I’m sorry to hear about the stomach problems. GI issues are really hard. My father is still tapering prednisone, so we don’t know yet, and thankfully he hasn’t had too many stomach issues…yet.

From what I remember, prednisone could cause gastritis or increase the risk of an ulcer. Gastritis could become chronic.

What kind of stomach pains are you having, and when do they happen? While you’re waiting for diagnosis, there may be safe OTC things you can try depending on the type of pain and when it comes on.

It may or may not be connected to the PMR. If it ends up being a functional GI disorder like functional dyspepsia (I have this), any physical or psychological stressor could cause it—like IBS, the gut is basically hypersensitive. The normal sensations of digestion are experienced as pain. That’s the idea behind the low FODMAP diet, that it eliminates specific types of carbohydrates that ferment in the gut—the sensation of fermentation, which is normal, is thought to be experienced as pain.

I’d be cautious about the low FODMAP diet; it’s not meant to be long-term because it’s so restrictive and our bodies need those fermentable carbohydrates to feed the good bacteria. Studies have found that long-term use of the fully restrictive low FODMAP diet change the microbiota in the gut and can make things worse. It’s also a risk for developing disordered dating. It’s meant to be more if an experiment to figure out which foods you can tolerate, but most people skip the reintroduction phase. I was recommended the low FODMAP diet by my PCP, but she didn’t know much about how to implement it. I ended up developing food stress about eating, which made my symptoms worse.

It might not be connected to the PMR, but I hope you find answers and relief soon.