shoulder pain

[Mumdadlove]

Hi All

Have reduced down and been on 12.5mg of pred for the last 6 weeks first diagnosed for GCA Dec 22, have been doing ok and due to have cervical spine steroid injections on Friday, the last few days I have had really bad shoulder aches on both sides, very tender to touch and my back feels very tight, I’m not aware that I’ve done anything to cause this and will go to my osteopath this week but wondered how does PMR feel? Is it an ache or burning feeling, tender to touch, my ribs feel tight as well as if a girdle, I’m hoping not PMR, my poor mum had both but years ago didn’t have the knowledge we have now, ive been ok as far as the GCA is concerned but the last few weeks, 2 sty’s, a cold sore and then an infected cyst on my back, all came up together and now on antibiotics, so I’m thinking something not quite right, thank you

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

You are about at the level where PMR could be causing an issue having been controlled by higher doses… so don’t think you can rule it out.

Have you tried ordinary painkillers to see if they help in any way? Or heat therapy?

[Mumdadlove in reply to DorsetLady]

I’ve tried paracetomol, it helped slightly, sitting here at the moment with a hot water bottle in my back, I’ve always had back, neck problems, can even remember a few years ago waking up and so painful to turn over in bed, just always put it down to muscular and dealt with it through osteopath but maybe I do have PMR, although I don’t want to I suppose the only way to find out would be to up the prednisolone and see if it helps, will see how it is in the morning, as always thank you

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Mumdadlove]

Is it typically first thing in morning as in PMR ?..then wears off during day.., or is it as you imply there all the time..that’s another test… might be worth try a short blast of extra Pred and then dropping back down to current dose.

Its all a it trial and error isn’t it when you have other pre-existing conditions..

[Mumdadlove in reply to DorsetLady]

It’s all the time, not really stiff more of a deep muscle ache, but both sides and my spine hurts(sounds crazy) I might try extra pred tomorrow and go from there, thank goodness for this site, the only people that really understand how all of this gets you down, I feel better just for sharing it, much appreciated!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Mumdadlove]

How did the pain a few years ago relate to the GCA diagnosis? Was it long before the GCA. did it go with GCA pred doses?

[Mumdadlove in reply to PMRpro]

Since the age of about 20 I’ve always had back/neck problems, the turning over in bed was awful literally couldn’t move and had to build myself up to turn over, I saw my osteopath a fair bit and it eventually went, GCA came on quite a while after, strangely enough after me posting yesterday I woke during the night with neck/back of scull and headache, I upped my pred to 17 and a half today, shoulders feeling bit better, headache and neck pain still there, I have steroid injections into cervical spine on Friday so it will be interesting to see if it makes a difference as there’s always been a ? Mark over is it my neck tension causing headaches or is it GCA, although it did respond quickly to pred when first diagnosed, apparantly I have become complicated according to the doctors, my diagnosis for GCA was fairly rushed, I had ESR of 28, my mum had PMR and GCA, slight temple headache, negative temporal scan(taken after being on steroids for 10 days)now on a bit of a hamster wheel of is it my neck causing the problems or GCA and pred giving me so many side effects, this across my shoulders is new and I just wondered if it sounded like PMR, just aching, very tight and tender to touch and hurst slightly when I breath in

Sorry I have completely waffled on, but it’s that sort of day, feeling a bit sorry for myself, on the same dose of pred as this time last year, can’t seem to get below 12 and a half but actually feel worse now than then, mainly due to side effects thank you for listening

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Mumdadlove]

I had had myofascial pain syndrome symptoms since my 20s - and eventually it has become part of the PMR problem. As long as the MPS problems are well managed, the PMR is easier to deal with. I would say that what you are describing is very like my MPS/PMR mix. The MPS improves with more pred but targeted treatment of the MPS is far better in the long run.