I have just been diagnosed with polymyalgia rheumatica, just waiting for blood tests to come back to confirm, it is a real bugger, when you wake up in the morning you cant move your arms and the pain is bad to say the least.
I have to go on a course of steroids for at least two years, although there is no cure they say that with treatment the condition often goes away after 2 to 3 years.
Untreated, there is a risk of blindness, heart attack or stroke.
So steroids, here I come
Polymyalgia rheumatica is a condition causing pain and stiffness in older adults. Typical symptoms include severe and painful muscle aches and stiffness, particularly affecting the neck, shoulders and thighs. The onset is usually sudden. People aged 50 years and over are most commonly affected. The average age of diagnosis is 70 years. It is common and very treatable.
The cause is unknown but genetics and environmental factors, such as an infection, are believed to play a role. Polymyalgia rheumatica should not be confused with fibromyalgia a condition that causes pain and muscle stiffness, but does not cause inflammation.
Symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica Symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica can include:
Muscle pain and stiffness, particularly in the neck, shoulders, hips and upper arms
Stiffness worsens after resting for example, symptoms may be most severe upon rising in the morning
Fatigue
Difficulty sleeping
Difficulty raising arms above shoulder height
Unexplained weight loss.
Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis (temporal arteritis) Approximately one in five people with polymyalgia rheumatica experience giant cell arteritis (also known as temporal arteritis). This involves painful inflammation of the blood vessels (arteries) of the skull. The temples are tender to touch and chewing may cause some pain in the side of your face. Giant cell arteritis can cause damage to the arteries of the eye, which can lead to blindness. This damage can be prevented if treated promptly.
See your doctor immediately if you experience headaches, blurred or double vision, if your temples are tender to touch and if chewing causes pain in the side of your face.
The cause is unknown Polymyalgia rheumatica causes inflammation and swelling in the larger joints of the body, such as the shoulders and hips, and in the tissues around these joints. The inflammation is caused by cells of the immune system attacking the membranes lining the joint (synovium), but the reason for this is unknown.
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Goinsoon
I dont suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
Best wishes Brian and Lynette..........geez I wish you wouldn't use such big words.....lololololol...........sounds like you have some first hand experience on this subject. It is good to be able to help our friends with our personal experiences.
Tempur mattresses are good, swimming and antibiotic protocol (people have been suggesting (minocycline) minocin with outstanding results.
There are also support groups .
Some medical people can be pusilanime about the situation, but you having a sense of balatronous about yourself, you will be fine.
Lynette
Thanks lynette for your kind thoughts, I have been speaking to some fellow sufferers and there appears to be a lot of natural treatments available which seem to be effective.
So shoulders back and fight
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Goinsoon
I dont suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
Best wishes Brian and Lynette..........geez I wish you wouldn't use such big words.....lololololol...........sounds like you have some first hand experience on this subject. It is good to be able to help our friends with our personal experiences.
The first word was Spanish, meaning lacking courage, I could not find the right meaning for the other one, but I am sure Lynette means have courage
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Goinsoon
I dont suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
Thanks Lynette, my translator converted it to a different english word, but are right about some doctors though.
I have to take a light hearted view to it, I tell all my friends that they now,have to treat me gently as I now have a condition. I read that brewers yeast is a handy treatment and I am fortunate that it comes in cans and little brown bottles
-- Edited by goinsoon on Sunday 23rd of October 2011 04:44:25 PM
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Goinsoon
I dont suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
Sorry to hear about you condition GS, never had it but it doesn't sound very nice.
Hopefully it will pass eventually and you will have "Novida" (Spanish for New Life).
Thanks Vic, decided not to let it get me down, so I joined a lapidary club and went to first workshop today, result totally hooked, should take my mind off it.
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Goinsoon
I dont suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
Geez Goinsoon, thats a bummer! So pleased to read that you have a positive attitude and there is treatment/s. Ongoing pain can get you down, so hang in there mate.
Good news Brian - know a bloke with the same thing - he reckons the meds work a dream!
Been on steroids now for 3 days, pain almost totally gone, dont feel tired all the time and I have much more energy, the doseage will drop down over the next three months to about 2.5 mg a day
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Goinsoon
I dont suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
Thanks Vic, it is all good now, I don't care what they say about the side effects of steroids, but if you follow the doc's advice, keep away from too much sugar and increase your calcium intake it is ok.
Dunno about pronouncing when I have been on the wobble water, I have trouble pronouncing it when I am sober
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Goinsoon
I dont suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
I was diagnosed with Polymyalgia Rheumatica in June 2010 - I first started getting symptoms in February 2010 but it took months for my GP to work out what was wrong, he was giving me fortnightly cortisone injections for a while with absolutely no effect.
At it's worst it was horrible, I couldn't dress myself as I could not lift my arms, however, after taking Prednisone it was like a miracle cure.
The only problems were that I put on weight very quickly and got the 'moon' face.
I think I am on the mend now though, I weaned myself down to 2.5mg Prednisone per day then 2.5mg every second day and I am doing well. Of course my GP does not approve of me lowering the dose of Prednisone.
