I'm wondering how mayn have had to look for new interests post PMR.
OH found that the pred actually made it much easier for him to clamber over and get under his classic tractors and to enjoy rides on his motor bikes in the better weather.
He served his apprenticeship as a motor mechanic and worked in local garages then started a tyre supply business with a partner.
This means he did have an invesment sum on retiring but more important he can service my geriatric Jeep Cherokee (which is automatic so I am allowed to drive it) and his own Cherokee plus trailer.
He's definitely found Pred to be beneficial.
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Nuff1
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You have made such a valuable contribution Nuff. Many of us are swamped by loss so THANK YOU for the new angle. A good attitude is marvellous if we can get there, although many of us can’t. Thank you so much xxxx
IF I could get under a tractor I would never be able to get out again!
My hobbies have always been creative and most have been curtailed since PMR, either by brain fog or lack of fine coordination or muscle strength. So far I have found...
I can still renovate furniture as long as OH does the sanding.
I can still sew quilt blocks but can't maneuver a whole quilt, so they are waiting to be sewn together at a later date.
My hands can't take the repetition of knitting and crochet.
I can decorate the lower half of a ( small ) wall, slowly.
I can gently weed but can't get a spade into the soil we have here so tree planting is out.
I can plant out seedlings in my raised bed.
I can still bake, but then I'm not supposed to eat most of what I make.
I can't control a pen as well as I'd like to but can make artworks with cut or torn paper.
I could probably go on.
New skills? Knowing when to ask for help and patience!! I hate typing so social media is new to me and this forum is a life saver.
Pred certainly gives us a great boost of energy on the higher dose,it is when we start to taper it down that can be quite a challenge ! I hope OH continues to enjoy his mechanical interests.
It's when he'll be on the lower doses I'm concerned about - he started on 40 (GCA) and currently tapering between 20 and 17.5. will be15 mid Jan and 10 late March so on the lower doses when he would be gearing up the workload ready for the vintage rally season so fingers crossed; he did cope pre-diagnosis when movements were painful and restricted so fingers crossed.
He's frequently said to aging friends that perhaps stamp-collecting would be a good idea!!
He should never be worse at the end of a reduction than he was at the start: that is the whole point, the pred dose should be adequate to keep the inflammation under control. The activity level should be taken into account by that.
Yes that initial burst of energy is fantastic as long as you can handle the things that go with. Insomnia. Agitation irritation. xxx
I was dog grooming from home before PMR/GCA. Had to give it up as no strength and couldn't stand up long enough. Now 2yrs on on on 20mg I am doing my leather work again, learnt to do pyrography and booked to do a bandsawing course! My utility/dining room has now been converted into a craft room with a 7' x4' table which is fab. I do what I can when I can and have found it good for my mental and physical health.
Like Grants148 I immediately found more energy when I was first prescribed pred - 15mg - 2 years ago and was suddenly able to be a lot more active.
I’m a professional artist and I was able to stand and paint for several hours again like I used to.
It felt miraculous like a new lease of life for a few months.
Sadly it hasn’t lasted as I’ve tapered down to my current 6mg and like many others I overdid things and had a massive flare last year that took me back to 15mg. This time I’m going slowly!
I’ve had to stop making large oil paintings and switch to smaller watercolours which I can do sitting at a drawing board and the paint is less toxic so less inflammatory.
I’m now dealing with the fatigue that comes with this stage of the pred taper - around 7-8 mg - where I’m waiting for my adrenals to return from their 2 year holiday!
I’ve been following the Autoimmune Protocol diet and lifestyle for 9 months and have learned a tremendous amount about AI disease and managing inflammation...as well as all the support and advice about living with PMR on this wonderful forum.
And I’ve learned a lot about patience and slowing down and pacing and stress management.
So yes, lots of new interests and good stuff!
I hope your OH makes the most of feeling the benefit...without overdoing it!!!...and may it last a good long time...🤞🤞🤞
With the onset of PMR, I had to give up weekly ballroom dancing lessons, and 3&1/2 years on not yet able to return. Also time on board our canal boat on UK canals has been curtailed, and holidays with lots of walking have stopped for now.
I returned to a previous hobby, choir singing which is a great mood lifter. For sedentary times I started doing art on my iPad a la Hockney, Mindfullness, adult colouring books ( but don’t mention this to anyone.....I was inundated with gifts of colouring books ), reading books that “ one really should read” and internet shopping!
I can sometimes touch my toes. (For the first time in my life ) This is the first social media I have ever been part of. I go on vacation and mostly sit around. Watch TV which I haven't for years. TV is good for when I'm too tired to read. Mostly home improvement shows. Love to see all the progress being made. My physical life has narrowed but my spiritual life has never been fuller. I also enjoy an exercise class for chronically ill women called Healthy Steps.
I became a member of the Patient Voices Network and through them am now a Patient Partner on the Adult ICU Quality Governance Committee, and on the Patient Advisory Council for our health area. Both of these involve learning a lot about subjects I've no knowledge of, meeting with others either by video conference or in person. It is something I could do as I was/am dealing with PMR. For me it is a totally new world of involvement, gives me lots to think about and most of all allows me to contribute to our health care system. Part of my world closed down but a whole other world opened up. There are lots of things 'out there' that a PMRer and post PMRer can discover.
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Prof. Dasgupta talk, very interesting
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diet to re-regulate cortisol levels: interesting.
Interesting & informative conversation with rheumatology specialist nurse 
