GCA? .

[Shires123]

Had flu jab Tuesday. Wednesday headache and pain in temple radiating down into neck Thursday same. Friday rang GP he arranged urgent rheumatology appointment.Prescribed 40mg until blood results are in. Blood tests are back all look fairly normal looking atNHS app. I am waiting for Rheumatology to call today. I have the odd stiffness. I had tapered to 6.5 from 7.0 10 days previously. Thought I was doing really well until Wednesday. Had some stress week previously. Any ideas?

[SheffieldJane]

What about sick day rules? See FAQs on this page. I am trying to ride it out with paracetamol because I have an Endocrinologist appointment coming up. I feel really rotten though, for the first time ( vaccine no 8).

[Shires123 in reply to SheffieldJane]

Hoping when I speak to rheumatology they will agree reduce pred from 40mg. Do t think I will be having flu jab next year. Hospital told me to delay covid booster.

[Longtimer in reply to Shires123]

First time I have been ill after flu jab....had it on Friday .......having covid jab in two weeks time......but dreading it.....I know co vid would be worse than the jab......but so difficult to add more symptoms when feeling rough!....

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Did you not just try ordinary painkillers when the headaches started after having the jab? That is a common sort of reaction after a flu jab and why it is often suggested totake paracetamol for 24-48 hours after having a flu (or any other) jab. Headaches when you have PMR are not always GCA, especially if not accompanied by other typical signs.

[Shires123 in reply to PMRpro]

Yes but didn't relieve it. GP worried me by telling me to go to A and E if ever I had jaw pain temple pain etc. I rang him as I didnt want to overreact. Still there after a week

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Shires123]

Have you got jaw pain? This is specifically when eating or otherwise using your jaw in singing or talking loudly but it starts shortly after the action starts, stops when you stop the action and restarts if you repeat the action.

A simple test is to chew gum at one chew per second for 2 to 4 mins to try to elicit the jaw pain:

sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/...

Pain that appears after 2 mins of chewing increases the likelihood the pain is claudication which could be due to GCA, although there are other disorders that can cause it.

Are you saying the headache is still there after a week at 40mg pred?

[Shires123 in reply to PMRpro]

No started 40mg Friday after seeing Rheumatology. No pain when eating. Praying it's reaction to flu jab. Never had a reaction previously.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Shires123]

The jabs do change - and so do our reactions.

[Longtimer in reply to PMRpro]

Certainly have for me this time!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Shires123]

I also forgot to say that often we can be hatching something when we get the jab and then blame the jab for it when it appears a day or so later.

And always bear in mind that the flu can kill or at least make you very ill if you haven't had the jab and pred does make us more susceptible.

[Miacaro45 in reply to PMRpro]

I had a Covid vaccine on Saturday and took acetaminophen. That night I experienced the worst headache since I was diagnosed with GCA four years ago. Called my doctor and she told me that many people experience this side effect from vaccines. I took some more acetaminophen and finally felt better.

[Shires123 in reply to Miacaro45]

Hi thanks for your reply. It's all a bit of guesswork at the moment. Having flu jab seems to have muddied the waters somewhat. Still praying it's something simple sinus perhaps?

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Bit soon for bloods to show any GCA... if that's what it is.

Could maybe a flare of your illness plus vaccine reaction - in view of you previous "stress" week it could be coincidence they both came together at same time.

What was advice from Rheumy on Friday regarding follow up on 40mg? - and incidentally although maybe unnecessarily the GP did exactly the right thing.

[Shires123 in reply to DorsetLady]

Rheumatology ringing me today. Advised 40mg for 1 month. Then taper. Spoke about biopsy mri to check other arteries. Can't complain about the treatment given. Unfortunate that these things are so difficult to diagnose. I had similar symptoms whilst taking Alondric acid . Stopped a few months ago

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Shires123]

Hmm... trouble is if you are on 40mg and it's not GCA [which I hope it isn't] then you can't drop back down too quickly. But guess you have to wait and see if MRI is forthcoming any time soon and proves anything. Please keep us updated.. and hope all goes well.🌸

[Shires123 in reply to DorsetLady]

Thanks will do. Thank you for your advice

[Kendrew]

Just to add, that I had my flu jab just over a week ago and the next day I awoke with a really bad headache which lasted a good 24hrs. Paracetamol helped a little but didn't diminish it completely. I was completely back to (my) normal 24hrs later.

As Pro already indicated, headaches are a very common side effect of the flu jab but always a good idea to check out any concerns or worries.