What is it

[yorkieme]

I woke up this morning with severe pain in both shoulders,the kind of pain that I experienced right at the start but not had since.In fact the only pain of any kind is always in my shoulders/wrists/palm of my hands.If it's what you call a flare up would the pain return across all areas related to PMR ? or can it be localised to one area and not the rest ?

I am taking 15mg/day Pred' 10mg in the morning and 5mg teatime.Can I take one more tablet now to see if it helps ? advice would be great thank you.

[SheffieldJane]

You do seem to be having an unusually rotten time. I really think this is a job for the doctor. You have had pneumonia and suspected GCA amongst other conditions and this seems to be quite a violent flare if this is what it is. Please seek medical attention and let us know if what you have is a straight forward flare ( which we know what to do with) or something else as well?

Detective work - have you been doing anything physically demanding or stressfully draining that could explain this, or a rapid taper? Are you coughing?

My flares would arrive in small grouped symptoms initially, getting gradually worse, heralded by shoulder twangs.

[yorkieme in reply to SheffieldJane]

Thank you,I will.I reckon you are spot on with the doctor as it has become worse during the morning. It just caught me by surprise after so many months of not having it,plenty of other issues yes,but not this,and the immediate severity. Back to struggling with getting dressed etc, what a pain hey ?lol.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

What have you been doing differently? Activity? And daft as it sounds - sitting in a draft? Caught your head getting in the car?

How a flare appears CAN change over time but the usual things almost always appear first and other things later. You could try a bit more to see - but do please speak to your doctor asap and preferably first since there is some question about your diagnosis isn't there? If her idea is to get you OFF pred, it seems silly to up the pred just before blood tests and her making a decision. She does need to see what happens without pred if this isn't PMR/GCA.

[yorkieme in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks again for your time and advice. It's weird really,I completely get the absolute uncertainty,(there's a contradiction,) of this illness but yesterday I had a good day,relaxing,no stress. The only thing I can think of is that for the first time in quite a while I had this pain from right shoulder up behind my right ear,I mentioned it yesterday in connection with your comment on myofascial pain,but yes I went to bed with it.

I think it's got to be a call to the doctor as you say,I am simply fed up of feeling like a nuisance when asking for a call back under present circumstances.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to yorkieme]

Try a hot water bottle on your shoulder??????

[SheffieldJane in reply to yorkieme]

It is the nature of the illness. I was surprised to be told that I was a priority patient in my GP’s practice and I have less to contend with than you have. You need to be in close contact until you know what you are dealing with. As the ad says, you are worth it.

[Purplecrow]

In addition to what others have said, here's my little bit...

Painful shoulders have been my "indicator" of muscle over-use. Causes can be carrying bulky shopping bags, Pushing heavy shopping carts, lugging heavy laundry baskets, walking the dog who yanks on her leash. All can cause painful shoulders.

Sometimes I take extra 5mg pred for a day or two. Then return to my regular dose. I also use over -the - counter athletic-type rubs on my shoulders. Hot showers help.

Learning to protect your "vulnerable" joints will become second nature, and save you plenty of miserable painful episodes.

Just sayin', Jerri

PMR diagnosed 2013

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Purplecrow]

Mine is my back - and the gi-normous shopping trolleys at our local supermarket! I can't even reach the bottom to empty them!!!!! And most of them have square wheels ...

[yorkieme in reply to PMRpro]

Square wheels hey ? Could be an opening there for an engineer like me,now let me think,what could I come up with ?

[Purplecrow in reply to PMRpro]

🤣 , sorry for you, we gave same issue. I shamelessly ask store manager for help, which I get😊🚴🏽‍♀️🚴🏽‍♀️

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Purplecrow]

Ours now is an Italian and only speaks Italian. Which seems a bit crackers in a valley where over 90% of the residents speak German - and so do more tourists than not!

[yorkieme in reply to Purplecrow]

Thank you.I am presently causing an horrendous stink in our beautiful lounge with deep heat,back in my rugby days we called it wintergreen but it is helping a bit.

Funny thing is that while in Sri Lanka my wife and I went on a tour of Ayurvedic medical practioners and to cut the story short we bought what was called Tiger Balm,she used it for years on her temple when she had a headache,worked perfect.

Sometimes the simple solution is best.

[Purplecrow in reply to yorkieme]

Tiger Balm is still available here, works well.

[Blackcatlover]

It seems with PMR we are always overdoing things without realizing. I can stand at the sink popping green beans and realize that my shoulders are starting to hurt. This wonderful group of people has helped me learn to pace myself. One day I came home from food shopping and just sat down slumped in a chair. My husband came home and asked what I had done that day. I told him food shopping. He asked what I was going to do tomorrow and I said put everything away. That’s PMR! If I’m having a good day and do too much, I pay for it. Listen to the experts here and I hope you feel better.