Any difficulty in diagnosis of PMR?

For those of you diagnosed with PMR, did all of you have severe joint pain in the shoulders, arms and hips that you had trouble getting out of bed or from a chair, and raising your hands above your head? I've been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, which has similar symptoms to PMR. Mornings I have terrible neck, shoulder and arm pain and sometimes leg pains, but I don't have any of the difficulties mentioned above, although my shoulder joints are often painful. I'm trying to figure out if it might be PMR instead. Last year I had blood tests looking for inflammation markers, SED and C Reactive Protein and all were normal. I welcome any comments.

I was diagnosed w PMR last Nov w normal inflammation markers. There’s a small percentage of people w PMR who don’t have elevated inflammatory markers. I took methotrexate (along w prednisone) for 6 mos but side effects not easily bearable. I’m still taking prednisone but less of it. Good luck.

What were your symptoms that led to your diagnosis? Thanks.

Hi @gailg, I think the results of blood tests don't always cone back with high inflammation markers with PMR. I had full blown symptoms about six months, but my blood work was fairly normal (My CRP was slightly elevated but my PCP did not pursue it). The PMR symptoms stayed with me, and I eventually developed symptoms of Giant Cell Arteritis. Then my inflammation markers were off the chart.
The chapter on PMR and GCA in Cecil and Goldman's Textbook of Medicine, suggests physicians give patients with PMR symptoms a trial dose of prednisone if their bloodwork is normal. If the symptoms go away, it's PMR. If not, it's probably something else.
I hope that helps.

For those of you diagnosed with PMR, did all of you have severe joint pain in the shoulders, arms and hips that you had trouble getting out of bed or from a chair, and raising your hands above your head? I've been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, which has similar symptoms to PMR. Mornings I have terrible neck, shoulder and arm pain and sometimes leg pains, but I don't have any of the difficulties mentioned above, although my shoulder joints are often painful. I'm trying to figure out if it might be PMR instead. Last year I had blood tests looking for inflammation markers, SED and C Reactive Protein and all were normal. I welcome any comments.

For those of you diagnosed with PMR, did all of you have severe joint pain in the shoulders, arms and hips that you had trouble getting out of bed or from a chair, and raising your hands above your head? I've been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, which has similar symptoms to PMR. Mornings I have terrible neck, shoulder and arm pain and sometimes leg pains, but I don't have any of the difficulties mentioned above, although my shoulder joints are often painful. I'm trying to figure out if it might be PMR instead. Last year I had blood tests looking for inflammation markers, SED and C Reactive Protein and all were normal. I welcome any comments.

Hi @ripley, I had PMR undiagnosed for a year because I thought it was fibromyalgia. I had incredible pain and stiffness throughout my body from the neck down, everywhere, which eased up a little in the evenings. I had blood tests about four months after symptoms started, but the inflammation markers were not elevated significantly so I wasn't diagnosed. Symptoms stayed as they were, then changed. I was anemic, got shingles, lost about 15 pounds, had an incredibly stiff neck and short stabbing pains in my head. Blood tests about a year after the first symptoms started showed inflammation markers were very high, ESR and CRP. I had Giant Cell Arteritis and was put on 40 mg prednisone to start, tapering down every two weeks. Have been off prednisone for about eight months now.
Maybe it's time to get blood tests again.
Were you ever prescribed prednisone on a trial basis to see if it relieves your symptoms? PMR can be difficult to diagnose and the relief of symptoms with prednisone can help with the diagnosis.
Take care.

The year that your PMR was undiagnosed, did your muscle stiffness prevent you from raising your arms in the mornings or cause difficulty getting out of bed? I have muscle pain but not stiffness that causes limits to movements. Did any Dr diagnose you with Fibro? I will have to re-visit my Dr I guess.

Initially after my first bout of Covid, 4 months later I woke up with terrible hip pain and debilitating weakness, and after I got Covid a year later for the second time (6 months after 2 Pfizer covid vaccines!) I couldn't raise my arms and my shoulder/collar bone pain was severe. After a year of testing (my CRP and SED rates were initally totally normal), I was finally diagnosed with PMR. My CRP and SED were high at the beginning of this year, and I am still on prednisone and waiting to start Kevzara next week, but when I weaned down to 1 mg prednisone and then 0 last month to see where I was with the condition, my CRP/SED was again normal. Go figure! My debilitation and pain came right back so I'm on 10mg prednisone again after weaning down from 20. It's all so mysterious.