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What to tell adult kids? Dad diagnosed with giant cell arteritis (GCA)
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Apr 15 10:19pm | Replies (22)Comment receiving replies
I'm relatively new to these biologics so you have more experience than me.
I didn't have many ill-effects from prednisone when I used high dose Prednisone but only in short term bursts for reactive arthritis and uveitis. I thought PMR was a blessing when I was given a long term prescription for prednisone.
I made many mistakes taking Prednisone for as long as I did. I wish I could have another chance when I was first diagnosed with PMR. I would have advocated for Kevzara or Actemra after a year or two if PMR persisted that long even if there aren't any guarantees. My rheumatologist said a TNF-inhibitor was my other option. Even though Humira didn't work well for me, there was some valuable information that was learned.
All the medical literature says that taking prednisone on a long term basis can cause serious problems.
Replies to "I'm relatively new to these biologics so you have more experience than me. I didn't have..."
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Thank you for sharing that. I feel fortunate that I was able to figure out he had developed GCA about 9 months after he was diagnosed with PMR. There is so much good info out there thar I knew what to ask for (temporal biopsy) to get a quick diagnosis. The rheumatologist first fought me saying she didn’t think he had it. I argued with her that he had PMR for months and suddenly developed every symptom for GCA except blindness. I told her I wasn’t waiting around. She ordered the biopsy and two days later he was diagnosed. We since have a new rheumatologist. She messed up a number of times. We now have a great one! He was out on 80 mg prednisone and landed in the hospital for a couple days. He finally started getting relief after three days of IV infusions of high dose steroids. A couple weeks later we started the Actemra injections. I had to ask about that too and then fight for it. Fortunately our insurance covers it. We’re hoping it’s going to help him taper the prednisone quickly.