want to make sure this is not caused my heart and somehow by the pred. Any info would greatly appreciated. Anna
We can't exactly ring up a specialist wither, at least
not on my husband's insurance program. We have a
certain list of doctors we can choose from for primary
care, and they are all over this area, so if we didn't
mind traveling, we could kind of pick and choose.
Thankfully I've found one I like fairly close. Then we
have to get a referral from our PCP for a specialist as
well, and those aren't always close or ones I would
pick if I could. They also have to be listed with our
insurance plan. And sometimes it does take quite a
while to get in to see one - a 6 month wait for the
first rheumatologist I saw. Again, I am fortunate, in
that my present rheumatologist, whom I really like, is
not too far away. Once I've finally gotten the initial
appointment, it's no problem getting follow up
appointments. Is it like that where you are, that once
you've got the referral, you can just keep making
appointments as needed without more referrals to that
doctor? Dec. 5 is almost here. I'll bet you are
counting the days. I know I always did when I had to
wait so long. Good luck.
Reni
Adrienne34
Ruth, I am really impressed by your active life. I can barely do house cleaning! I hate house cleaning anyway, so maybe I am just using stiffness and aches as an excuse!
Adrienne
Adrienne
[/QUOTE]
The prednisone should be relieving your PMR symptoms
real soon. You will be amazed at the difference it
makes in how you feel!! I don't know about the IBS.
That must be hard to deal with. My mother has Crohn's
disease, and I know that has been a real hardship for
her.
I see you have the same birthday as my husband. Hope
your day on the 20th was a good one. Two of my good
friends and I are celebrating our birthdays on the
25th, and Janet (Puffy) has a birthday the 26th. Janet,
if I don't get on the forum on Tuesday, Happy Birthday
from me!! I've never been to Vermont, but in my mind I
picture a beautiful area. I live in the Pacific
Northwest (Oregon, in the Willamette Valley). We too
are going to have a green, maybe gray, Christmas. A
couple of days ago it was foggy/misty and had freezing
temps, so the ground looked like it had a dusting of
snow, and the trees were all white from frost. Was
really pretty. Now, of course, it is raining, but after
almost 3 months of little or no rain during the summer,
things begin to green up again.
Have a very merry Christmas, and hope the prednisone
kicks in real soon. Keep us posted.
Reni
Don't mean to be nosy, and you don't have to say, if
you don't want to, but may I ask where in Texas you
live? I grew up in San Antonio and was just there for 2
weeks visiting my mother and brother. It did look
pretty brown flying over, but I hear they haven't had
rain in so long. Wish I could send some of ours your
way!! I walked around my mother's neighborhood and
soaked in all the sights; it brought back so many
wonderful memories of growing up, and the vegetation
there is so different from here, I kind of miss it,
even though I love where I am now.
Thanks for the birthday wishes. Merry Christmas to you
and your family!!!
Reni
It is the day after, and I am so tired, my body feels like it got hit by a truck, also had a birthday, the 23rd., happy birthday to all the Dec. people. Also to Swede and his astronaut, my son is an astronaut, will be on the mission scheduled for june. Pretty good weather here in Connecticut, not too cold yet, we did not get snow for the holidays, allright by me............Happy New Year TO All _____________________________Georgiana
Happy belated birthday! Sorry you are hard hit after
the holiday. That's how I used to feel with PMR. Any
extra effort, especially like what we do for the
holidays, and I'd pay for it for about 3 days
afterward. Hope you get over it soon. Ragnar, glad to
hear the prednisone is helping you. It is very nice to
be able to do things without hurting so much, isn't it?
Happy new year to all!!
Reni
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