PMR rearing its head or arthritis?

[Hopingsail]

Hi Everyone!

I’ve not posted for a while as was waiting to announce good news that PMR and steroids all gone - and I’d gone sailing!

However …. Using 7-week taper after a long pause on .5, I got to .5 only 3 days a week and awake to pain in the the ball of my feet and quite severe pain in wrists, hands and fingers. Fingers a little swollen with little grip. It’s woken me a few nights with several fingers on right (primary) hand feeling bloodless / dead and v painful. Massage and shaking restores after 2O mins or so. The foot-pain is somewhat better after tennis-ball massage.

I have resorted to 400mg Ibuprufen at bedtime which seems to help a bit. Also my Daughter has given me ‘Magnesium Mist’ (designed for relief of menopausal symptoms’! I kid you not!)

I have a GP appointment Tuesday pm and wondering he might say - and should I ask for EST/CRP test to see if PMR still active (3-4 years with it) ? Am wondering if it’s arthritis which has been masked by steroids?

A line from Blowing in the wind comes to mind: ‘when will it ever end?’ I am aware it is when the B…..y PMR is ready !

cheers Everyone.

[SnazzyD]

Not sure but if it is happening especially at night and massage helps get the circulation back it might be in the shoulder/neck. I had been having months of waking with a bloodless hand and latterly I was waking feeling very odd indeed like I was about to faint. My hand was also swollen but better in the day but always colder and not quite right. Massaging my neck and shoulder helped. Turned out to be muscle tension due to the subtle way I hold my left shoulder which had a knock on effect to my neck (scalene muscles) which in turn made my first and second ribs wonky. When I lay down for any length of time, my collar bone and first rib were sandwiching the brachial (arm) artery and others, plus nerves. An osteopath sorted the ribs but real progress was from the correct exercises, like magic. Cured. The issue was thoracic outlet syndrome. There are a number of neck/shoulder issues that can do this so I’d get it seen by someone who deals with the more functional side of msk.

There are lots of exercises on YouTube. However, as nerves are involved and the area is quite delicate, either go tremendously easy but ideally see a physio or osteopath first to see what the root cause is for you. If your doctor is good with msk function, they alone might help.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

That's a bu££er!

I would mention to doctors - and maybe get inflammation markers tested, not that they tell the whole story.. but its a starter. and perhaps check the OA... Xrays may tell you if it’s deteriorated over the years..

Don't knock the Magnesium Mist - if it works, doesn't matter what it was originally designed for!

[Perigrina]

I began to get wrist and hand pain on lower doses if pred (I could not even hold a phone, kindle or book). Did some research on this and other forums and it seems quite common. A lot of people are thought to have Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, swelling causing pressure on the CT, and were operated on for that - for good or ill. I've been travelling for 6 months with limited access to medical care so opted to follow CT excercises on utube 3x3 a day. It took a full 2 months for a return to normal and no pain. It may not have been the excercises and simply time - I don't know- but the excercises (at least I think so) prevented further muscle and strength deterioration.

[Hopingsail in reply to Perigrina]

That’s very interesting thank you. I’ve had a couple of CT ops well in the past and the pain is very reminiscent of those occasions - although fingers not sticking/clicking. Did you search for those xcercises on utube? Don’t suppose you could send me a link?

[Perigrina in reply to Hopingsail]

Hi. I'm not sure now of the exact source, I quickly got inot a routine. But I do know I incorporated these 3 in the link below (not utube). I also did a lot of spreading the fingers and holding and squeezing a ball (inmy case a hard kiwi fruit as I'm travelling) and putting a hand flat on a table, palms down, pressing down the palms with the other hand and raising the fingers (hope that makes sense). I still do the excercises and try and manage once a day (excepting the kiwi fruit!).

In the earlier days I also put my hands and wrists in iced water to relieve the pain and, as I had some hand swelling, sat holding my arms in the air resting them against the side of our motorhome (feeling very foolish on a campground in Morocco).

I'm sure doing a little bit of something will help.

Best wishes

elht.nhs.uk/application/fil...

[Hopingsail in reply to Perigrina]

That is really very helpful. Thank you so much ! Enjoy your travels!