1. < Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)

Question about PMR pain locations

Posted by pst @pst, May 21, 2023

Not too long ago i had my knee and foot swell up with lots of pain. I'd not had any mishaps to cause it. By the time i went to bed i could barely handle it. Long story short, i had my son take me to the ER. Xrays showed nothing amiss. I told the doctor i'd been diagnosed with PMR and that the type of pain was similar. He said PMR doesnt occur in one location; i took him to mean it was symmetrical. My question: Do you find the pain and/or swelling can occur on just one side of your body?

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richardab | @richardab | Feb 29 8:24am

My PMR, before treatment and when it flares, feels like someone is whacking me with a 2x4 from my upper arms to my knees. My legs were so stiff, Iwas having troubles walking. Even today, after tapering from 15 to 12.5 mg, I feel it in both upper arms but it's bearable.

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1 reply
janiceem | @janiceem | Feb 29 9:00am
In reply to @megz "How did you manage to keep dietary calcium intake high on a vegan diet? Women especially..." + (show)
@megz

How did you manage to keep dietary calcium intake high on a vegan diet? Women especially suffer bone loss with prednisone, so dietary calcium to limit bone loss (rather than calcium supplements which can cause other problems) is essential. Animal protein is also important to help with prednisone muscle deterioration.

I agree that removing processed vegetable/seed oils is a good health move - extra virgin olive oil only for me - and most people benefit from removing gluten too, but so many essential vitamins and nutrients come from animal sources. A vegan diet requires taking way too many supplements for me.

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Regarding calcium intake on a vegan diet, you can get all you need from cuciferous vegetables and many leafy greens. I am a registered dietitian and the only supplement that is essential on a vegan diet would be B12, as far as I know. That said, I also take turmeric and omega-3's on a daily basis. These help fight inflammation.

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pkalkstein | @pkalkstein | Feb 29 1:12pm
In reply to @reets70 "I’ve had a swollen leg for the last three weeks. I suspected an Achilles tendon tear...." + (show)
@reets70

I’ve had a swollen leg for the last three weeks. I suspected an Achilles tendon tear. But now I’m not so sure. The swelling has gone down a lot but whenever I walk around. Bit, it. Ones back. My other leg feels good, except for some pain in my calf. I wonder if this is PMR also. The pain was relentless. It occurred around the same time that my prednisone was decreased.

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I had that, too, on my right leg. Having ripped up my left achilles, I knew what it felt like. This was not the sharp fire that comes from a torn tendon but it was painful and felt like it might tear. Also I had swelling on both feet. Now it is somewhat better, swelling gone, but my right leg is still stiff. I am aware that PMR is symmetrical...but since so little is really known about it, I don't take that as gospel.

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barracudacool | @barracudacool | Mar 1 7:19am
In reply to @pkalkstein "I had that, too, on my right leg. Having ripped up my left achilles, I knew..." + (show)
@pkalkstein

I had that, too, on my right leg. Having ripped up my left achilles, I knew what it felt like. This was not the sharp fire that comes from a torn tendon but it was painful and felt like it might tear. Also I had swelling on both feet. Now it is somewhat better, swelling gone, but my right leg is still stiff. I am aware that PMR is symmetrical...but since so little is really known about it, I don't take that as gospel.

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Yeah..no. Pain affects me more on right side..or sometimes left. Never my left shoulder. Always my right unless not. Pain in right knee with stiffness in left thigh. It’s crazy!

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nyxygirl | @nyxygirl | Mar 1 7:51am
In reply to @richardab "My PMR, before treatment and when it flares, feels like someone is whacking me with a..." + (show)
@richardab

My PMR, before treatment and when it flares, feels like someone is whacking me with a 2x4 from my upper arms to my knees. My legs were so stiff, Iwas having troubles walking. Even today, after tapering from 15 to 12.5 mg, I feel it in both upper arms but it's bearable.

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@reewhite -- this was one of the first papers i found about PMR that convinced me that i wasn't crazy when I said i felt like i was "glued into the bed " when i had a terrible flare up.
Also , until i was bumped up to 30 mg Prednisone , each morning was like Ground Hog Day for my shoulder stiffness. i have history of lumbar issues - while on Prednsione have had no complaints ( 30 mg tapered to 4.5 mg now, last May to now) IS your back pain NEW to you ?

@richardab are you saying that you have had several flares ? What was your inital dose of Prednsione - just curious . Are you considering trying Kevzara ? this Muller paper is also interesting in defining 5 classes of patients

Shared files

impediment to living life pone (impediment-to-living-life-pone.0126758.pdf)

2020 longitudinal clusters kez533 (2020-longitudinal-clusters-kez533.pdf)

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1 reply
richardab | @richardab | Mar 1 10:00am
In reply to @nyxygirl "@reewhite -- this was one of the first papers i found about PMR that convinced me..." + (show)
@nyxygirl

@reewhite -- this was one of the first papers i found about PMR that convinced me that i wasn't crazy when I said i felt like i was "glued into the bed " when i had a terrible flare up.
Also , until i was bumped up to 30 mg Prednisone , each morning was like Ground Hog Day for my shoulder stiffness. i have history of lumbar issues - while on Prednsione have had no complaints ( 30 mg tapered to 4.5 mg now, last May to now) IS your back pain NEW to you ?

@richardab are you saying that you have had several flares ? What was your inital dose of Prednsione - just curious . Are you considering trying Kevzara ? this Muller paper is also interesting in defining 5 classes of patients

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@nyxgirl Ihave mini flares, nothing like when it first came on. I've been taking it for 2 years now. Tried methotexate with no effects. Hydroxychloroquine but I found out I'm allergic to it. I looked at Kevzara but I already have a malfunctioning immune system (low immunoglobulins) from Smoldering Myeloma and I'm not sure something this wouldn't reduce them even more. But thank you for the suggestion.

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