← Return to Think I have Giant Cell Arteritis (or GCA)

Discussion

Think I have Giant Cell Arteritis (or GCA)

Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Jan 30 8:20pm | Replies (70)
Comment receiving replies
@marilynredder2367

Listen Susan. GCA is not the end of the world. Take your prednisone and see if you can get on Actemra. After symptoms are gone and you have enough prednisone in your body, Actemra will help you reduce quickly. It brings down the inflammation and so ESR and CRP come down. I started before it was approved for GCA and I was part of the trials so I didn’t pay for it. I’m still on 7 mg of prednisone for my adrenals. Good luck. Ps. If the biopsy is negative so was mine but I was treated for GCA and I’m still here at 80.

Jump to this post

Replies to "Listen Susan. GCA is not the end of the world. Take your prednisone and see if..."
SusanEllen66 | @SusanEllen66 | Aug 3, 2022

Thank you! I’m very glad you are doing well.
Not one test, of any kind, has shown any evidence for GCA. Nothing. MRI, CT with contrast, blood work (no inflammation). Zero. So, hopefully a biopsy will help me feel less like I’m pretending or something…

I already have another form of Vasculitis. It’s a very rare one (30/1,000,000). Diagnosed with that in 2015.

So, yea me…I’m almost 73, and blessed every day!

VIEW AND REPLY