Symptoms Concentrated in Legs?

Interesting, I’ve had PMR for 13 months but it took almost 4 months for them to diagnose. It started as severe pain in shoulders, neck, & hips with morning stiffness that fades as you make yourself move. I did find the stiffness & soreness move into my legs @ about 3rd month. I was put on 15 mg of Prednisone which was an absolute miracle - until I’d been on it a few months. The side effects became scary - my blood sugar & blood pressure became erratic. I started meditating more often during the day and found that it really seemed to calm the symptoms. I’ve tried Meloxicam & Diclofenac at times of intense pain. The past year has been extremely stressful taking care of parents in their 90’s. I’ve had multiple “flares” , I guess it’s called, where the pain gets much worse. Currently, I’m managing pain with meditating & sometimes Tylenol. I make myself start moving in the mornings -just pushing through knowing that it will go away. The major symptom getting me down in this current session is overwhelming fatigue. I just had lab work & ESR & CRP are high again, but I haven’t met with Dr. yet. I was hoping this would go away. I’ve tried so hard to control with careful diet, exercise, & meditating, but it’s wearing me down. I also feel like I can’t think - brain fog? Has anyone else experienced this?

@bizeemom I had bad brain fog when I had untreated PMR. I've read that it is common with PMR and also with prednisone.

It sounds like your PMR isn't very well controlled. Have you thought about Kevzara? It can help get you off of prednisone and has very few side effects for most people.

@amroo I’m pretty good. Down to 5mg of steroids. Taking Kevzara and methotrexate to get off them. My symptoms/flares are still mostly in my torso and thighs. How are your inflammation markers. Mine were crazy high. C reactive protein at 120 and sed at 85 so it made it pretty easy to diagnose. Although there are some other things possible with those numbers. Biggest problems I have now are cataracts as a result of three years on steroids. posterior subcapsular cataracts. More aggressive and come on so very fast. Just had my first eye done and omg the difference. So that can be fixed! It’s a freaking hard journey to be sure. Just take things one day at a time and listen to what your body is telling you. Take good care.

@bizeemom - I'm working on a possible diagnosis of PMR with my rheumatologist, nothing definite yet and I can't speak to the meds.

I've dealt with chronic pain due to various orthopedic issues and injuries for over 40 years, and as a yoga teacher I've learned to lean into meditation to get me through. I'm currently taking an 8-week MBSR (mindfulness based stress reduction) course that has been a game changer for me, not necessarily helping the pain, but helping me to deal with it emotionally. Just a thought.

"Mindfulness-based stress reduction is an educational program designed for learning mindfulness and discovering skillful ways to manage stress. MBSR was developed in the late 1970s by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The eight-week course combines mindfulness meditation, body awareness, and yoga to help individuals manage stress, pain, and illness"