Neuropathy in Hands

Welcome @connelly, It sounds like you are doing fairly well with your lifestyle and tapering plan. Mild exercise helped me in the morning when my PMR was active but my body would tell me if I overdid it with the exercise. I had to change my eating habits some after my first bout with PMR so it's good to hear you are already doing OK if you are not gaining any weight.

Do you keep a daily pain log along with the amount of prednisolone you are taking?

Helpful response. Thanks, John. No - I don’t keep a pain log. Pain is round the 3+ level in the early morning. Maybe a little more intense now as Prednisolone dosage reduces. The more troubling thing is the extension of pain to other joint/tendon locations. A strange condition, PMR. This morning pain was in the same 3+ region but at 8am I was able to participate in a 5k Community Run which I completed in just over the half hour. In general I keep stats of performance levels rather than pain levels.

The very day that I first experienced PMR ten years ago the middle and ring fingers of my right hand went "numb." I have recovered from PMR, and all my inflammatory markers are normal, bu those fingers have never recovered from the neuropathy. I also experienced neuropathy in both feet during 60mg/day prednisone treatment (about 3 weeks after my initial PMR). This has remained with me as well. I'm not sure whether the foot issue was a function of hyperglycemia from the prednisone or from the PMR itself.

Welcome @hcroom, My PMR is currently in remission. I had neuropathy for almost 20 years before my PMR first showed up and was diagnosed with idiopathic small fiber peripheral neuropathy six years after my first round with PMR went into remission.

Sorry to hear the neuropathy stayed with you after getting off of the prednisone. You might find the following discussion helpful:
-- Small Fiber Neuropathy: What helps?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/small-fiber-neuropathy/

Have you looked into any treatments for your hands or feet? What symptoms do you have for the neuropathy?

Thank you for this response. Both feet are tingly and hurt terribly when I walk barefoot as I do at the indoor pool. The two fingers on my right hand are partially numb and also tingly, but they do not hurt. They just make dealing cards harder, for example. I tried gabapentin for the feet with no relief whatsoever. Thank you again. I'll check out the website you suggest.

Have you ever seen an orthopedic doctor for your hand? Just wondering if it might be carpal tunnel which is one of my conditions. Also, the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy has a list of complementary and alternative treatments you might find helpful for the neuropathy in your feet - https://www.foundationforpn.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Complementary-and-Alternative-Treatments-Revised-2020-final.-1.pdf

I try to put on pants a couple times per week - need pliers for the zipper and snap - on And off. 🙁

Welcome Michael @michaelpmr, It can be a struggle pulling up the zipper on pants when your hands hurt with PMR or even some of us older folks that struggle with strength in the fingers and hands. They do have devices that make it easier for those that struggle with zippers. Here is a link for some of them - https://www.amazon.com/zipper-puller-helper/s?k=zipper+puller+helper.

Do you think an aid like this might help?

I too developed Neuropathy in my feet and hands, my feet are worse than my hands which i appreciate. My neuropathy was a direct result of taking leflunomide, once it developed I was taken off it however the neuropathy has remained and unlikely to improve at this point. Cannot imagine if the hands were worse!

My hands and fingers are so painful at night. Forgot what it was to have a good night sleep.