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Do you have to have all the symptons to have GCA?
I have a few of them, headaches, jaw tightness and sometime hurts to chew, sometimes fuzzy vision but not double vision or blackness. I did have a biopsy that was negative but just on one side and was also on 40mg of prednisone for about 2 weeks before the biospy. Could you get a false negitave form being on prednisone?
Replies to "Do you have to have all the symptons to have GCA? I have a few of..."
kdgrotz: Keep pushing for a diagnosis! I have TMJ, so bad at one point I partially blacked out while driving as my face hurt back in the 80's and my head muscles went into spasm due to new mouth guard that I ended up in PT for a month to get my jaws to release and open. This is new for me in the last couple months: Head ache again, cords running down neck starting under the ears go into #10 pain mode and neck pain. Wonder if there is some PMR going on. Can one have PMR after GCA?
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Sounds like GCA and am glad they have started treatment. Classic symptoms. Have had GCA, not counting the HA and jaw and chewing problems, for 13 months already. On Prendnison January to August, then started on Actemra IV once a month. I expect to be on Actemra for another year or more. See rheumatologist in March to see ask her how will she know when I am in remission and how much longer I might have to be on Actemra. GCA can cause brain aneurysm, abdominal aneurysm, stroke, or heart attack. Actemra can cause cancer.