I was 54 when I diagnosed myself with PMR. I say this because, when I first complained of my symptoms, my primary care physician and rheumatologist both disagreed with my own PMR assessment. In light of my normal inflammation results, they both believed that I was too young to have PMR and insisted instead that I had arthritis on my shoulders and hips. I had done a lot of research on my own and ruled out many other disorders with similar, but not identical bilateral pain. When the x-rays showed that I did not have arthritis, I insisted on getting on low-dose prednisone starting at 20 mg. Except for lingering mild bursitis on my right shoulder, my symptoms disappeared within 48 hours. My rheumatologist wanted me to taper off pred quickly, but I explained to her that a quick taper will result in relapses, according to published studies. I tapered down to 10 mg after one month then subsequently reduced the dosage by 1 mg every month. I am now down to 5 mg and doing well. One thing I have learned with taking prednisone is that any other pain not symptomatic of PMR (such as pre-existing pain from osteoarthritis on my lower back) will initially get better but will start coming back as you taper down. Therefore it is extremely important to distinguish whether your increasing pain is symptomatic of a PMR flare or a different condition. Finally, I believe that the cause of my PMR onset is accumulated stress and possibly perimenopausal factors as well. I am Southeast Asian with no familial history of PMR. Looking back, I think my PMR symptoms started in March when I first experienced pain on one shoulder which started spreading on both sides of my neck, shoulder, and hip girdle. Luckily, I diligently researched my symptoms and condition and was able to guide my doctors in treating me properly.