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Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR): Meet others & Share Your Story
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Jan 27 8:38am | Replies (1879)Comment receiving replies
About a month after coming off of my prednisone taper for PMR, I started to have some jaw discomfort and occasional mild headaches. I did a bit of research and discovered those could be symptoms of GCA. I quickly requested an appointment with a rheumatologist and he immediately scheduled me for a temporal biopsy. The biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of GCA. I then started another 10 month prednisone taper (beginning at 60mg daily) and had my first Actemra infusion. I have had 12 infusions and will continue those for at least another year before reassessing.
Regarding diagnosing GCA, read page 4 of this document:
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When my headaches first started in 2019, I had a temporal artery biopsy on both sides of my head and the results were negative. Since then my headaches have become more frequent and painful. My rheumatologist advises against a 2nd biopsy and believes it's not GCA based on my blood work etc. Thank you for your comments and the article.