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Medications for Temporal Arteritis/Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA)

Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: 14 hours ago | Replies (375)
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@kmn1957

Thanks for responding. I have more energy, the chronic fatigue isn't near as bad. The artery still looks swollen but no pain in the area. Still had 2 migraines over the weekend that involved the temple area but not just there. It eventually went all over my head. So maybe this isn't temporal arteritis and it's something else. My c- reactive protein was high and same time list year it was high but I suppose it could be just general inflammation from something.

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Replies to "Thanks for responding. I have more energy, the chronic fatigue isn't near as bad. The artery..."
Teri | @tsc | 2 days ago

Hi @kmn1957, your symptoms sound suspicious to me.
I had PMR before GCA and the lower dosage of PMR I was initially given got rid of my PMR pain, but I still had intermittent head pains, and a scalp tender to the touch.
With GCA, I had many symptoms that were not constant, but came and went. My symptoms weren't "textbook" by any means.
I've had GCA twice now and my symptoms were different both times. My mother in law had it as well and her symptoms were different from mine.
The Rheumatologist ordered a biopsy of the temporal artery, which was positive. It wasn't a difficult procedure to go through.
GCA is nothing to mess with - you could go blind without much warning. If you have any visual disturbance, go to an Emergency Room immediately.
Best to advise your doctor of your symptoms immediately, and as @jeff97 suggests, see a Rheumatologist asap.
Good luck!

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