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Epstein Barr and Autoimmune Study
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (7)Comment receiving replies
@dlydailyhope I had EBV in my early/mid 40s. Some wild neurological stuff immediately after that has now resolved. Hashimoto's shortly after all of that. A little reprieve before the PMR and GCA.
The good news is that I finally got off the steroids at the beginning of September and I'm feeling good. I wake up in the morning without pain and have been able to steadily increase exercise without triggering a flare. Work still wears me out by the end of the week but I recover on Saturday.
Replies to "@dlydailyhope I had EBV in my early/mid 40s. Some wild neurological stuff immediately after that has..."
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@teddyz
My medical history started after an enteric infection in my early 30's and that infection ushered in one medical problem after another. I needed 60-100 mg of Prednisone for 30+ flares of reactive arthritis/uveitis. The nice thing was remission was relatively easy to achieve and I could taper off Prednisone quickly. The reprieve of remission between flares only lasted for a few months.
My ophthalmologist prescribed the Prednisone for "aggressive uveitis flares" but I was seeing multiple specialists including a neurologist. Those nerve pain medications were too much for me and I stopped seeing all the medical specialists. I decided to treat myself with the leftover Prednisone that my ophthalmologist prescribed.
When I was 52 ... I considered PMR to be a blessing. I received so much attention when a PCP found out how much Prednisone I took during the years leading up to my PMR diagnosis. I got an immediate referral to a rheumatologist who prescribed more Prednisone. The rheumatologist said I should take Prednisone every day instead of the intermittent bursts of high doses of Prednisone I was used to.
Daily doses of 35 mg of Prednisone gave me a temporary reprieve until all the complications from chronic prednisone use happened. The good news is that I haven't needed any Prednisone for the last 5 years. I'm still being treated for multiple autoimmune disorders.
My rheumatologist said it would be impossible to adequately treat everything but one biologic is doing a good job of keeping me off Prednisone. Now my complications from decades (35 years) of Prednisone are improving. I'm counting my blessings that I survived until the age of 71.