Resistance Training and PMR

Posted by jabrown0407 @jabrown0407, Jan 19 6:15pm

Has anyone with PMR had a doctor suggest resistance training? If so, did it help?

I have been doing some readings and am beginning to think that resistance training my help with my maintenance program. I should be off my steroids by mid-February and am wanting to identify an appropriate exercise plan to help keep PMR at bay.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Support Group.

@dim1

Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply.

I have wondered if I have PMR and been told I don't (with an indulgent smile) by my PCP and a rheumatologist, orthopedist, and chiropractor. But I wonder.

I have had strange pain that ISN'T like working-out pain, starting maybe a year ago when I started adding weight to squats. Started with knee pain ( I do have severe osteoarthritis, per xrays) and progressed to generalized achey pain and weakness in both legs. Sometimes achey in thighs and calves for no reason I can think of. I now have to help pull myself upstairs with the handrail.

I'm working out in a somewhat half-assed way, working on a squat machine but haven't been able to progress beyond 60 lbs. Also clamshell kinda machine, trying to remember to do bridges.

My CRP and ESR were not impressive, though a little high.

I wonder if I'm being written off by all the docs because the pain is only lower body and my labs weren't exciting.

I'd welcome your thoughts. Sounds like yours started in your legs, also.

Thanks! D

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Let's see...I can't recall your original post or if I replied to it. When I try to trace this post back, I'm directed to my reply to someone else, (hendry?) so thinking maybe you're referring to that post?
Anyway, trying to not repeat myself if I've already responded to you.
I was wondering if any of the docs think your pain is due to your osteoarthritis.
Are you taking steroids or other meds? I was thinking that if they thought it was pmr, they'd put you on pred to see if you got better. Supposedly, that's the test for pmr..or not.
Reading along until I got to to where you said you're pulling yourself up the stairs. Is that something that could occur with osteoarthritis? What do the docs say about that???
As far as being written off, I think it's ore a case of not being able to diagnose you.
For me, because I won't take 'roids, the mainline cooky cutter rheums won't deal with me unless I want to take shot after cortisone shot. The rheum who took my original rheum's place told me he thought all my bi-lateral pain was unrelated. Is he stupid or does he think I am? Perhaps both.
l wish I had more to share. Have an appt next week to get the Baker's cysts drained by an ortho. Be interesting (I hope) to see what he has to say. I don't want to see ANY docs. I've just had it.
As a side illustration:
I had my latest labs sent to my cardio to see if any of them looked concerning to him...quite a few were high and some were at the high end of normal, much different than before this
"surprise" presented itself in Jan.
Also sent him a portal note to get his take on the labs and if I should be concerned about any of them heart-wise.
He sent me a one sentence reply that related only to a question my internist had. Not one ounce of concern or caring. This guy was once the most thoughtful and caring doc I'd ever had. I couldn't praise him enough. It makes me so sad to see over the last couple of years how he's changed. Could be the stress from covid that still seems to be hanging over docs or the massive paperwork they're asked to handle for Medicare and other insurance, I guess. I've seen his notes after my visits. SO MUCH UNNECESSARY GARBAGE! And so CYA! What the hell.
When you're filling out 5 and 6 pages of junk for reimbursement to the point where you are unable to address an ailing patient, something is not right with this world...as if we don't know this already.

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@glinda47

Sounds great...I could do this pretty easily but would be afraid to dump the statin. I did that once and my (genetic) chol went sky high within weeks. I know cholesterol is and has been a controversial topic re: heart disease, but in my family, lots of hi chol, BP and early death from heart disease!
I agree about food and the effect it can have on the body. I ask you, what *do* you eat? I don't want to lose any wgt so need to eat foods that will stick to the bones..literally. I have untreated osteoporosis and have been told I need to try to actually gain and keep some wgt on. That was easy when I was on a BP med for SVT's. I gained about 10 lbs immediately, but once I went off of that horrible drug (metoprolol), I started to lose, slowly. Then with PMR or whatever it is, I haven't been hungry so really trying to eat healthy for osteo and over clean eating but not lose any wgt.
So, tell me please, what *do* you eat?
And thanks for sharing. Hope your progress continues!

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I'm not suggesting that you or anyone else anyone dumps their statin, just saying that I did and why. My investigation into statins started with Australian doctor Paul Mason from the Youtube channel "Low Carb Down Under". This is got my attention and made me look further:


What I eat (again, not telling anyone else what to do, just saying what works for me).
MORNING: whole milk coffee before prednisone.

LUNCH: Every day a big salad containing -
Wombok cabbage, 3-4 large leaves, roughly shredded
Iceberg lettuce, broken into bitesized pieces
Avocado, half, diced
Red onion, half, diced
Red capsicum, half, diced (less oxalates than green capsicum which I don't eat)
100-120gms cheddar cheese, cubed
Arugula/salad rocket, handful
Sprouts, handful of either mung bean or broccoli, whichever I have growing.
Bok Choy, a few leaves & stalks, shredded
Cream cheese, dropped in blobs over the top, around 60gms
Garlic, 2 cloves chopped
Pink Himalayan salt, a dusting only, & a little white pepper
DRESSING: Extra virgin olive oil, 2tablespoons & 1-2teaspoons of unfiltered apple cider vinegar.

OTHER MEAL: I switch between these options each day, depending on what I feel like eating.
Lamb and/or pork chops, a good few, oven baked
or
Canteloupe, diced bowlful mixed with 1/2 to 1 cup plain full cream Greek yoghurt
or
Broccoli, a full head and stalk (or cauliflower), steamed, with cream cheese and lemon juice.
or
Fried pork mince with broccoli stirfry
or
Eggs, 3, fried in butter with 2 pork loin steaks
or
Chicken, free range oven baked. Leftovers added to salad next day.

This menu contains a generous amount of dietary calcium, protein, healthy oils and fibre while removing most additives and processed foods and maintaining my current weight. If you were looking to gain a little weight, you could add healthy options like macadamia nuts (they're low oxalate/low lectin). I love them but they're too high carb for me to eat regularly.

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@megz

I'm not suggesting that you or anyone else anyone dumps their statin, just saying that I did and why. My investigation into statins started with Australian doctor Paul Mason from the Youtube channel "Low Carb Down Under". This is got my attention and made me look further:


What I eat (again, not telling anyone else what to do, just saying what works for me).
MORNING: whole milk coffee before prednisone.

LUNCH: Every day a big salad containing -
Wombok cabbage, 3-4 large leaves, roughly shredded
Iceberg lettuce, broken into bitesized pieces
Avocado, half, diced
Red onion, half, diced
Red capsicum, half, diced (less oxalates than green capsicum which I don't eat)
100-120gms cheddar cheese, cubed
Arugula/salad rocket, handful
Sprouts, handful of either mung bean or broccoli, whichever I have growing.
Bok Choy, a few leaves & stalks, shredded
Cream cheese, dropped in blobs over the top, around 60gms
Garlic, 2 cloves chopped
Pink Himalayan salt, a dusting only, & a little white pepper
DRESSING: Extra virgin olive oil, 2tablespoons & 1-2teaspoons of unfiltered apple cider vinegar.

OTHER MEAL: I switch between these options each day, depending on what I feel like eating.
Lamb and/or pork chops, a good few, oven baked
or
Canteloupe, diced bowlful mixed with 1/2 to 1 cup plain full cream Greek yoghurt
or
Broccoli, a full head and stalk (or cauliflower), steamed, with cream cheese and lemon juice.
or
Fried pork mince with broccoli stirfry
or
Eggs, 3, fried in butter with 2 pork loin steaks
or
Chicken, free range oven baked. Leftovers added to salad next day.

This menu contains a generous amount of dietary calcium, protein, healthy oils and fibre while removing most additives and processed foods and maintaining my current weight. If you were looking to gain a little weight, you could add healthy options like macadamia nuts (they're low oxalate/low lectin). I love them but they're too high carb for me to eat regularly.

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Appreciate all this info. I didn't mean to imply, btw, that you were suggesting I dump my statin. I certainly do take others' suggestions into consideration, but my decision are based upon what I think is best for me.

Glad all this is working for you. I like your idea about macadamia nuts but have noticed of late, the internet can't seem to agree with itself and whether the nuts are heart healthy or not is totally contradicted even within trusted sources.

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@glinda47

Appreciate all this info. I didn't mean to imply, btw, that you were suggesting I dump my statin. I certainly do take others' suggestions into consideration, but my decision are based upon what I think is best for me.

Glad all this is working for you. I like your idea about macadamia nuts but have noticed of late, the internet can't seem to agree with itself and whether the nuts are heart healthy or not is totally contradicted even within trusted sources.

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thats like coffee. One year its really bad for you. The next year they have decided it has benefits. I guess the key is everything in moderation.

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@tuckerp

thats like coffee. One year its really bad for you. The next year they have decided it has benefits. I guess the key is everything in moderation.

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tucker, the infamous "they" say, a few well-stated words can bring one back into perspective. I've always believed that to be true. Thank you for doing this for me today. Imo, it applies to the statins as well. I've taken them for 25 years and I don't think I've had any major issues. Still take the same small dose. They may kill me, in the end, but so may about a million other things, most of which I probably know nothing about.
Take care.

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@glinda47

tucker, the infamous "they" say, a few well-stated words can bring one back into perspective. I've always believed that to be true. Thank you for doing this for me today. Imo, it applies to the statins as well. I've taken them for 25 years and I don't think I've had any major issues. Still take the same small dose. They may kill me, in the end, but so may about a million other things, most of which I probably know nothing about.
Take care.

Jump to this post

You bring to perspective for me as well. Its hard to not get caught up in it. My wife has lived her life like an angel. She retires and gets terminal cancer. But I just keep saying so is life. Everything is terminal. Obviously you can close your eyes and walk into a busy intersection. But if we just live with some moderation and pay attention to our bodies, I think its the best we can do.

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Oh gosh, NO! I am so sorry tucker, so very very sorry.
But your philosophy will get you both through this, as I hope she shares your outlook.
You're right, we can only do the best we can and not focus every second on how we feel or what the internet says will happen to us. It's a choice and we will all end up the same way no matter what.
Sending special thoughts and strength to you both.

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