If you have PMR do you remember your childhood illnesses?

I had a background similar to yours, I had mono at 8 and was hospitalized for 2 weeks. I was very sick . I have had numerous serious illnesses in my life and now, since beginning of 2024 have PMR. Is it related to mono ? I wonder ? Best wishes to you.

I'm 73. I've had bronchitis multiple times as both a child and an adult. I had chicken pox, German measles and the mumps while I was in grammer school. I've had seasonal allergies and sinus infections since at least high school. I had mono while in college. I've had several MRSA infections, two that required surgery. I developed an allergic reaction to bee stings about 5 years ago. I've had covid twice. The second time I went from covid to vertigo to PMR. I'm sure I've missed something but I'm also dealing with pred fog at the moment.

@seniorlady80club
I ask these questions because I know that you get answers or solutions by asking a lot of questions of a lot of people and finding a commonality. And we are all looking for solutions. As a child I was an early reader, highly curious. I was either behind a book or very active, no in between . That continued, and with PMR inactivity creates pain. So I wonder if that pattern was because my body "knew better" from the beginning or if there was a precipitating illness.

@kjoed53
Haven't had bee sting allergies (yet)- ants, even pavement ants will find me and parade up my spine to the back of my neck to bite. Gratefully nothing requiring surgery. Just watching a meningioma.

@gud2gro
I've also had 3 surgeries on my right knee, 2 surgeries on each ankle for broken bones with hardware inserted and removed, laminectomy for herniated lumbar disc, dislocated right shoulder and left foot bunionectomy. There's a lot of wear and tear here.

I had all the usual vaccinations and childhood illnesses. Other than that, I had mono at age 15
It left me really tired for several years. I developed.PMR in 2016
It lasted 7 months. Developed again in 2024 and lasted a year
. It makes me very tired
I feel great now. Hoping it doesn't come back

I keep wondering about the mono. A few years a I was swimming/water aerobics weekly (they closed), I'm a hands in the soil gardener. Pandemic left us all with limited activity outlets. We moved to a single floor home. I kept ascribing my growing problems (having difficulty getting up from a chair) to not having stairs to climb daily. In spring 2024 I started with back and shoulder pain. At 80 people encourage you to ascribe everything to ageing. One night could not lie down on a pillow= the back of my head hurt too much. By morning I had a fever. Bless the NP who suspected PMR and immediately ordered blood work and other tests for causes of pain. It lasted 3 months. Six weeks ago I started with pain in my lower body. Wrote it off to the endless frigid, icy New England winter (we couldn't shovel frozen snow) until sitting became so painful that I was standing and walking most of the time. (10 minutes was all I could tolerate to sit). You would think I would have learned to pay attention to what my body is signaling.

I’ve had the opposite experience with vaccines and health. Born in the early 60’s I had all the vaccines. I’ve never had any serious illness, except Covid twice and it was very mild. I had an extremely physically active job I was able to do until I retired at 65.

I felt strong and invincible until hit with PMR 7 months into retirement. This was not on my retirement bingo card!

It’s a blessing in a way. It happened when I actually had the time to deal with it. Having always had good health, part of me was subconsciously waiting for the other shoe to drop. If I have to be diagnosed with something, I think I will take this over some of the other possibilities out there.

I admire everyone on this forum who is not only dealing with the PMR fight, but with many other modalities. I really can’t imagine having other serious and painful issues on my plate as well.

Keep talking and sharing, it helps us all. Wishing everyone healing and better health soon.

My 2 rheumatologists continue to vacillate for almost 2 years on whether I have PMR or not. R A or not. I am only meloxicam and fill in with various Tylenol products. I am in constant horrible pain. I had all the childhood diseases- measles, mumps, chickenpox and the childhood shots. Plus the single shingles shot. I had shingles in the mid 1980’s.
On 6/11/24 I had the first of two shingles shot. Threw me into this constant pain Plus my bones deteriorated so much that I had reverse left shoulder replacement on 10/29/25. My right shoulder is in painfully horrible condition. Docs insist I aged into this. I absolutely did Not! I was a feisty, very active 74 year old when that shot put me flat out! I was on kevzara but it tanked my WBC. Now, I am asking for either a return to Kevzara at 3 week intervals or Actemera. I have lost vision but my eye doctors (ophthalmologist and optometrist) say I don’t have GCA. Thankfully! I will see my Mayo rheumatologist soon -the third and last appointment as he cannot spend any more time with me. Sorry to whine so much but I am very tired of being in Flare 100% of the time.

@susanlf
I would think that the deteriorating joints would lead to an RA diagnosis. Is MS a possibility?