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@ripley

That's the frustrating part, trying to determine the cause. I will talk to my Dr about trying a short course of prednisone. I appreciate your comments.

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Replies to "That's the frustrating part, trying to determine the cause. I will talk to my Dr about..."

Yes, I agree with scpartain. Part of the diagnosing PMR (as there are no definitive tests to do that) is whether or not nsaids and pain killers help your pain. And also whether or not prednisone helps your pain. Try the Tylenol and Advil first. If they help your pain, it is most likely NOT PMR. If they do not help, that points to PMR. If the prednisone gives you almost instant relief (assuming the doctor gives you an adequate dose (most of us get 15 to 20 mg in the beginning) then it's a pretty good chance it IS PMR. Some of the common symptoms of PMR is pain in the shoulders and upper arms, thighs, buttocks, and all of us are a little bit different in other areas. Further, many of us feel weakness in our legs or a heavy (like lead) feeling in our legs at times. Many of us have stiffness first thing in the morning, some to the point they cannot get out of bed immediately without working out the stiffness. Again - we are all different. Thus, some of us when first diagnosed have very elevated bloodwork indicating inflamation. ESR and CRP are the two most common indicators for this. There are others. I hope this information is helpful to you. Good luck to you.