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@dsteede

I have only recently been diagnosed with PMR in December of 2018. I was diagnosed in 2011 at the age of 43 with RA. My bloodwork has always been normal. My initial symptoms in 2011 were intense soreness, stiffness and swelling in my hands, feet and fingers. I was placed on plaquenil and later methotrexate with good results. Of course there are good and bad days but I’m able to push through.
Fast forward to the fall of 2018. I walked like a 99 year old lady. So much shoulder pain, hip and low back pain. And forget trying to get out of the car after 15 minutes or more. So my Doc mentions PMR and prescribes pred. Within 48 hours I felt like a new person! The most frustrating part of all of this for me is the fatigue. But with the prednisone, for the first time in years I felt like myself. Unfortunately as the taper continues that changes also. I get a little stiffer and have a little more soreness with each decrease of Med, and increase in fatigue.
I have a pretty high pain tolerance and lead a fairly active life but I just wish I felt
better. Hopefully it will all come together and we can get all the cats herding in the same direction.

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Replies to "I have only recently been diagnosed with PMR in December of 2018. I was diagnosed in..."

Hello @dsteede, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Thank you for sharing your struggle with what I call the big hurt - polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). You are so right about prednisone being the magic bullet for most of us. My PMR is currently in remission so I am happy for that. I think you may already being doing some of the things that really help with PMR - daily exercise and just plan movement and eating healthy. I've had 2 occurrences of PMR. The first was much like you described and the pain was gone within a few hours of taking prednisone. I also gained a ton of weight the first time around which took a long time to get off. I was more careful and changed my eating habits the second time around with PMR.

Slow and easy is the trick to tapering off of prednisone. My rheumatologist had me going back and forth between 1 mg and 1/2 mg the last six months of my first bout with PMR.

You have a lot of members here with experience on tapering off of prednisone. So we all welcome your questions.