I’m 71. In December 2020 I went to an orthopedic doctor because both my knees were bad. I needed replacement surgery. It was the height of Covid, no vaccine yet, hospitals jammed. He suggested Euflexxa gel shots to get me through until hospitals & rehabs were safe. 3 weeks later I could barely move. Most of January & February 2021 I was bedridden. The doctor said I must have lupus. My inflammation was crazy high. I went to a rheumatologist, she couldn’t figure it out but did suspect PMR. They only gave me low doses of prednisone which didn’t help. I changed rheumatologists & dabbled in methotrexate, a little prednisone, Dr could not give me a definitive diagnosis & still my SED rate & CRP were really high. In October 2021 I made an appointment with Mayo in Minnesota. I was finally seen by a wonderful doctor who correctly diagnosed PMR & Vasculitis/GCA. I started with 40 mg prednisone & a few weeks later Actemra infusion.
Almost immediately my inflammation dropped to normal. It’s been at normal levels since June 2022. I’m still on Actemra & doing well. We don’t know how long I have to stay on Actemra, but it sure is expensive. I have Medicare & a good secondary but our out of pocket each month is around $500-600! It’s been quite a journey but I truly believe those gel shots to the knees did this to me. I also think not treating the PMR correctly led me to the GCA complication. And I still need knee replacements.