PMR/GCA

I'm not a doctor but I think anytime you have PMR/GCA and you have something happening with your vision or eyesight you need to contact your rheumatologist or doctor immediately. It's nothing to play around with as you can lose your vision totally. Here's more information - https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2006/1101/p1557.html.

Thank you for your reply, @johnbishop. I agree about staying on top of my situation and I am monitoring things with my PCP and my Ophthalmologist. I'm just curious about the actual chances of developing a stroke, heart attack or even blindness and I would like hear from people who have experienced these events. My sympathies are with all of you experiencing this insidious disorder! It ain't fun!

I was diagnosed with PMR on April 12th of this year after being in incredible pain and unable to do activities of normal daily living for months. My family physician couldn't figure out what was wrong with me so I sought help at another practice. I am so thankful for the Doctor who diagnosed me and immediately put me on prednisone. What a life changer. I was started on 15 mg of prednisone per day which helped tremendously. After a week it was increased to 20 mg as I was still having lingering pain mainly in my shoulders and wrists. I became pain free with the 20mg dose. My doctor told me the goal was to get me at a level where I was pain-free. At which point he wanted me there for one solid month before we started to titrate down at all.

On May 2nd my prednisone was increased to 30 mg per day for intermittent flashing I was having in my eyes. I was also referred to a vascular clinic for a temporal artery biopsy for possible GCA. (I had been having this ongoing flashing off and on for months and had thought it was from painless migraines with aura I had been told that I had). I didn't even realize it could be related to what was going on with me until I came across the information in reading about PMR and GCA following my initial diagnosis.

On May 13th I was diagnosed with GCA after a bilateral temporal artery biopsy and was immediately started on 60 mg of prednisone. Thankfully the vascular surgeon had done a bilateral biopsy as that giant cells were present on the left side and not the right.
I was on 60 mg per day for two weeks and have just started 50 mg until my next appointment mid June.

Like many others I also immediately started an anti-inflammatory diet which my diagnosing doctor recommended. I am eating mainly plant based food with additional fish proteins, tofu and some organic chicken.
I have also spent time focusing on reducing stress in my life and increasing physical activity with swimming and walking. *Of note, prior to PMR starting I had been an otherwise healthy and very active 60 year old female.

I know this is all a journey, especially after reading so much in this digest of other peoples stories. I had never heard of of PMR or GCA before my life-changing experience. Thankfully there's a place such as this to share our experiences, ask questions and learn from others.

I was diagnosed with PMR on April 12th of this year after being in incredible pain and unable to do activities of normal daily living for months. My family physician couldn't figure out what was wrong with me so I sought help at another practice. I am so thankful for the Doctor who diagnosed me and immediately put me on prednisone. What a life changer. I was started on 15 mg of prednisone per day which helped tremendously. After a week it was increased to 20 mg as I was still having lingering pain mainly in my shoulders and wrists. I became pain free with the 20mg dose. My doctor told me the goal was to get me at a level where I was pain-free. At which point he wanted me there for one solid month before we started to titrate down at all.

On May 2nd my prednisone was increased to 30 mg per day for intermittent flashing I was having in my eyes. I was also referred to a vascular clinic for a temporal artery biopsy for possible GCA. (I had been having this ongoing flashing off and on for months and had thought it was from painless migraines with aura I had been told that I had). I didn't even realize it could be related to what was going on with me until I came across the information in reading about PMR and GCA following my initial diagnosis.

On May 13th I was diagnosed with GCA after a bilateral temporal artery biopsy and was immediately started on 60 mg of prednisone. Thankfully the vascular surgeon had done a bilateral biopsy as that giant cells were present on the left side and not the right.
I was on 60 mg per day for two weeks and have just started 50 mg until my next appointment mid June.

Like many others I also immediately started an anti-inflammatory diet which my diagnosing doctor recommended. I am eating mainly plant based food with additional fish proteins, tofu and some organic chicken.
I have also spent time focusing on reducing stress in my life and increasing physical activity with swimming and walking. *Of note, prior to PMR starting I had been an otherwise healthy and very active 60 year old female.

I know this is all a journey, especially after reading so much in this digest of other peoples stories. I had never heard of of PMR or GCA before my life-changing experience. Thankfully there's a place such as this to share our experiences, ask questions and learn from others.

I was diagnosed with PMR on April 12th of this year after being in incredible pain and unable to do activities of normal daily living for months. My family physician couldn't figure out what was wrong with me so I sought help at another practice. I am so thankful for the Doctor who diagnosed me and immediately put me on prednisone. What a life changer. I was started on 15 mg of prednisone per day which helped tremendously. After a week it was increased to 20 mg as I was still having lingering pain mainly in my shoulders and wrists. I became pain free with the 20mg dose. My doctor told me the goal was to get me at a level where I was pain-free. At which point he wanted me there for one solid month before we started to titrate down at all.

On May 2nd my prednisone was increased to 30 mg per day for intermittent flashing I was having in my eyes. I was also referred to a vascular clinic for a temporal artery biopsy for possible GCA. (I had been having this ongoing flashing off and on for months and had thought it was from painless migraines with aura I had been told that I had). I didn't even realize it could be related to what was going on with me until I came across the information in reading about PMR and GCA following my initial diagnosis.

On May 13th I was diagnosed with GCA after a bilateral temporal artery biopsy and was immediately started on 60 mg of prednisone. Thankfully the vascular surgeon had done a bilateral biopsy as that giant cells were present on the left side and not the right.
I was on 60 mg per day for two weeks and have just started 50 mg until my next appointment mid June.

Like many others I also immediately started an anti-inflammatory diet which my diagnosing doctor recommended. I am eating mainly plant based food with additional fish proteins, tofu and some organic chicken.
I have also spent time focusing on reducing stress in my life and increasing physical activity with swimming and walking. *Of note, prior to PMR starting I had been an otherwise healthy and very active 60 year old female.

I know this is all a journey, especially after reading so much in this digest of other peoples stories. I had never heard of of PMR or GCA before my life-changing experience. Thankfully there's a place such as this to share our experiences, ask questions and learn from others.

I was diagnosed with PMR on April 12th of this year after being in incredible pain and unable to do activities of normal daily living for months. My family physician couldn't figure out what was wrong with me so I sought help at another practice. I am so thankful for the Doctor who diagnosed me and immediately put me on prednisone. What a life changer. I was started on 15 mg of prednisone per day which helped tremendously. After a week it was increased to 20 mg as I was still having lingering pain mainly in my shoulders and wrists. I became pain free with the 20mg dose. My doctor told me the goal was to get me at a level where I was pain-free. At which point he wanted me there for one solid month before we started to titrate down at all.

On May 2nd my prednisone was increased to 30 mg per day for intermittent flashing I was having in my eyes. I was also referred to a vascular clinic for a temporal artery biopsy for possible GCA. (I had been having this ongoing flashing off and on for months and had thought it was from painless migraines with aura I had been told that I had). I didn't even realize it could be related to what was going on with me until I came across the information in reading about PMR and GCA following my initial diagnosis.

On May 13th I was diagnosed with GCA after a bilateral temporal artery biopsy and was immediately started on 60 mg of prednisone. Thankfully the vascular surgeon had done a bilateral biopsy as that giant cells were present on the left side and not the right.
I was on 60 mg per day for two weeks and have just started 50 mg until my next appointment mid June.

Like many others I also immediately started an anti-inflammatory diet which my diagnosing doctor recommended. I am eating mainly plant based food with additional fish proteins, tofu and some organic chicken.
I have also spent time focusing on reducing stress in my life and increasing physical activity with swimming and walking. *Of note, prior to PMR starting I had been an otherwise healthy and very active 60 year old female.

I know this is all a journey, especially after reading so much in this digest of other peoples stories. I had never heard of of PMR or GCA before my life-changing experience. Thankfully there's a place such as this to share our experiences, ask questions and learn from others.

I was diagnosed with PMR on April 12th of this year after being in incredible pain and unable to do activities of normal daily living for months. My family physician couldn't figure out what was wrong with me so I sought help at another practice. I am so thankful for the Doctor who diagnosed me and immediately put me on prednisone. What a life changer. I was started on 15 mg of prednisone per day which helped tremendously. After a week it was increased to 20 mg as I was still having lingering pain mainly in my shoulders and wrists. I became pain free with the 20mg dose. My doctor told me the goal was to get me at a level where I was pain-free. At which point he wanted me there for one solid month before we started to titrate down at all.

On May 2nd my prednisone was increased to 30 mg per day for intermittent flashing I was having in my eyes. I was also referred to a vascular clinic for a temporal artery biopsy for possible GCA. (I had been having this ongoing flashing off and on for months and had thought it was from painless migraines with aura I had been told that I had). I didn't even realize it could be related to what was going on with me until I came across the information in reading about PMR and GCA following my initial diagnosis.

On May 13th I was diagnosed with GCA after a bilateral temporal artery biopsy and was immediately started on 60 mg of prednisone. Thankfully the vascular surgeon had done a bilateral biopsy as that giant cells were present on the left side and not the right.
I was on 60 mg per day for two weeks and have just started 50 mg until my next appointment mid June.

Like many others I also immediately started an anti-inflammatory diet which my diagnosing doctor recommended. I am eating mainly plant based food with additional fish proteins, tofu and some organic chicken.
I have also spent time focusing on reducing stress in my life and increasing physical activity with swimming and walking. *Of note, prior to PMR starting I had been an otherwise healthy and very active 60 year old female.

I know this is all a journey, especially after reading so much in this digest of other peoples stories. I had never heard of of PMR or GCA before my life-changing experience. Thankfully there's a place such as this to share our experiences, ask questions and learn from others.