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Hi @aspine, Thanks again for the private messages. I do think posting your experiences in discussions also helps other members who may have the same experiences or similar questions. I'm glad to hear that your bloodwork has come back into the normal ranges. I had never really thought about the possibility of anyone having a "mild" case of PMR but that is actually a very good question. Here's some information from the Arthritis Foundation that mentions maybe why your rheumatologist is talking about using other treatments for PMR.
"They are the mainstay of PMR treatment. The dosage for PMR is low and symptoms will improve quickly with treatment. The dosage will be lowered further once symptoms improve. Occasionally, mild cases of PMR are treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen, to ease symptoms." -- Polymyalgia Rheumatica - Arthritis Foundation: https://www.arthritis.org/diseases/polymyalgia-rheumatica#:~:text=They%20are%20the%20mainstay%20of,and%20naproxen%2C%20to%20ease%20symptoms.
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Hi, John,
I did in fact check out the article you referred to from the Arthritis Foundation, and they do actually refer to "mild cases" of PMR. So it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. The symptoms I experienced before I was diagnosed were anything but mild - very painful. But my numbers were not nearly as out of wack as some of the people in this group have given. After I was diagnosed, the prescribed amount of pred was 15mg, while some in this group were given as much as 40 mg. in the beginning. The 15 mg. knocked out all of the pain within 3 days. And my blood tests are looking normal now. I am now on 8 mg, and still pain free. I would love to get off the pred, but cannot take the nsaids, because I've been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and have been warned off of them. So I guess I'll just take this journey one day at a time, and hope for the best.