Re: PMR patients in the group?

August 15, 2006

Jane, I was dx'ed with PMR a little over 2 years ago after about a year of

symptoms. It started with a stiff neck, and quickly progressed to general

overall stiffness and muscle aches, as well as a frozen shoulder. I could

hardly move I was so stiff, and any movement at all was painful. My

shoulders were so knotted that they were rock hard. I would describe it as

severe muscle spasms, affecting every muscle from my neck to my knees, that

went on and on for weeks, months even. I could barely walk even with a cane,

and needed help to get out of a chair or get dressed, things like that.

After changing PCPs and dumping my orthopod, and after almost 9 months, my

new rheumy dx'ed PMR when tests for RA and Lupus came back negative, tests

showed my sed rate was 93, and after a fairly high dose of prednisone for a

short while provided relief. It took about a year of prednisone and

methotrexatrate to even begin to take the edge off, but then things got

better. Last fall was the first time in years that I didn't need pain

killers just to survive the day. I haven't been able to get below 7.5 mgs

of prednisone, and 20 mgs weekly of methotrexate until last month, when I

started Humira. I'm now trying to wean off the prednisone, and feel better

than I have in years. I'm a long way from remission, but at least I can

function again - and I've only taken two Vicodin in the last month! I

guess the good thing about PMR, if there is a good thing, is that it doesn't

do permanent damage.

I was dx'ed with fibro about a year ago, sometimes it's really hard to tell

where the PMR ends and the fibro starts, they feel similar but with the

fibro the pain continued even after my sed rate was back in the normal

range, and has never been as severe as the PMR.

Definitely talk to your rheumy, I got the idea that you rarely if ever had

PMR and either RA or Lupus.

On 8/15/06, JANE <janeatregis@...> wrote:

>

> I have been having some new symptoms which I was attributing to the

> fibro/ra/lupus overlap stuff, that being just terrible muscle aches.

> One of my friends at church, her husband has been dx'ed with

> polymyalgia rheumatica. I am having the exact same symptoms he has.

> He's a nurse with like 30 odd years practicing and I respect his

> opinion. Of course I intend to run this by the rheumie, but as I also

> respect what yall say, does anyone in the family here have PMR? If so

> what has been your experience, symptomology, etc, if you feel like

> sharing this. I believe in being as informed as possible.

>

> Hope yall are staying cool, Dallas is insanely hot. I was in beautiful

> East Texas over the weekend at a great B & B, and 104 just did not feel

> as hot out there. Like General Sherman said, If I owned hell and

> texas, in the summer months i would rent out Texas and live in hell.

> Slight overstatement. But not much.

> Blessings and hugs to all.

> Love

> Jane

>

August 15, 2006

Jane, Loved the General Sherman quote. Hugs

JANE <janeatregis@...> wrote: I have been having some new

symptoms which I was attributing to the

fibro/ra/lupus overlap stuff, that being just terrible muscle aches.

One of my friends at church, her husband has been dx'ed with

polymyalgia rheumatica. I am having the exact same symptoms he has.

He's a nurse with like 30 odd years practicing and I respect his

opinion. Of course I intend to run this by the rheumie, but as I also

respect what yall say, does anyone in the family here have PMR? If so

what has been your experience, symptomology, etc, if you feel like

sharing this. I believe in being as informed as possible.

Hope yall are staying cool, Dallas is insanely hot. I was in beautiful

East Texas over the weekend at a great B & B, and 104 just did not feel

as hot out there. Like General Sherman said, If I owned hell and

texas, in the summer months i would rent out Texas and live in hell.

Slight overstatement. But not much.

Blessings and hugs to all.

Love

Jane

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August 15, 2006

Jane if you live in Dallas we are getting about the same kind of weather. I

live