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I have recently been diagnosed with PMR by my primary care physician. I have an appointment with a rheumatologist in two weeks, and have been on steroids for five days. They have not shown any improvement in my morning pain as of yet. I am wondering about the level of pain I am experiencing in the morning. I work in healthcare and we use the 1-10 scale of pain. My pain level is almost always an 8 or 9 in the morning when I get up. I literally cannot get out of bed and to the bathroom without crying and cannot get dressed without help. Is this normal or am I just being a big baby about all of this? I am no stranger to pain ( bilateral knee replacements) and have always thought of myself as pretty tolerant to it, but I am beginning to wonder if I am just getting overly dramatic in my old age ( I'm 63). It's just so strange to be so crippled in the mornings, yet be able to function fairly well by the afternoon. I feel like I'm stuck in an excruciating 'Groundhog Day' movie!
Replies to "I have recently been diagnosed with PMR by my primary care physician. I have an appointment..."
Your struggle with PMR completely mirrors my own experience. I had my first bout thirteen years ago in 2008. It recurred in January of this year after I received the Pfizer vaccine for Covid. Like you, I could hardly get out of bed and it was difficult even to use the bathroom, dress myself, or comb my hair. I felt like crying every morning. However, by afternoon of each day, things improved and I was able to function. With the help of a skilled rheumatologist, I managed to get the symptoms under control with prednisone. I hope you find relief soon. Best of luck in your journey.
Prednisone doesn't stay in your system overnight so you can have all that pain in the morning.
I find if I take half my dose in the morning and other half in the evening I feel better. Usually between 7 and 8 in the morning, then between 7 and 8 in the evening.
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Hi @opus640, Welcome to Connect. My PMR is currently in remission. I've had 2 occurrences of PMR and both times was started at 20 mg prednisone and within a short period of time the pain was pretty much zero for me. We each know our own pain scale and have to trust our body when it's too much. I kept a daily pain and prednisone dosage log which I used when tapering. I only tapered when my morning pain was a 0 or 1 sometimes a 2 if I was anxious to lower my dosage. I think it's normal to have some mild aches and pains when you first get up and they normally go away when you start moving some...at least for me they did.
You mentioned you haven't seen a rheumatologist yet and were diagnosed by your PCP and put on steroids for five days. Are you taking prednisone? How much if you don't mind my asking?