Hi @stevieb, I had symptoms of PMR and GCA about a year and a half before diagnosis. The PMR was unrelenting pain and stiffness from the neck down that no amount of exercising or physical therapy ever helped. Then I got a host of other symptoms. A temporal artery biopsy was positive for GCA, I started with 40 mg prednisone and tapered off it after a year and a half.
I was good for a year, then about 6 months ago, my neck got stiff again. I did lots of exercises, range of motion was okay, but it hurt to turn my head. Pain went up my head. At this time I learned I need a shoulder replacement. I figured my bad shoulder was causing imbalances throughout the rest of my body. I also thought the head pains were from my neck so kept doing targeted exercises, without any significant relief. Then I got other symptoms: itchiness, no rash, faintness in the morning, anorexia, tender scalp, loss of weight, dry cough and malaise. The last head pains were really bad, compression-like, the feeling my scalp was pulled so tight.
I suspected my old friend returned, requested a CRP test, and it was elevated. Now I'm back on 40 mg prednisone. My reaction to it is different this time. No euphoria, pain is gradually easing up, but malaise is gone.
I wonder how I could go six months minimizing the neck and head pain and not suspecting the return of GCA. One clue from the past should have been that the pain of PMR and GCA does not respond to exercise or physical therapy, because the vessels, arteries, etc. that carry blood are compromised by the immune system attacking them and blood just doesn't flow to the afflicted area (in crude lay terms).
So, I just learned another lesson about this disorder, which hopefully, will help me and others to recognize symptoms of a relapse in the future.