at the doctors

[frannykins55]

hi peeps...

I'm pretty sure from my research, and chats with friends that have this pmr, its highly likely i have the same. the pain on moving is dreadful, everything hurts, whether sitting still, or moving around. i often joke about standing up without sound effects.. good times, but inside i feel so tired of it all. i get dreadful brain fog, and frustrate the heck out of my boss. whats the chances of the doc saying its all in my head, which by the way i have such a sore head, and jaw pain is off the charts..i really don't want to come out of the surgery feeling let down, any advice??

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Yes, make an appointment to see doctor. List all your aches and pains, keeping it brief but truthful, including how long you've had them. What you've done to alleviate them, without success. Ask (don't insist, they get a bit stroppy if you tell them) if it might be PMR, or GCA (head and jaw indicate it could be) and ask to have blood tests done - ESR and CRP - which may or may not confirm. If he's a bit reticent, stress you are concerned it may be GCA (and the possibility of sight loss) which should be treated as a medical emergency, but very often isn't.

If all else fails, get yourself to A&E to get checked out.

Please let us know the outcome.

[frannykins55 in reply to DorsetLady]

thanks Dorset lady,

i saw a locum doc, and he sent me for full blood test including thyroid.. just gotta see him for results on weds...

also spoke to my older sis, she is in the same boat, and after chatting to her about the arthritic/rheumatic knuckles our Nan had, she is now going to see the doc and ask for tests too.. does it run in the family sometimes??

xx

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to frannykins55]

Arthritis & rheumatism certainly does. Arthritis is very prevalent on my maternal side. There's not a lot of evidence to prove the same about PMR etc, but many on here have compared it to problems their mother or father had, although it wasn't given a specific diagnosis in days gone by. There seems to be no proven reason we get PMR or GCA but it's not unreasonable to assume it's related to environment, climate, families as well as stress.

I've ensured my children know the symptoms!

[Hindags in reply to DorsetLady]

I think I caught it in the UK. LOL. Spent last September in Scotland and England. Came home and ten days later came down with a strange fluish ailment and the first fever in years. I recovered from that but noticed a bit of pain in my right shoulder, especially at night.Two weeks later, the work of Thanksgiving seemed to have done me in. Right after all that turkey lifting I relapsed with a full blown case.

Is there a higher incidence of PMR/GCA in the UK? It seems that the UK is well represented in these forums.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Hindags]

This is a UK-based charity and its forum. There are 4 charities here in the UK - 10 years ago there was one, in Scotland. Five English ladies "met" on the only forum in existence at the time, on patient.info, and started the work to set up the first charity, in the NE of England, which also has a forum. This one followed later. Hence there are a lot of us...

The combination of the excitement of a trip to Scotland and all that turkey hauling was obviously enough stress to trigger a dose of PMR - but you can't catch it i'm afraid so you can't put the blame on Britain! If you do - your President may want to put a tariff on it...

There is a higher incidence the further away from the Equator you are and Scandinavian genes are said to increase the likelihood of developing PMR - there is a very high incidence in Olmsted County, Minnesota it is claimed and studies have been based there. In Europe the highest incidence is found in Norway and it falls as you go south - which doesn't stop two of the biggest and most active research groups having been in Italy and Spain! And they really seem to have better idea about it here - most doctors have heard of it, even non-rheumy-trained ones.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Hindags]

Hi,

As PMRoro says - please don't blame us for everything - we're busy accusing the Vikings!

[Hindags in reply to DorsetLady]

Thanks for the tutorial. Truly. I do think I just overdid everything last year. So I mostly blame myself. But that doesn't help either. I don't have the Vikings but it has occurred to me that the first inkling of shoulder pain occurred 2 days after our USA presidential elections.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Hindags]

Say no more! I wish you well, on many fronts!