Red feet and ankles from PMR or pred?

[ancientprune]

My feet and ankles were red and swollen when first diagnosed 2 yrs ago.Swelling decerased but I had a flare in Feb and it wants to come back a bit.Proping feet helps a bit but redness is now up to my ankles No pain but tingling that goes up my legs.On pre 7.5 down from 8mgs and reducing by 1 mg until down to 5 and stay on that until I see rhumie in Sept. Any advice is appreciated as the podiatrist didn't help

[YuliK]

This article below will answer all your questions.

mayoclinic.org/drugs-supple...

It will help you understand that there are many different side effects. Everyone has different types..

Hope this article , from a very reliable source, will help you...

YuliK 😷

[Longtimer]

I have have PMR 10 years, woke up with swollen ankle and weird looking very red feet, several weeks ago, and blue toes........I have severe weakness as well in my legs. I have seen the Rheumatologist, who did a very thorough examination....he booked me an MRI which I had 4 weeks ago.....they said 3 weeks max for the results....rang last week, still no sign of results....it is 4 weeks today, I will reply with result if it is about our problem, but I don`t somehow think it is.....I think it`s either PMR or Pred.....and so the puzzle goes on...

[eternalgardener in reply to Longtimer]

Please let me know what they say about this. I have had the same condition (swollen feet, ankles and calves, hot red rash from the ankle up, strange red vascular looking areas on feet, purple toes and areas on bottom of feet) The strange colors on my feet go away with elevation and are not there in the morning. I took photos and showed them to my rheumatologist. He did not seem to think much of it, but a few weeks later lowered my pred dose from 10 to 5 mg. Also suggested a diuretic that works, but did not reduce the swelling in my feet a bit. Surprising development: I just finished a 7 day trial for a spinal cord stimulator (SCS) and all the above symptoms resolved, plus I lost 5 pounds during the trial. I though it was probably unrelated, but the ortho doctor was excited about it and said the SCS was actually beginning to be used for vascular problems. Has anyone heard of this?

BTW, the SCS helped with pain and I could stand longer, but eventually my legs turned to noodles again and I felt so bad I sat in the recliner for 2 days. My plan is to have the permanent SCS put in, do physical therapy to regain strength in my legs, get a new knee brace for a failed knee replacement - all to regain more ability to function as normally as possible. Hopefully, I'm not "spinning my wheels."

[Longtimer in reply to eternalgardener]

I will let you when I get the MR I result, and what my Rheumie says about it. Will be looking up about SCS!.......interesting......

[Mcdurmott]

Hi Ancientprune—I have GCA and PRM and have been on pred since June 2020, now down from 60 mg to 12 mg. My feet and shins turn bright red intermittently with no pain, tingling or itchiness. It looks like I'm wearing red socks! My doctor thinks it's a vascular problem and has ordered a low extremity arterial doppler ultrasound. There seems to be no urgency involved. This hasn't been a common problem on our forum so it's interesting that we share this concern. Good luck with your reduction! We're all on the same journey here.

[ancientprune in reply to Mcdurmott]

Thank you,Mcdurmott for sharing your experience.My doctor,my nurse practioner,and podiatrist have all suggested a fungal infection but when I tried the cream the foot doc prescribed my feet got worse.I too , have no pain or itchiness and the redness can fade and deepen.I will mention the arterial us to my doc when I see her in 2 wks.Please aprise me of the results of your us if you will.I need all the info i can get as my family don't always think I know what I'm talking about withthis Pmr and the effects of Pred.You're right,we're all in this together

[calicojoy41]

I had a doppler ultrasound and my femoral vein glued off in one leg and wear compression knee high in one leg. I feel so much better now that the swelling has gone down. this was done by a vascular surgeon . My shin had turned a little red before this operation.