Flare?

[Holycow2]

Have had PMR for over 3 years. Had started on 15mg which was amazing. Hit down to 4ng and seemed fine for a few months. Then got ache only in one shoulder. Went back to 15mg to get in check and now dropped to 10mg. I still get ache only in one shoulder at times. Is this PMR returning and what should I do? Any help greatly appreciated

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Can I ask why you went right back to 15mg? I did forward flare protocol in previous post - did that not work? and if not, then why didn't you come back to us then.. why we are here, and willing to help.

As you have mentioned OA in the past, are you sure its not that? Have you tried painkillers [tablets or topical gel? If not then may try for a few days.

If no help, then it could be your PMR grumbling again, it does sometimes start in a weaker side and then become bilateral. If that's the case then try the flare protocol again, and drop back to 11mg say rather than 10mg.

have linked it again - healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

Might also be worth asking for xray on shoulder to check for OA.

[Holycow2 in reply to DorsetLady]

Thanks for reply. I just hoped a quick week at 15mg to get in check then drop right back down. I thought i had it under control but seems not to be the case. 10 is I think holding it with just maybe later in the day I can slightly feel it I think. It’s odd as it’s worse when I’m at work even though I’m at a desk job. The job at times is a lot of pressure 😩 I have had 2 hip replacements one in June this year and one the December before last but still on a lot of pain meds as I’m now waiting for a knee replacement.In hindsight I should have come back to the forum but thought I was in control…..obviously not!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Holycow2]

Actually sitting may not be best, sometime moving about a bit helps.. and you are probably more stressed at work that you realise. Cannot be helped... Hope you can get 10mg to control things… and we’ve all been through ‘I have this under control’ only to,find we haven’t.

Think it’s called life!😳

Hope the knee replacement goes well..

[Holycow2 in reply to DorsetLady]

I think I’m about to start my 5th week on 10mg. Fingers x. This illness is so depressing. At work I do get to move about quite a bit. The clientele I work with are high risk offenders coming out of prison so as you can imagine they can be quite demanding 🥴…..was told by the surgeon the wait for my knee replacement is around 9 months and that was back in October just gone so hopefully only a few more months. The meds are at present controlling the pain . Thanks 😊

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Holycow2]

Very demanding job…

[piglette]

Repeating DorsetLady, have you tried a pain killer for the shoulder pain? If so did it work? As DorsetLady asks why did you go back to 15mg, did your doctor suggest it?

[Holycow2 in reply to piglette]

I just thought if I go back to the starting dose to get under control then back down. …..pain killers don’t help and I’m on some quite heavy meds morphine, gabapentin to name but a few. My Dr has just left me to manage it on my own

[piglette in reply to Holycow2]

In fact yo-yoing is not a good idea and best avoided, although it is not always possible. People who reduce slowly and surely and do not have to increase, usually do better than the ones who try to hurry off the steroids.

[Holycow2 in reply to piglette]

I have been reducing very slowly. As I’ve said I’ve had this well over 3 years and had a couple of times got down to 2mg and pastime it was around 4 or 5 however I have benn left with no option but to increase or let it get worse and worse. Here’s hoping things will start improving

[piglette in reply to Holycow2]

Best of luck. It varies so much, some people happily reduce with no problem and others just go up and down.

[Holycow2 in reply to piglette]

Thank you. 😊 fingers x

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Unilateral and/or occasional pain isn't always PMR - there are a whole lot of other possibilities that, while they might do well with a good dollop of pred, might have done better with something else. It seems to be intermittent so the apparent pred effect might have been coincidence.