Hi @glinda47,
The incidence of GCA is 1/3 that of PMR. I read, somewhere, that PMR does not necessarily lead to GCA. I hit the jackpot with both. I had full blown PMR for about nine months, and my inflammation markers were only slightly elevated, not high enough for my doctor at the time to take much notice. By the time I was diagnosed with GCA, nine months later, they were highly elevated.
PMR can be difficult to diagnose and if it's suspected, a doctor may prescribe prednisone to see if it relieves symptoms. If it doesn't, then it's probably not PMR. GCA is easier to diagnose with a temporal artery biopsy.
I can understand your reluctance to take steroids to treat PMR and drugs for osteoporosis. I think there are some alternative drugs to prednisone, but don't know what they are. There have been some discussions of this in the PMR/GCA group. Maybe @johnbishop can guide you to those.
The inflammation of untreated PMR is probably not good for the body. If you have any symptoms of GCA - visual disturbances, trouble chewing, tender scalp, dry cough, headache or headpains, anorexia, don't delay in seeking treatment, which is usally a high dose of prednisone, sometrimes given by IV in an ER, when there is visual disturbance. Blindness or stroke can result from untreated GCA.
Because I had GCA, my rheumatologist prescribed a low dose aspirin daily, as aortic aneurysms may occur in later years.
If you are able to move in your condition, you can try Dr. Loren Fishman's 12 Poses vs. Osteoporosis, on YouTube. These selected poses, under study, improve bone density. When I had PMR, I could barely manage a walk, let alone yoga.
My mother in law also had GCA and was sensitive to drugs. She was reluctant to take Prednisone, but did , after being told she could have a stroke if she didn't. She lived to be nearly 100.
I hope you can get to the bottom of this.