A bleed into skin at eye

[Harbel]

Harbel here introducing myself. I have been stalking you since discovering your most helpful site a couple of weeks ago and thank you all for the much needed education. I'm a 61 year young man living in the Southwest of Ireland. Just three weeks now on 25mg predisolone. Oh such sweet nectar! Pain free and walking normally again.

Other than sensitive scalp, which is now clearing up, I have had no symptoms of GCA. Today an internal bleed in flesh in bottom eye lid - looks like a black eye, eye itself not affected. A coincidence perhaps, may have rubbed it too hard, or stayed too long in the steam room this morning. But I'm wondering can the incidents which occur in the eye that are related to GCA be pain free? Secondly could this possibly be a side effect of pred - occurring so soon?

[Purplecrow]

Hi Harbel,

I, too, have had unprovoked eye "events". Looked pretty zombie -like a few times. Doctors were unconcerned, said not unusual.

Mine were bloody eyeball, for no reason. Disappeared within a few days.

Not painful.

I have PMR, not GCA, and prednisone was likely the culprit.

Call the advice nurse for reassurance and advice.

Kind regards, Jerri

Diagnosed PMR 2013, currently 6 mg pred.

[Harbel in reply to Purplecrow]

Thanks so much for your reply Purplecrow. It is really great to have a community that want to help.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Bleeds like that are not usually anything to do with GCA, even the ones in the conjunctiva (the white of the eye). But much of what happens in GCA is not painful although some patients DO have eye pain. Sorry - no real answers there either but that is the way it all pans out...

[Harbel in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks PMRpro, I have already learned so much from your posts. Thank you for sharing so much. Inspiring.

[SheffieldJane]

Hello Harbel and welcome to the site!

Is your diagnosis PMR or GCA?

I’ve got a feeling that someone else posted a few weeks back with similar symptoms. I don’t know if it is a side effect of Prednisalone but I don’t think that it’s a common one. Even with a PMR diagnosis we need to be alert to any eye symptoms. I would certainly see the doctor about this and perhaps have my eyes thoroughly checked at the eye department of the hospital.

Did the steam room follow strenuous exercise? Even though you have relief of symptoms, the disease still rumbles away in the background. We all need to pace our activities quite strictly. You have only dealt with the inflammation, the “ top of the world” feeling is fake worst luck. Take care.

[Harbel in reply to SheffieldJane]

Thank you SheffieldJane. I will take your advice. It is off to the doctor in the morning for me.

No, no strenuous exercise for me yet, happy for the excuse to take life easy so far.

Not sure what my diagnosis is. My doctor was puzzled and on my pushing and my error sent me to a neurologist. The neurologist recognised that I was not for him, said most likely PMR but that an ESR and my reaction to pred would be influential. The ESR he ordered came back 103 and he gave a prescription for 20mg pred. That's about it so far. I realise I need an appointment with a rheumatologist.

Thanks again for your advice

[Suet3942]

That is a high ESR reading. You must have been in so much pain! Mine was 83 when diagnosed. Could hardly move.

[Harbel in reply to Suet3942]

I wasn't too nimble I must admit. My very helpful and thoughtful neighbour landed to my house with a Zimmer frame! 😩

Thanks for your support

[pmrgcavictim in reply to Suet3942]

At diagnosis of PMR, my ESR was 174. That really hurt !!!!! I couldn't move at all, not even my fingers. Within 6 hours of MIRACLE PREDNISOLONE I was able to sort of hobble to the bathroom unassisted, took quite a while though. Trevor.

[Harbel in reply to pmrgcavictim]

Wow' that is some number. I'm feeling better already knowing I could have been half as bad again. 😳

[piglette in reply to Suet3942]

My CRP was 415 after I had a hip op, it meant I had to stay in hospital two extra days. They said it was a PMR flare. My ESR is still in the 60s after four years. They just say it is stable!

[Harbel in reply to piglette]

Oh dear piglette that sounds a very big figure. I don't know much about CRP and I only got a blood sample taken today for that test. With an ESR of 60 you must surely be in continual pain. I was hoping from what I found on this site that one could taper perhaps when it came down to the 20s. I'm guessing you cannot taper at all then and perhaps thinking of increasing.

cursed disease!

[piglette in reply to Harbel]

I have tapered from 20mg to 6mg. The doctors don’t seem to worry too much about my inflammation markers, they just shrug and say it is normal for me! I am not sure why I bother to have blood tests as they just say stable as a comment.

[Suet3942 in reply to piglette]

Good grief Piglette, I thought mine was high at 24. doesnt go any lower.

[piglette in reply to Suet3942]

Mind you one doctor said the awful pain in my right thigh was PMR and refused an X-ray. I went privately in the end and the orthopaedic surgeon said I would be in a wheelchair in six months without a hip replacement. Oh well.

[Suet3942 in reply to piglette]

You couldn’t make it up!

[Daisychain12 in reply to piglette]

Words fail me

[pmrgcavictim]

Glad that I have made you feel a little better already.

[Harbel in reply to pmrgcavictim]

Sure did. Tell me, did you get night sweats when other symptoms gone. I do. Got very bad ones before pred and lesser ones now. Wondering is it the disease or the cure?

If you don't know - no sweat.

[pmrgcavictim]

The sweats, yes I did. Tremendous at first, my own personal waterfall, if I moved in bed it would gush off me. A lot less now on Pred. The sweats (mild) started before PMR kicked in, but when it did kick in, it was like being in the shower. I can only assume the cause is PMR. Trevor.

[Harbel in reply to pmrgcavictim]

Ah so I'm not the only gushing well so! Doesn't matter to me I suppose if it is the underlying condition or the pred, if it is the norm then I am more confident of the diagnosis. Thanks for your help Trevor😀.