Awaiting diagnosis.... ? PMR

[Pippy28]

New to this community and looking for some advice really....visited GP a month ago as perimenopausal (51) and suffering aches in shoulders, hips, knees, occasionally elbows. RA in family and I have underactive thyroid (autoimmune). GP organised a raft of blood tests rather than just go with my low oestrogen theory. All came back clear (including Rheumatoid factor - hooray) apart from ESR (which was 21). ESR repeated and came back at 22. Now waiting (potentially 9 months!) for rheumatology referral. My fear here is that PMR may be diagnosed and I could be put on steroids (which I know are wonder drugs but I am worried about them) when in fact, it could simply be low oestrogen not suppressing minor inflammation...... any similar experiences?

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

symptoms not similar , but this may give you some extra reading whilst awaiting diagnosis - which I hope is soon. You are on the younger range for PMR, but certainly not impossible!

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

[Pippy28 in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you. X

[piglette]

If you can be given steroids just for a week to see if they help, you could then stop them if they were no good. If I had had to wait nine months for a referral I would been on the first one way ticket to Switzerland. I could hardly move with the pain. Do other pain killers help?

[Pippy28 in reply to piglette]

Hi Piglette,

Cocodamol works well to help me sleep on my worst nights (but I don’t like taking it). Regular 4/6 hourly paracetamol seems to dull the pain and make it bearable. I don’t think I am suffering as so many do (either that or I have a tremendously high pain threshold!) but at 51 I feel like an old lady, having to pause for a while before I can move after standing up, constant hip and knee pain. It’s also affecting my ability to work (primary education requires a lot of grovelling around with the children which I just can’t do now). However, on the plus side for me....keeping moving seems to help....

[piglette in reply to Pippy28]

PMR seems to not really be helped much by other pain killers, it is steroids or nothing. Try getting your GP to give you say 15mg of steroids a day for a week and see how you go. They were like magic for me.

[SnazzyD]

I know your inflammatory markers are up but did they check vitamin D. Low levels can make one feel very tired and achey and if you end up on Pred, you’ll definitely need good levels and ordinary supplements don’t always cut it with some.

I’m not sure low oestrogen levels would cause that sort of increase in ESR otherwise you’d see it in lots of peri and post menopausal women whether natural or induced.

[Pippy28 in reply to SnazzyD]

No, I don’t believe they did check vitamin D so thank you, I will bear that in mind. As I understand it, low oestrogen can affect in different ways, some peri/menopausal women suffer hot flushes, some don’t. Whilst the drop in oestrogen can cause widespread muscle aches in some but not in others. Not doubting the GP’s thoughts but very much don’t want to be on steroids if there is another option.... will bear all this advice in mind when I eventually get to rheumatology.