Mild Case of PMR?

[Migala]

Can you have a mild case of PMR? I started having problems in October which primarily involved bilateral hip tightness mostly in the early morning upon waking. Additional symptoms showed up over the next couple of months ... mainly bilateral stiffness and muscle aching in hips and thighs and buttocks. I also have problems with my knees and feet. I visited my GP a month ago and he did labwork checking inflammatory markers (CRP, Sed Rate, and rheumatoid panel). All of my inflammatory markers are within the normal range. My mother had PMR in her 60's (I'm currently 67) so with symptoms, I'm trying to find out if I have it or not. My GP put me on 10 mg of prednisone. It has definitely helped with stiffness and muscle aching. I also had an x-ray of my hips and there were no problems noted. I don't seem to have a severe case of PMR, however, I've been in PT since January so I'm thinking that regular PT sessions have kept me from having a really bad case. I have an appointment with a rheumy next week. So - can you have a mild case of PMR? Also - any advice on questions to ask rheumy or things to tell him would be most appreciated. I just don't want to continue to take the steroids if I don't have PMR. THANK YOU!

[helixhelix]

Interested in any answers you get as I might be similar. Not yet diagnosed, but I don’t seem to be severe either. Morning stiffness doesn’t last that long, and if I sit down it only takes a few minutes from getting up to be able to move again. Pain is bearable. I can continue to do most things, it’s just all a bit “ouchy”, and walking the dog is slow!

[Pipistrelle in reply to helixhelix]

I would guess you could be on the start of the illness, as PMRPro says. What you describe sounds like slow onset, which is normal for many. I started having noticeable stiffness in Oct of one year (I remember as was at a family wedding) and first it was just shoulders. Slowly progressed to pain in hip area and then eventually thighs -- but this took many months. I was finally diagnosed the following May. I assumed it was repetitive strain injury for a long time and then perhaps a nerve injury. If steroids bring relief that's often a partial diagnostic for an illness in which there aren't many clear ways of diagnosing.

[PurpleNDH in reply to helixhelix]

I'm very interested too. I'm not diagnosed yet either and am in a very similar position to helixhelix. I'm no worse in the morning than at any other time and it just take a few minutes to get moving after inactivity.

The thing I'm more concerned about than the stiffness is that my ESR was 57 then 36 after a month but has now crept up to 40. I'm worried about allowing inflammation to continue unchecked.

Wishing you the best of luck!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Depends how you define a mild case - you can have fewer symptoms than someone else and they may or may not disable you as much. Symptoms being livable with doesn't mean it will go away sooner - I had undiagosed PMR without pred for 5 years so didn't have much choice - I still have it 11 years later and would have given up long ago without my blessed pred!

Not having blood markers that are outside normal range doesn't mean much either - mine have never managed that, they chugged along at 16-18 for several weeks at a point when I could barely move but that is "in noral range" - for a large population of people each of whom has their own personal normal and mine if IRO 4. So they were very raised for me.

Many doctors will try to tell you that PMR strikes overnight - not necessarily at all. Mine started in the spring with shoulders that were slightly stiff overnight so I couldn't sleep with my arms above my head. Then in summer I had no spring in my step to do a step class. Then in autumn I couldn't use the cross trainer without agonising thigh pain. I had to change my gym for one with a pool to be able to get value for money. And THEN it got worse and I couldn't move easily at all. But it improved and I developed a routine of using the pool for aquafit every day Mon-Fri just so I could move fairly well.

When I eventually worked out what it was it was after a REALLY overnight strike when I couldn't move for a few days - the GP offered Voltaren suppositories, no idea how he thought that was going to work! - and had another medical condtion that led to me having to stop driving (wrongly as it happened) I came here to our flat. No stairs meant I was able to get to move enough to ski with a load of work-around, leaving the ski stuff at the bottom of the mountain in a store. But I was always in pain and lots of things were impossible - but I still managed.

Maybe yours is at my first 9 months stage - it doesn't mean it won't get worse though. And I and others believe that those of us who have to wait a long time for a diagnosis often have a harder time later.

[helixhelix in reply to PMRpro]

Now that has really ruined my day! 🙁 I reckon I’ve had symptoms for a few months now - but put it down to fact I was making a big effort with cardiac rehab which ended up during confinement as walking as fast as I could up steep hills for 45 minutes so not surprised m hips and legs hurt.

So I was hoping that maybe only another 6 months, not 11 years!! Oh yuck. That’s at least one auto-immune disease too many.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to helixhelix]

I am unusual - we are maybe 5% of the total. But it isn't counted in months here except for a very small number.

[helixhelix in reply to PMRpro]

I am trying to remain optimistic...especially as I can’t take pred.