Why Does the PMR discussion have so many posts Compared to others

@johnbishop
Sorry ... but I hate to disagree with how they normally confirm a PMR diagnosis. As far as I know there is no definitive way to confirm a PMR diagnosis. I fell into the trap of thinking my pain was PMR related if Prednisone rapidly relieved my pain. My biggest regret was taking Prednisone for all of my pain when there were better options available. Also ... after being diagnosed with PMR and being treated with Prednisone, that doesn't exclude other possible underlying reasons for developing new onset pain. I had a tendency to throw more Prednisone at every pain without the pain being reevaluated..

According to artificial intelligence --- The diagnosis of PMR is primarily clinical, based on a combination of symptoms, physical examination, laboratory tests, and the exclusion of other conditions.

I have other autoimmune conditions in addition to PMR. My rheumatologist said not to take Prednisone long term for the other autoimmune conditions. I can assure you that Prednisone rapidly relieved the pain caused by those other autoimmune conditions too.

I have conditions which are not autoimmune. Prednisone did a decent job of relieving that pain too but there were better options.

Prednisone is the universal anti-inflammatory medication for many disorders. Just because Prednisone works to rapidly relieve the pain, that doesn't confirm it is PMR. Because prednisone is a universal anti-inflammatory, its ability to rapidly relieve pain simply indicates that the underlying cause of the pain is inflammatory in nature but that doesn't confirm PMR.

Hi Mike @dadcue, Actually I agree with you but probably didn't choose my wording/thought well. I was a mess by the time I had my appointment with my Rochester Mayo rheumatologist. My wife drove me and they had to put me in a wheelchair because I couldn't walk. I had a fluid build up in my right knee, along with all of the PMR symptoms - body/joint pain from shoulder to feet. The first appointment early in the morning they drained the fluid from the knee and I met with the rheumatologist who did a physical exam and looked at the blood test results and told me it seems like I probably have PMR. I didn't know what it was so he explained in layman's terms that it's like arthritis all over the body. He gave me an Rx for 20mg prednisone and wanted me to take it at lunchtime and comeback later in the afternoon.

We had the RX filled at the Mayo pharmacy and then went to lunch in the Mayo cafeteria. I took the 20 mg dose and then about 3 hours later saw the rheumatologist again and it really was like a miracle for me. That's when I mentioned that the PMR diagnosis fits for me. I no longer needed the wheelchair and was able to walk back to the car. I did let my wife drive us home though.

@johnbishop

What would we do without our wives? I had a similar presentation but I didn't have my own doctor except for an ophthalmologist that treated all of my flares of uveitis. I didn't think I should call an ophthalmolgist just because I couldn't move.

My wife knew I was self medicated with leftover prednisone prescribed for uveitis but she didn't approve of Prednisone. She thought I needed a medical doctor. I thought as long as I didn't ever run out of Prednisone I didn't need any medical doctors.

I didn't have any Prednisone to take when PMR set in. I didn't want to go to the emergency room. I deteriorated for a couple of days until my wife needed to help me out of bed and she had to dress me one morning. I only needed "a little help" but my wife didn't agree.

My wife didn't seem to appreciate that I only needed to rest. Later that day, my wife loaded me into the car but she didn't tell me where we were going. She had called her primary care doctor who agreed to see me on an urgent basis. My wife insisted on sitting in on my appointment so I wouldn't leave out any details.

I thought my wife's primary care doctor was demeaning to me. She didn't believe anything I said and only listened to my wife. My wife's primary care doctor rolled her eyes when I suggested she prescribe some Prednisone to me and I would be "on my way." She said I needed a rheumatologist but she did prescribe some Prednisone to me just to "tide me over" until I could see the rheumatologist.

Hi Mike @dadcue, Actually I agree with you but probably didn't choose my wording/thought well. I was a mess by the time I had my appointment with my Rochester Mayo rheumatologist. My wife drove me and they had to put me in a wheelchair because I couldn't walk. I had a fluid build up in my right knee, along with all of the PMR symptoms - body/joint pain from shoulder to feet. The first appointment early in the morning they drained the fluid from the knee and I met with the rheumatologist who did a physical exam and looked at the blood test results and told me it seems like I probably have PMR. I didn't know what it was so he explained in layman's terms that it's like arthritis all over the body. He gave me an Rx for 20mg prednisone and wanted me to take it at lunchtime and comeback later in the afternoon.

We had the RX filled at the Mayo pharmacy and then went to lunch in the Mayo cafeteria. I took the 20 mg dose and then about 3 hours later saw the rheumatologist again and it really was like a miracle for me. That's when I mentioned that the PMR diagnosis fits for me. I no longer needed the wheelchair and was able to walk back to the car. I did let my wife drive us home though.

I agree totally. Rheumatologists don't seem to know how to handle PMR, even though it seems to be a simple disease compared to the other diseased seen by rheumatologists. I have been struggling with this for 10 years! I have gotten so frustrated that I'm getting PMR medical advice from ChatGPT.