For me, my love for Prednisone was a "short term" affair.

When Prednisone was daily and "long term" --- I started to hate Prednisone. This was especially true when it wasn't entirely clear to me that I still had PMR and I was unable to stop taking prednisone.

My remaining symptoms were similar but not exactly like my original PMR symptoms when I needed 25 mg or more to be able to lift my arms. I knew that I took Prednisone for "other reasons" which were not PMR but I didn't know what else to do. It was easier to blame PMR for everything.

I didn't come to terms with Prednisone until we parted ways. I had to be open to alternatives to Prednisone and found a way to say good-bye. It was an amiable breakup. I never believed that Prednisone was the "only option" for the treatment of PMR. I already knew that Prednisone wasn't a good long term solution for me. My rheumatologist confirmed this when he said I was too young to take Prednisone for the rest of my life. It sounded like an ageist thing to say but I knew what he meant.

I probably wouldn't be here had I not taken Prednisone. Now that I'm off Prednisone, I hope to be here for the foreseeable future. I think this has always been Dr. Megan's position too.