1. < Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)

Can PMR (Polymyalgia Rheumatica) be induced by vaccine?

Posted by kristem2020 @kristem2020, Jan 2, 2021

Good evening, I’ve recently been diagnosed with PMR. It came on a week after my flu shot October 23, 2020.

Has anyone experienced the same diagnosis after a flu shot?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Support Group.

technodave | @technodave | Aug 11, 2021
In reply to @technodave "Hey John, thanks for sharing and thank you to the others doing the same, greatly appreciated!..." + (show)
@technodave

Hey John, thanks for sharing and thank you to the others doing the same, greatly appreciated!

I don’t know that I have anything more to help all of you dealing with PMR, except that I believe in my case this all got started within a couple days of each of the Pfizer vaccines. Within a few days of shot #1, I was diagnosed by an orthopedic surgeon as having frozen shoulder. Just after shot #2, my other shoulder started to have similar pain, discomfort and motion limitations. Then a couple weeks later, my entire body was in tremendous pain and I had no strength to get out of bed once I woke up in the morning. The pain generally subsided by afternoon, but each morning was horrible. I finally was able to see an arthritis & rheumatoid specialist who took blood & diagnosed me with PMR. He prescribed prednisone and I immediately was 100% back to normal.

This all started in April of 2001 and I went from 15mg and now down to 10mg, stepping down about 1mg every 2-3 weeks. The doc said it would take a year of taking prednisone, stepping down the dose until I’m at 1mg then I should be “cured” and off prednisone. He said if the PMR symptoms appear afterwards (although not very likely) I should be able to do a quick round of prednisone to knock it out.

I should also mention that I was diagnosed with non Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2018, given 6 rounds of chemo and have been in remission since 2029. Praise God!

What I have found is that keeping active and getting lots of exercise is a must. I ride my bike 4-5 times a week for at least an hour, play tennis once a week and do yoga a couple times a week. I also do exercises every couple of days. I’m on eloquis (5 mg twice a day) because of a blood clot in my right leg. So, I’m not supposed to have alcohol, but I sneak in a glass of red wine every week or so. Thankfully, I have not gained any weight so far, but I try very hard to eat well and watch my portions.

Bottom line is I’m 69 and feel very blessed that I’m able to manage all this quite well. I hope the doc is correct in that after taking prednisone for a year I can kiss the PMR goodbye! But, after reading this thread, my doc may be overly optimistic.

My takeaway is prednisone is an absolute lifesaver and having God’s healing hands on me is also paramount to my being able to deal with these health issues so well.

Hope there is something here that is helpful for you, John or others reading the thread. Thank you all for taking the time to share. This Mayo site really is a great way to learn from others diagnosed with PMR. Take care!

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Oops. PMR diagnosed in April 2021 NOT 2001. I’ve been in remission since 2019 NOT 2029! Sorry about the typos. Don’t know how to go back & edit a post…

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technodave | @technodave | Aug 11, 2021
In reply to @johnbishop "Hello @technodave, Welcome to Connect and thank you for jumping in and sharing what helps with..." + (show)
@johnbishop

Hello @technodave, Welcome to Connect and thank you for jumping in and sharing what helps with your PMR. Love your member name 🙃 Are you a techie also?

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Hey John-
Thanks for your note. I’m not a “certified” techie, but dabble in all kinds of network stuff to keep our Internet and all the Internet of Things up & running. Seems like a full time job😎. I also run a nonprofit playtimetech.org You?

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John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Aug 11, 2021
In reply to @technodave "Hey John- Thanks for your note. I’m not a “certified” techie, but dabble in all kinds..." + (show)
@technodave

Hey John-
Thanks for your note. I’m not a “certified” techie, but dabble in all kinds of network stuff to keep our Internet and all the Internet of Things up & running. Seems like a full time job😎. I also run a nonprofit playtimetech.org You?

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Hi Dave, I retired from IBM after 30+ years and then retired from a local telephone company where I was the Internet helpdesk and computer fixer for 20+ years. I also maintain a few volunteer websites for our church and a missionary in Tanzania plus my Navy ship's reunion website (ussmckeanreunion.org, fccwc.org and wwechurch.org). It's a full time job being retired 😁

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mark1udxemail | @mark1udxemail | Aug 11, 2021

My PMR started within 2 weeks after my pneumonia shot

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John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Aug 11, 2021
In reply to @mark1udxemail "My PMR started within 2 weeks after my pneumonia shot" + (show)
@mark1udxemail

My PMR started within 2 weeks after my pneumonia shot

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Hello @mark1udxemail, Welcome to Connect, an online community where patients and caregivers share their experiences, find support and exchange information with others. You mentioned that your PMR started within two weeks after your pneumonia shot. Did you see a doctor or rheumatologist who diagnosed it? Did they start you on prednisone?

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quilterdar | @quilterdar | Sep 2, 2021

I received the flue vaccine 4 years ago and 2 days later went to work sat down and 10 min later could not stand up. I had to pull on the desk to get myself in and upright position and my knees would not hold me, I did a duck walk down the hallway to my bosses office to tell her I was heading to the urgent care. I have had 2 remissions and am currently on 3mgs of prednisone and it is tolerable but I still do not get much done and have to take a nap every day. Now i am starting to swell in my ankles and have pain in my two knuckles, first IP joint on the right hand middle and finger to the right of it. I had to retire last last year as I still cant walk the long hallways and am worn-out by mid- week and ran out of sick leave and vacation time, but had to keep my health insurance.

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quilterdar | @quilterdar | Sep 2, 2021

What treatments other than prednisone are you doing? I have been doing physical therapy and he has been doing ultrasound on my muscles which has been helpful when they feel thick, and has strengthened the portion of the muscle just above my knee that helps one to stand (so I'm not duck walking-butt close to the floor. Has anyone done platelet therapy, which before covid, clinical trials were underway with some autoimmune disorders. I take care of my 96 yr old Dad and I don't have a doc in town that will anything other than prednisone.

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Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Sep 2, 2021
In reply to @quilterdar "What treatments other than prednisone are you doing? I have been doing physical therapy and he..." + (show)
@quilterdar

What treatments other than prednisone are you doing? I have been doing physical therapy and he has been doing ultrasound on my muscles which has been helpful when they feel thick, and has strengthened the portion of the muscle just above my knee that helps one to stand (so I'm not duck walking-butt close to the floor. Has anyone done platelet therapy, which before covid, clinical trials were underway with some autoimmune disorders. I take care of my 96 yr old Dad and I don't have a doc in town that will anything other than prednisone.

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Hello @quilterdar, Welcome to Connect, an online community where patients and caregivers share their experiences, find support and exchange information with others. I have never heard of platelet therapy done for PMR. I have heard of it for knee osteoarthritis and other specific joints just not for something as pervasive as PMR. My rheumatologist summed it up for me as arthritis all over the body. There is another discussion you might find helpful.

PMR initial diagnosis: Can there be an underlying disease?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/pmr-initial-diagnosis-1/

After my second occurrence of PMR I decided to see if I could make some changes that would help with the PMR and started eating healthier and trying to get more exercise daily. Here's some information that you might find helpful if it's something you are considering or maybe have already done -- Diet and Supplements for Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR): https://www.arthritis-health.com/blog/diet-and-supplements-polymyalgia-rheumatica-pmr

Have you tried making any diet or lifestyle changes to help your PMR?

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ltta | @ltta | Sep 3, 2021

YES! 20 years ago the first time I had PMR pain was the day after a flu shot. I've been on and off prednisone since then. Over the years I continued to get better and then would relapse around vaccine time or shortly after. All my doctors told me it could not be the vaccine... The last time I had a flu vaccine was in 2014 and within hours I could barely walk. That was the worst one! No more vaccines for me. 🙂

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laurelr | @laurelr | Sep 4, 2021

My original post was related to this topic. I got J&J and two weeks later symptoms started and became at unbearable. Diagnosed with PMR at 4 weeks and started 10mg prednisone - better in 3 days. Now on 5mg. Friends and family were/are sceptible of getting a Covid shot after seeing me - a healthy, active 74 year old decline so rapidly. Still think there is a connection. Next follow up in October.

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