Should I have had a consultation regarding my Diagnosis of PMR, i went to the doctor with pain and said I was fed up of being fobbed off with the usual diagnosis Old age arthritis and being obese. I have never hear of this before I thought I may have rumathoid arthritis as places have been swollen, ankles knees shoulder and arm pain pain in my feet, I also have had tennis elbow and repetitive wrist injury.
I am happy that I have a diagnosis but I feel I have been left in the dark, I haven't even got and leaflets and I don't know what will happen next. I have felt unwell for so long I do not feel up to applying for jobs and I need information about benefits I am currently on JSA, am I disabled or should I try to plod on?
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Cats64
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Can you tell us if you have been started on Prednisolone and what dose?
This might help you understand things a bit better - it might be a lot to take in on first read, but please keep it - you might need to refer to at a later date.
Yes 15mg per day, but after my blood test that confirmed I had PMR in a telephone consultation with my GP but I have heard nothing for a week which I feel is a bit od just to be told this and nothing else.
That’s not good enough, you should have a follow up appointment to check how you are doing, plus you should be on VitD/Calcium supplement and maybe other medication.
There is no blood test that can "confirm PMR", just tests that add to the suspicion in combination with the symptoms you present with and other tests that rule out the other options including a physical examination. ESR and CRP can be raised in a variety of conditions which could cause similar symptoms. Did you have a dramatic and speedy improvement with the 15mg pred?
sorry I am so late replying and yes the pred did make a dramatic change to how I felt, I still have not had a follow up appointment, I have been to the hospital for my eyes testing because of headaches and to the hospital because I have pulled a tendon, therefore a pharmacist has been trying to get in touch with me following these appointment's so I may finally get some answers thank god for this site.👍
Without a lot more information - like who made the diagnosis, symptoms, diagnostic tests, treatment offered and response to it and so on we can't really say much helpful.
I suppose it could be said that polymyalgia rheumatica is very similar to RA, they are both autoimmune disorders and the disability caused is not dissimilar. But PMR doesn't cause damage to joints in the same way as RA and, for most patients, it does go into remission eventually, for half of patients within 6 years, which RA tends not to. PMR is the name given to a set of symptoms and there is a range of underlying causes so the diagnosis is not a simple one, a lot of things need to be ruled out before the doctor plumps for PMR.
In some cases it is quite difficult to get benefits for PMR which, although covered by disability discrimination law, is considered to be well managed with medical treatment. It should be possible to get an employer to make reasonable adjustments to allow you to work. I can't help with any information about benefits though - not least because you haven't completed the profile page. This is an international forum, the information we can give doesn't apply everywhere, whether it is medical or anything else.
As you are on JSA I assume you live in the UK. In relation to benefits, you can ask you GP to sign you off for a period of time whilst you feel unwell - I have done this and I’m not expected to look for work at the moment. You could claim the new Employement Support Allowance or Universal Credit. You could also claim Personal Independence Payment - this is for people in work or not. For PIP, it’s not about the PMR itself, but how it affects your day to day living. Eg - does it take you longer to do things, do you get easily fatigued, do you suffer side effects from medication, does pain/stiffness mean you take longer to get dressed or impact on your ability to walk long distances? Do you have to take breaks in between activities etc? PIP legislation states you have to be able to do things reliably, repeatedly, safely and to a standard those without the condition do.
I would contact the CAB to help and there’s a very good website called Benefits and Work which wold give you resources to make any claims.
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