Immune system boosters
In the past I have always taken Vitamin C, Echinacea and garlic when I had a cold and the combination seemed to lessen the symptoms and duration. Should people with PMR take these supplements, even short-term?
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Support Group.
I know that I have stated this before in other threads, but not this one yet. I am a registered dietitian who has been eating a whole foods, organic diet for many years, with very little animal protein. I also take omega-3's and tumeric daily. My PMR started after my second Pfyzer vaccination (?coincidence) and lasted for about 1.5 years. It was so mild, only bothering me while in bed, that it took 4 months to diagnose. I started with only 10 mg. prednisone. While on prednisone, I started experiencing hip pain, which turned out to be a severe case of osteroarthritis. Prednisone is known to contribute to osteoarthritis, but the doctors didn't think my low dose was significant enough to cause it. I do think that my less active lifestyle during COVID, plus the prednisone were both probable factors contributing to it. I experienced a flare up recently after having a mild case of COVID for one week. I am now on 2 mg. prednisone and plan on tapering off by .5 mg. every one or two weeks. I just had hip replacement surgery 2 weeks ago and am recovering remarkebly well, they say. I hope to be off of the prednisone very soon. Fingers crossed.
Best of luck and watch out for the trochator bursitis that plague many who have hip surgery.
I am having good results with tapering prednisone by .5 mg every two weeks. Best of luck to you.
I guess I am pretty fortunate. I live in Canada and have an excellent doctor who discovered my PMR. He stays constantly in touch with the rheumatologist and orders the tests for my inflammation, minimally, once per month.
He let me make the decision when to start the prednisone. We decided to go slowly up to 10, I have had bad side affects in the past. I have been on 10 mg for two months and all my symptoms have gone. We decided that 1 month more on 10mg and then go down a mg a month until I get to 1 or 2 mg.
I guess what I am saying with all this is that there are still some doctors that really care, and listen with empathy. Ours has been and is a shared PMR
journey.
I have been very active with all my health issues and take action. I have read some very good suggestions here which I am looking forward to implementing. I live on my own so I had to change some things so that I could take care of myself; like buying a grabber, a bench to shower with and preparing meals sitting down instead of standing to name a few. Thanks for your help.
Kareena I am happy your family doc is so responsive and that you are doing so well.
All sounds positive. Best wishes.
Boy, can we clone your doctor? I've been reading these post for awhile as I am on my own journey and I have decided that half of what we do is wrassle with our docs for appropriate treatment. I myself went for 4 years to a well thought of rheumy (with suspicious sed rate and CPR) with no diagnosis. Had to change docs and the new one took 15 minutes. I am beginning to think something is wrong with the educational system for doctors. They should read our posts.
Thank you. I am glad that you have been diagnosed
He has been a big gift. He diagnosed me in a couple of months.
I moved out to British Columbia 7 years ago and by sheer luck have had two wonderful doctors. This is probably not the usual here. I remain grateful every day. 🧘♀️
Have you seen the Patient Revolution website 🙂
https://www.patientrevolution.org/school
@mary4 keep ranting! looking into medicinal mushroom use as an option for supporting treatment to somatuline depot for my LiverNET. Treatments due to start soon. In active education mode. thank you