I feel for everyone in this group, because I can certainly relate that this is not fun. My story is similar to others, so I will try to keep this short. In 2018 I had my first experience of PMR. I went to 4 to 5 doctors to try to find out what was going on. My first thought was that it had something to do with MS, which I was being treated for since 1998. My Neuro had me have another MRI, which showed no activity related to MS. I saw 4 other doctors which tested me for many things, all showing up as negative. No one was able to tell me what was going on, which had increased to the point of my wife having to help me out of bed every morning. I was not able to see a Rheumatologist in the area; the wait list was over a year. MIL was seeing one, and my wife was taking her to appts. She got a chance to explain to her R-gist what was going on with me. He told her her to set up an appt later that week. Anyway, came to see another R-gist and as I was explaining the situation, he began to get a smile on his face. I asked him why he was smiling, he said "I think I know what it is." He roled off Polymyalgia Rheumatica so quickly, that I has to ask that he slow that down. He then printed off a PMR information sheet. I started reading the symptoms, and was was saying to myself, check, check, check, check... Everything listed was happening to me. Bingo, PMR!!!

Since then, I have had two flares, just coming off my most recent one in July of this year. Pred has worked very very well for me. Follow-up appt with R-gist showed inflammation markers high again. He suggest Methotrexate, which I don't want to do. He said that I could stay on a low dose of pred, which I would prefer. I know that everyone is different, but that is what has worked very well for me, pred. so far that is. I would assume that I would have to do another taper, rather that starting at the 4 to 5 mg dose, but not sure tat this point. Will discuss with R-gist.