My blood work was nearly normal but all other PMR symptoms were present and 40 mg of prednisone knocked them out. My primary care doctor said it was not uncommon to have normal or nearly normal bloodwork but still have PMR and a positive response to steroids was diagnostic.

After 9 months I have tapered down to 12.5 mg of prednisone a day and am now on Kevzara with hopes that I will be able to get off steroids in the next few months. For what it's worth, three different doctors--two of them rheumatologists--have suggested three different rates of tapering, none of which work for me. The practical knowledge of this group is more useful and more attuned to the reality that all of us are different. I now taper by .5 mg every two weeks or so. The pain I experience may well be osteo not PMR and a daily 650 mg of Tylenol helps a lot.