stress

[steph1]

does any one know if stress / shock affects PMR in any way ?

[Hidden]

Hi Steph,

Yes, I would say that stress and or shock will almost certainly have a worstening effect on PMR. I find that I often feel much worse when I am under pressure mentally or physically, and am often amazed at how quickly I get back to normal when things calm down.

Pats.

[2watsons]

Yes stress certainly affects P M R i have lots of good days ,but if very stiff and limited to what i want to do i have stress as we all would ,take care

[steph1]

thankyou 2watsons and Pats

[m33ary]

I think stress does affect PMR although my doctor says it's more tiredness than stress does the damage. I hope you are feeling better and that you have a good Christmas

[allotment-lover]

I believe my PMR was caused by stress, as it started within a week of my mother dying. My consultant tells me there has not been much research into this but people have often told her similar stories. My sister also developed a different set of auto-immune symptoms at the same time. Because my steroids completely suppress my sympyoms, I have not noticed any worsening of PMR when I am stressed but i am much more explosive and impatient then- the steroids I think.

Good luck.

[Polywotsit PMRGCAuk team member]

One of the consultant rheumatologists on our medical advisory panel is convinced that stress plays a part in triggering autoimmune illnesses such as PMR. It's not surprising if being in stressful situations may make our symptoms feel worse. I stepped off the career ladder because of this, when I was most ill with PMR. However, stress is a normal part of life and we can't avoid it completely. It's worth trying relaxation, meditation or yoga to teach us how to monitor ourselves and techniques for calming down the stress response in our bodies and minds. Trouble is, when I'm stressed I forget them!

[steph1 in reply to Polywotsit]

Hi kate

i wonderd if stresss is a big factor with PMR ? All this started after one of my brother died in March and now another brother died last saturday night so thats two brothers in 9mths .

Do u think this could have been the start of my problems ?

[Lawrie]

So sorry to hear about that steph 1, I also started with PMR, when I was helping my dad recover from Knee surgey while taking care of my Mom, who has Alzheimers and having to deal with a husband who was over 700 miles away(at our home) being verbally abussive to me on the phone, and my daughter who was at home with him and I was so far away I couldn't help.

[onzoom]

hi i have just found this site i was lucky to be diagnosed with PMR as chief suspect on my first visit to my GP complaining of pains in arms legs and especially knees( my doctors rule of thumb is if you have difficulty standing after sitting on a toilet it is a hint to investigate PMR, after checking for knee movement which was fine ie no wear and tear joint problems she put me on 30 mg pred to confirm her diagnosis - i have seen elsewhere references to steroids having an effect in just 4 hours i found this too within 6 hours it was definately reducing pain within 24 hours just tenderness after almost 3 months of increasing pain i cant say that i was bedridden with PMR since i would get out of bed to relieve the pain it had gottten to the stage of hurting to excersise even gently and hurting even more to rest i expected not to be able to get out of a bath within weeks at that point knowing nothing of PMR i went to a doctor who had heard of it At 58 i had written off any chance of getting back to work due to the pain and exhaustion

now my question is why isnt more known about the condition all i am told is it may be a virus or it could be caused by trauma in my own case i had given up smoking about 2-3 weeks before onset of PMR and i was a very experienced and dedicated smoker giving up by will power certainly took its toll mentally possibly physically as well - bad news is that you cant reverse a trauma by starting to smoke again shame i would be the first holier than thou smoker as opposed to the millions of holier than thou non smokers

but it may have nothing to do with a trauma quitting smoking or otherwise

i have reduced my steroids since the initial dose in mid november from 30 mg to 5 mg which seems to be far faster than anyone else is talking about it could just be that an early diagnosis has helped - even stopping steroids for 6 days only caused a slight pain in my knees after that going back to 5 mg per day has stabilised condition to just tenderness / no pain at all

does anyone know of any research that is being conducted to find out what really causes or triggers this condition?