← Return to Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR): Meet others & Share Your Story

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@sue16833

I was diagnosed with PMR a year ago in September, in July I had the Pfizer (two injections), all seemed to go well. I didn’t have any increase in symptoms, resting the day before and the day of injections and drinking lots of water.
I went off prednisone August 15th, 2021, I have a question. If PMR is a self limiting disease, does it go into remission or away with out steroid treatment? I continue to have very stiff joints especially in the am and continues through the day, but more bearable. I walk two miles a day and have a high pain threshold, so I’ve been told. Can I expect to have this to eventually resolve without further steroid treatment? September 2020, the medication allowed me to be able with get off a chair, pick up items on the floor, etc…..thankfully.

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Replies to "I was diagnosed with PMR a year ago in September, in July I had the Pfizer..."

How anyone responds to an illness or subsequent treatment is different. Using the Covid vaccines as an example, some people experience side effects and some don't. I believe it is the same with a disease like PMR. As I have shared, I experienced improving symptoms after about 4-6 months without taking medication of any kind. I elected not to take predosone because of a family history with taking that drug. Instead, I concentrated on reducing the inflammation that is a marker of PMR. I did this naturally with an anti-inflammatory diet (eliminating sugar, wheat, gluten, dairy, etc). I also lost a lot of weight and did aquatic exercise which aided my movement. After several months, I saw improvement and a lessening of my PMR symptoms. I was able to move better with more ease and less pain. I can now tie my shoes, get up from a chair, bathe my feet, raise my arms above my head—all things I could not due when PMR first started. Like I said, my response is different than maybe some others. Taking medication is a choice and I am not here to say you shouldn't. It was my personal choice to forego it because I saw improvement with the changes I was making. From what I read, PMR can go into remission and come back. Who's to say mine will or won't at some point. But I will continue my regimen to give myself the best possible chance to live a reasonably active life. As my mother, who was diagnosed with MS, used to say, "I have MS but MS doesn't have me." She lived far beyond what her doctors predicted to the age of 83 without taking any steroids. We chose a different path much like mine. Everyone has to make their own choice as to what works for them.