Need to decide to get a Covid Shot while I have PMR.

It is comforting to read your stories and know I'm not alone in this. I'll add mine. I consider myself healthy but a little over weight. I'm 61 now. I had my 1st shingles vaccine at the end of this past Sept. and a Covid vaccine December 18. My PMR began full blown in January about 3.5 weeks after the Covid vaccine. Looking back I remember having an issue with my right shoulder in early November so I thought the spread to both shoulders was a direct extension of some sort of injury. Long story shortened, it took 2.5 months to get a proper diagnosis because of living in Florida and not able to get in to Doctors for weeks on end. I was basically disabled - thank goodness for my loving husband! I did get relief from the ER at one point but it was short lived. As I was researching my symptoms to figure out what was happening to me, I came across a CDC vaccine adverse reaction reporting site: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/ensuringsafety/monitoring/vaers/index.html. I searched the data base for reports of the types of symptoms I had related to the Covid vaccination. I had to use several different ways and vocabulary of the same symptom to get more accurate reporting but did find that the inflammation I was experiencing was being reported. It's still not significant enough to list the auto-immune disease as an actual side effect of the vaccine. But I think for me, I am done with the vaccines. I plan to enter a report on the site myself. I'm hoping to beat this thing and hope to never have to go through this again! I wish you luck in your decision and wish you well on your journey!

All vaccines energize your immune system. If your immune system has problems then it seems that PMR is a likely outcome.
That what happened in my case in 2019. Then came COVID and then came the vaccine. It was a major effort for me to decide to get the COVID vaccination. In the end I did not want to die from COVID more than my fear of side effects from the vaccination. I have maintained that position for all other vaccinations since then.
I always make sure I feel great before any vaccinations and that I'm prepared to go to the ER in case of any flu like symptoms.
I will be getting a tetanus shot and an RSV shot this fall, as well as flu and a COVID booster when it's available. I will wait 2-4 weeks between them. I don't want to die from any of those problems either.

I’ve kept up with all recommended vaccines including Covid (Moderna) since being diagnosed with PMR. I don’t recall any reaction stronger than I had prior to diagnosis. My one bout of Covid convinced me that getting the vaccine was worth it.

When I was at a higher daily prednisone dosage, my rheumatologist recommended against getting any shots until my daily dosage was below a certain point. I don't recall what that threshold was, but I'm not particularly eager to get another shot anytime soon anyway. When in doubt, I think asking your rheumatologist is always a good place to start, but only you can make that final decision.

It seems to me that anything that stimulates your bodies immune response, if you have PMR or likely to contract it, is a risk to cause a PMR flair. I was completely off prednisone from my 2022 diagnosis of PMR when in July of this year, I contracted Covid. Shortly after that, I started with my symptoms of PMR (shoulder pain in muscles, hips, and inflammation signs of my stools). It took me a while to recognize the correlation in timing. I'm now back on prednisone, starting with 8 mg/day and now down to 4 mg/day after about two weeks. I'm back to normal..e.g. pain free. It's a personal decision, but I will be getting a Covid vaccine in a couple weeks with my flu shot as would rather have lesser symptoms from being sick. I'll be interested if I have a noticeable flair post-vaccines. I'm very interested in continued research on the topic of what is the root cause and stimulus for PMR. Frustrating that it is still not conclusive, given there are so many people with it..:-(

I have had all vaccines, only side-effect was sore arm. Will be getting flu and Covid this fall.

I have PMR & long covid. MY LC caused the PMR. I just completed prednisone & am on Kevzara. My rheumatologist specializes in both & she urged me to get the vaccine. I got it on Tues. & thankfully no side effects.

Please take no offense from my opinion offered here. I get all the doctors recommending the vaccines and personally disagree with their recommendations, even though my wife and I were forced to take the initial COVID and a booster for COVID due to employment at our school district, or be terminated. Health and media officials finally admit that any COVID vaccine you get will be non effective against the new and ever changing strains. On top of that they are now admitting the malice caused by the mRNA, resulting in deaths, brain bleeds, blood clots and other chronic conditions, where some other countries have outlawed that vaccine. If I were a radical; I would express my opinion that doctors are insistent we get vaccines for the increased probability of being eliminated. We continue to get the Flu vaccine every October, but no more COVID for me.
Best wishes for a long and improved life, especially getting rid of the PMR.

Without offense; may I please request you conduct a bit of research on how long or if the COVID vaccine you are about to get is functional. Most health officials admit that the COVID vaccines are only good for about a month or so, due to the ever constant, rapid changing and mutating COVID strains. Also you may want to investigate the mRNA results over time for brain bleeds, blood clots and deaths, lately being published. My wife & I were mandated to receive the initial COVID, plus a booster in order to retain our long time employment with the school district here, or be terminated.. Personally, my CML Leukemia, 5 days per week oral chemo since 2004, 3 failed spine surgeries, now PMR is not in need of additional complications. Even with the vaccines, we both had COVID and for me it was nothing but a cold, a bit more for my wife. We still get the Flu vaccine every early October, without complications to date. Please make sure you are comfortable with your decision.

You’re going to get blasted on here for your comment lol, but I agree with you 100% and like you had the first round out of fear. Now I have learned the rest of the story.