More advice please: I am presently on 30mg/day Pred... - PMRGCAuk

PMRGCAuk

21,204 members40,206 posts

More advice please

yorkieme profile image
15 Replies

I am presently on 30mg/day Pred' this is day eight after moving up from 20mg on G.P.advice. Although the symptoms returned due to me dropping too quickly,(withdrawals,) the pain level was manageable. The last two days I felt so good I walked the seafront and last night had a couple of beers,(yup,just the two,)

Went to bed last night,but around 1;30 I woke up with tremendous pain in my left heel.( I have had this on and off with fluid retention in my lower legs for about two weeks but raising my legs helped relieve it,but not this time and certainly not this painful,) Anyway I took two codeine,no good,spent the rest of the night in my trusty Sherbourne chair but the pain in my shoulders and hands,base of my thumbs,swelling to both hands was equal to my early days so very little sleep. I managed to get through to 7;30 and took my usual medication but the pain stuck around until late morning,(still cannot form a fist with either hand,)

Does anyone know what is happening please ? am I still having withdrawal symptoms ? on 30mg/day ? After two good days how come this is happening ?

Written by
yorkieme profile image
yorkieme
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
15 Replies
PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador

My immediate thought is whether this really is the PMR we discuss. PMR isn't the illness - it is the name given to a set of symptoms which have various underlying causes. There are several that involve some form of inflammatory arthritis.

This lists a few causes of heel pain - but you mention hands too. If it were just the heel I'd wonder about bursitis or tensonitis.

healthline.com/health/heel-...

You can't form a fist - why not? Pain or swelling? Are your fingers swollen - "sausage" fingers?

You wouldn't be the first to find that wheat has a big role to play in these funny autoimmune disorders - those 2 beers might have tipped the balance!

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador in reply toPMRpro

PS - google RS3PE syndrome and see if any of that fits - though that should respond to 30mg pred.

yorkieme profile image
yorkieme in reply toPMRpro

Interesting response but thank you. With all the complications from such as pneumonia etc, my wife and I have been curious as to the PMR question.

My hands are too swollen to fold up,sausage fingers certainly covers it,(the other interesting point being very cold finger tips,) but the pain is in the whole wrist circumference and the muscle area at the base of the thumb on my palm,spondylitis has been mentioned but then it drives me right back to the begining of just not knowing.

I will research your link later but again thank you. I am a big brown bread/wholemeal bread lover ??????

in reply toyorkieme

Just on your last...oh no!!! A low carb diet on 30mg and as you go down. Brown bread if wholewheat a bit better but still quite highly processed if from a standard bread company. Lots of seeds or ancient grains and/or sourdough helps too. Stops random sugar spikes being so bad if you cut carbs a bit. I can say carbs make the base of my thumbs painful, but usually that's down to OA too.

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador in reply toyorkieme

Hmmm - a spondylitis was what I was wondering - sausage fingers ...

Where is the heel pain? The achilles?, Under the heel?

yorkieme profile image
yorkieme in reply toPMRpro

Directly under both heels,worse on the left,(I'm left footed,) could it be part of the fluid retention in my lower legs as it has a jelly feel to it. Problem is I know so little about this and related issues. I am now giving serious thought to your comment about wheat. Thanks again,all grist to the mill.

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador in reply toyorkieme

Could be plantar fasciitis

Telian profile image
Telian in reply toyorkieme

Try a gel insole for the heels they do work.

yorkieme profile image
yorkieme in reply toTelian

Telepathic or what ? Probably four years ago I bought a nice pair of extra wide Pavers and they have been hidden away unused since then,I found them this morning and did my sea front walk in them,didn't entirely fix the problem but certainly helped so I am going to stick with them .....,........ they have gel insoles,the very reason I bought them ??? Many thanks.

Telian profile image
Telian in reply toyorkieme

Pleased to be a timely reminder. They’re like a little miracle - they don’t cure the problem but enable you to get on with things. Brilliant - so pleased for you.

Boss302Fan profile image
Boss302Fan

No issues with feet except feel cold sometimes, but hands, oh yeah I can relate. I tried 3 Ibuprofen and I swear it made the pain worse, it surely didn’t help. I was at 7mg Prednisone and after speaking with Rheumy jumped to 15 and then tried to reduce (12, 10-ouch, at 11 and holding).

Rheumy indicated could be related to PMR, or CTS, even RA and without tests difficult to say and when this pandemic subsides we’ll pursue.

Suggest laying off the alcohol!

tangocharlie profile image
tangocharlie

'sausage fingers' is usually a sign of psoriatic arthritis I was told by a rheumy. Also I've read on several Facebook groups when people have had problems with wrists and other parts of the hand the problem has resolved when they take Vit D and magnesium. No idea why, just seen several posts saying the same thing. Finally as PMR Pro said, many of us have problems of bloating from wheat even if we're not not coeliac, it'd be worth keeping a food and symptoms diary then seeing if there's a link for you.

yorkieme profile image
yorkieme in reply totangocharlie

tangocharlie,

Thanks for the response and one that I find particularly interesting. I am presently taking vitamin D-3 and Magnesium,(magnesium as a replacement for the Alendronic acid,) I started a food diary four days ago and as the first item I removed bread,it's way too early but I have a feeling that it may be part of my problem too so fingers crossed.

Once again thanks for your advice.

tangocharlie profile image
tangocharlie in reply toyorkieme

What I did was go further than that and eliminated just about everything, living on chicken and green beans, cauliflower and broccoli for about 5 days then gradually added things back in, one thing at a time. I discovered I react to all sorts of things, which I think is histamine intolerance but that's a self-diagnosis. Bread, especially white bread, maybe as it has more chemicals in, makes me bloat. Yet German-style rye bread occasionally is OK. Good luck with the experiments!

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador in reply totangocharlie

My problem is wheat starch - rye is fine. And sourdough, especially proper French sourdough, is much better, In France I was able to eat pains au chocolat or aux raisins - and baguette. Though to be a different sort of wheat flour that makes the difference.

Not what you're looking for?

You may also like...

Advice if possible please

Last night I went to bed 99% free of pain in my shoulders,arms wrists and hands and so much so that...
yorkieme profile image

Advice please

Hi. I'm Sarah, I'm 56 & last Autumn I got PMR. First, thank you to all of you who participate in...

Taper advice please

I was diagnosed with GCA in April 2018. I have been tapering (successfully) slowly from 60mg pred....
membership profile image

Advice Please

I was diagnosed with PMR 4 weeks ago, supported by elevated inflammation levels in blood tests. I...
Patricia10 profile image

More advice please!

My wonderful friends. Just to re -cap. Bad Flare on 3mg, after four happy months on 3.5 mg Then...
Smokygirl profile image

Moderation team

SophieMB profile image
SophieMBPartner

Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.

Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.