First meeting with Rheumatologist for PMR, need suggestions

Appreciate finding this blog. I was diagnosed with PMR 1 month ago by my PCP after having symptoms for 6 months.
She began me on Prednisone 15mg . I have my first appointment with Rheumatologist tomorrow. Does anyone have suggestions on some questions I should be asking him? I'm a little overwhelmed. Thanks.

I would ask him what he thinks of your prior lab results.
Is my case much like the usual he sees.
What side effects should I be aware of.
Do I need to prevent osteoporosis.
How much should I exercise.
What can I take for pain.
Does my diet require some changes.
How can I communicate with you between visits if I have questions.
If I can’t lower my dose is their alternative treatment.
How do I get refills. Does your office have My Chart.
Will you report visit summaries to my primary.
Do you suspect any other underlying conditions.
Will I be seeing you regularly for management or my primary
Do you suggest any educational resources.?
It may be a good idea to ask the front desk how busy they are and
the best way to communicate if you have problems.

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@gingergirl24, how did your appointment go? What are next steps for you?

Thanks for asking! Really liked the Rheumatologist, straight forward and answered all my questions. Decreased my Prednisone from 15mg to 12.5mg × 2 weeks then decrease to 10mg. So far I am doing well with decreased dose. I am grateful for this blog and reading about others experiences and advice.

I have been on 15mg of prednisone for weeks and I am much improved. I am not symptom free, still achy in shoulders. Should I be entertaining the idea to ask to increase the dose to say 20? My inflammation rate is down to 9 from 42 so there is improvement. In conversation with my primary about this. Thanks

I thought the same thing as you after my first few weeks on 20 mg per day but my rheumatologist has only ever put me on lower doses. Reading these wonderful posts has given me much more understanding of what is happening, and I see that the pain, especially in the morning, is normal. It had been almost 4 Mos on Prednisone and I am now on 10 one day and 12.5 the next. I've added Methotrexate weekly, so we'll see what that does. Good luck!

Hi, there-I have my first visit to rheumatologist tomorrow. I have some questions in mind but am wondering if fellow PMR patients had any questions they may have wished were asked from the beginning?

Thank you all for your posts. Your advice and experience has been welcomed at this early stage of my illness.

Hi🤗
so glad you're in this group as everyone is very supportive.
side effects if prednisone (or any other meds), what to expect when tapering, "flares" while on meds, new quirky symptoms while on meds, is physical therapy helpful, diet, weight gain/loss, when to call the office, when to go to the ER, helpful tests:labs, imaging... I have a third follow up appointment soon, and I hope to get as much info as possible.
great question!! 😊

Thank you for your reply and for sharing your experiences. I have noted your advice and will try to address those issues tomorrow.

Thank you for taking the time to help.

I’m glad to see this too. My first visit coming up in a few weeks.

Since I’ve heard so many patients say they were told to watch and wait, I’m curious what that entails.