Post-surgery symptoms

Hi Spiker,

I can absolutely relate.
My first PMR started about 2 months after knee replacement in 2016.
Treated for GCA with high dose prednisone, gained weight but saved my vision. I am very wary now of ANY stress or pain as I will have a bad flare.
Had Covid in 2022, then again June of 2024. Once again, terrible flares of pain, stiffness and severe mobility issues. Sed rate and CRP never very high so not sure doctors believe my discomfort.
Even going to the dentist stresses me out, shopping or overdoing something I used to do but can’t anymore. I will pay for it the next few days recovering.
Hope this helps you. Be careful, error on the side of protecting yourself and good luck in your recovery!
Karo89135

Thank you! I forgot to mention that my PMR started 2 months after hip replacement surgery! I always wondered if that was the trigger!

My husband’s PMR started after contracting flu last February. We just figured he was slow to recover until severe side/back pain. We went to ER, they did scan and recommend he go for colonoscopy. Three days later he suddenly went blind. GCA diagnosed by opthalmologist and confirmed by biopsy. Too late to save vision. Hospitalized for a week on high dose of prednisone. Face and stomach now bloated. Now down to 12 mg prefer and on methotrexate but pain recurrence. I’m believe the flu triggered all this. My husband is very discouraged and says he hopes he goes to bed and doesn’t wake up. Tough times. Hope it gets better for you.

Yep, there ya go!
Watch out for post Covid infection too.
Doctors will say it's possible, then some will say no.

Hi Jojo, I am so sorry for your experience. It irritates me to no end the lack of research on this debilitating disease. Just because we are elderly, doesn't mean we don't matter.
Actemra an option? Colonoscopy?!! Someone dropped the ball? Best to you, keep fighting for options 💪.
Karo89135

Thank you for your understanding. We feel alone and as if because we are over 70 we don’t matter as much because of that

There are no words to express my reaction to your story. I hope you and your husband find the strength and support to move forward to find joy in the future. My thought and prayers are with you. Please let us hear from y'all from time to time. This community is full of people who care deeply about each other.

My PMR began two months after shoulder surgery, and it hit my hips and back so badly that I ever thought I would never walk again without pain! That was February, ‘23 and prednisone began to work immediately. By September I was off prednisone completely, but my spine was never pain free after that. I’m back on prednisone now and it’s doing very little to alleviate pain. At age 84, I feel that there isn’t much that will help any longer, so I have to make my life easier! Exercise and movement do help, but it’s difficult to maintain a daily program.

Almost anything can trigger any autoimmune disorder and PMR/GCA is no exception. Autoimmune disorders can be triggered by infections, surgery, vaccinations, environmental triggers and anything else that can trigger an immune response. Stress be it physical, emotional, traumatic or just stress in general can trigger aberrant immune responses. Many times there is a genetic susceptibility to these aberrant immune responses which are also known as autoimmune disorders.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK27155/#:~:text=Autoimmune%20disease%20occurs%20when%20a,the%20antigen%20from%20the%20body.

I am so sorry for you and your husband’s devastating loss. I find great comfort and help in this forum, and hope you can too.

Your story is so important because we all need to know what to watch out for. I am praying for you both.