Hi @gcaunder50, terrible fatigue is one of the symptoms of PMR/GCA. It can be caused by anemia, the anemia of chronic inflammation. Did 40 mg of prednisone (prednisolone- U.K.?) alleviate your fatigue? Do you get your blood checked regularly? My rheumatologist ordered a monthly CRP. Once it was elevated and I had to increase the prednisone for a couple of weeks before resuming the taper.
Did you speak to your doctor about increasing the prednisone to see if your fatigue lessens? You just may need a higher dosage for a while. Also, the rheumatologist told me to take low dose aspirin everyday as those with GCA can be prone to aortic complications, like aneurysms.
I'm 72, had symptoms for a year before being diagnosed with GCA/PMR. It was debilitating. I was thankful to be retired because working would have been so difficult. It's very depressing, the memory of pain stayed with me, left an imprint, and made me hesitant to do much. I thought I would never get out of the black hole I was in, but I have. Now I just have normal aches and pains. I have a brighter outlook but for a long time, it was very dark and morbid.
Is there someone you can talk to? Do you have support from family and friends? It's a hidden disability - pain on a scale of 10 out of 10, the whole body sore and stiff, no appetite or energy. We don't look disabled so those not in the know may think we're malingering. Did you ask your employer for any accommodations? We have to be our own advocates and the doctors don't understand everything about these diseases. We don't all follow the textbook symptoms.
It may help you to keep a journal.
I was able to get off prednisone after a year and a half, and it will be one year off in October.
PMR and GCA are viewed as self-limiting diseases that eventually resolve, sooner for some than others. Feel free to post when things really suck!
I wish you the best.