Oh gosh Polyjane, that is exactly how I experienced my pain before I was diagnosed with PMR. Would your doctor be prepared to give you 15 mgs of Prednisalone for a week’s trial. If your pain begins lifting and the stiffness goes away, your doctor has his diagnosis. Blood tests do not show PMR in 20% of cases. 3 years is far too long, I’m not very impressed with your doctor. Tell us what happens. Perhaps he could refer you to a Rheumatologist.
That’s a terrible response on all sorts of levels. Can you see someone else? Arthritis is joints only and to make your whole leg or hip hurt, that’s not early arthritis if it is arthritis and ought to be investigated. 58 (55 start?) is no age to assume that it’s wear and tear to be endured, if indeed any age is. If something’s stopping you sleeping, it’s pretty severe. Did it start relatively suddenly? If so, really there should be some bells ringing. A trial of Pred at a decent dose, as JL says would be a good test and shouldn’t cause enduring Pred troubles either. Do you have someone who can go along with you as an advocate? I’m sure you could stand up for yourself, but when we’re sleep deprived and in pain it doesn’t help one marshal one’s thoughts as effectively.
Yes, get some physio. They can identify osteoarthritis. They could also identify if you are not walking correctly, to compensate for pain, and correcting that can alleviate the problem. I am having to relearn how to walk with my physio after 2 hip replacements due to osteoarthritis, and years of waddling.
I agree with Snazzy - what a lazy twit... Time for a different GP - I wasted 5 years with PMR because at 51 that was what my GP said. Had I done a tour of our relatively big practice I woud have been diagnosed far sooner.
I was diagnosed with PMR 2 years ago and have managed to get down to 7 mgs. But, I have quite severe groin pain now,I assumed the pred was masking it and that now I am on a lower dose all the old arthritis pain was raising it's ugly head!! If your pain is only on one side it is more likely to be arthritis. What do our experts think?
l had pain in my legs and groin ,plus aching shoulders and arms when first diagnosed with PMR,l had stiffness and pain in my legs first.l think some doctors think that PMR is mainly pain around the shoulders and arms but that is not the case as there are others on this forum too who have leg and hip pain.l hope that you will be given the treatment you need ,if it is PMR it needs to be treated quickly .
My need for a hip replacement started with pain in the groin. And pain in bed. It did start suddenly and continued for a couple years. I did not have any pain anywhere else at the time and found it to be bone on bone and did have a hip replacement. My PMR started with pain in my shoulders biceps and thighs. It was on both sides. If I am right PMR is usually bilateral. You definitely need a new doc!! I hope first it is nothing and can be treated or staved off with perhaps a steroid shot. And next hip replacement. And finally the PMR will certainly be revealed if you are given prednisone and it works. And if that is the case this forum will help immensely! (and will entertain..read only the posts you want!) You can ignore the occasional brouhaha if you like!) Good luck.
There isn't a definitive blood test unfortunately - just markers that show there is inflammation somewhere but not where or what specifically. Fibromyalgia has very similar symptoms - but never has raised blood markers, so that is useful although 20% of PMR patients don't have raised blood markers anyway.
Hi sorry to hear your plight polyjane. Mine started in legs and hips, I couldn’t lift my leg to cross it or to get into a bath or car (had to lift manually) and after three months I saw a doc who said arthritis and offered naproxen. I said no and carried on for another 6 months. In despair (rapidly deteriorating) I asked to try the naproxen but after 10 days there was no relief. I went back and eventually after a year and my shoulders/neck getting involved the esr and crp became high enough that pmr was suggested and I was given a trial of 15mg to see my response to them (which was miraculous). My original esr and crp were realively low so it was ignored. Don’t give up, mine took several visits and two different doctors. All the best cc 🤗
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