Well my ESR is now 7 and my CRP 5 !! So I am back on track after last months upper 20s results but it has taken 15mg to sort it out I have been a bit tired after overdoing it a bit at the weekend so my Dr said to make sure I feel fine for a week before reducing to 12.5 My BP was slightly higher than it normally is but I think I was a bit stressed about these results and it was still in normal range I did ask about Gym referrals and she is happy to give me one but I am first going to try somewhere very near to me which was a cottage Hospital and now is part private part NHS and seems to do fitness for cardiac patients and other illnesses so I hope someone might me able to understand my muscles there as I was getting too many strains with ordinary Aerobics I have spent all of Jan and Feb sat keeping warm and dry so now want to get going !! Best wishes to all and I hope Green Granny your appointment goes well Mrs G
That's good news for you today Mrs G and I bet you breathed a sigh of relief. It's not surprising that our blood pressure goes up is it when we go off for these blood tests and end up crossing everything and waiting with baited breath until we have the results. The main thing is that you are feeling so much relief from the pain and hopefully you will be able to reduce to 12.5 successfully this time. Don't rush into the exercise though unless it's something very gentle. I went to a new class on Monday called 'Extend' which I am hoping is going to help my arm muscles. It was good fun especially at the end when the teacher gave us all hula hoops and got us line dancing with them!!! However, I think I still prefer my Tai Chi/Chi Kung class which I have been to this afternoon - definitely feel great after that with far greater relief for my arms and improvement in my flexibility. I can't recommend it enough. A chiropodist has confirmed my chillblains today even though they don't itch as everyone else seems to experience but he said they will itch when they are getting better and said they will go at the end of the winter.....BUT does it have an end this year. The snow seems to have gone from this part of the country just to be replaced with never-ending rain! Never mind, maybe we'll soon have that B-B-Q summer the forecasters promised last year !
MrsO
Mrs G
Don't hurry the drop. When you drop, try and make it an easy week following that drop. Take it all slowly.
Last Saturday I reduced to 5mg, but feel lethargic and all over the place, but put that down to withdrawal symptoms. If I feel better by Saturday, I will know the drop has worked.
Mrs O - Block Snowfire for your Chilblains.
Thank you for your good wishes I am going to take the exercise really easy as even carrying shopping bags feels heavy nowadays !! Because the weather has been so awful I havent been walking enough so I thought even useing the treadmill would be progress and I think I need it for the mental well being I am fed up with sitting reading !! Yes I am really going to be careful with the reductiions this time I dont want anymore blips and hopefully the sleep will improve with the reductions in doseage
Dear Mrs G. Glad your results are down, mine too!! :D :D ESR was 11 and CRP was 1.1 ! The other blood tests were all clear too, including RA, diabetes, and ANA. I'm really impressed with the new GP I'm seeing who also does a rheumatology clinic at the local hospital. Apparently I have ATYPICAL PMR - the first time its been called that, apparently because of the flare up. It seems to me a lot of us on this site are Atypical then!
He also said that we all have aches and pains as we get older, the pred will help with them too, but as we reduce and the PMR improves we will still be left with the other aches and pains which can confuse the issue. Also we don't all benefit from the Pred at the same rate. Some people's bodies will make use of the whole of a 10mg dose, others only half of it, and having a cold or other infection can effect that too. I asked should one increase if one had flu or something similar but he didn't think so.So actually reducing is trial and error, he didn't think blood tests really indicated accurately enough, more how one feels still.
But he still wants me to have a chest X ray, don't know quite why, but he seemed to think it was a ggod idea to have one every few years.
Anyway I am so pleased to have found a GP who is helpful and do sympathise with all those who have found being diagnosed etc. so difficult. So all I have to do now is gradually reduce from the 12.5 AGAIN.
Husband incidentally has GOUT now! Old age ain't that great!
Green granny
Dear Green Granny - so pleased for you with those results, in fact they're much lower than mine at ESR 19 and CRP 7 when the rheumy discharged me a couple of weeks ago! Quite painful upper arms this morning so it could just be that the 2mgs is not quite enough but I know they will ease later today and I'm persevering with it as at least my legs are ok. That new doctor you are seeing sounds very caring and up-to-date.....I believe that Dr Dasgupta's recommendations include a chest x-ray. I've never had one but then I've never had any of the recommended checks until, armed with the advice in the Guidelines, I have now asked for them. In fact, I have just had my first fasting Diabetes blood test this morning after 3 years on steroids! You must feel much more reassured now that you've had the luck to come across this new Dr and that will go a long way to helping your recovery, I'm sure. Well done and keep well.
MrsO
Hi Green Granny I am so pleased you are now dealing with an expert !! it really helps to feel that someone knows the answer to your questions I think I must have this Atypical PMR this time as I have had a flare up My Dr also says any infection including colds will affect your bloods I really would prefer the PMR I had last time which went away nicely in 2 years with no blips !! Im sure he is right about all the other aches and pains being masked by the steroids I do tend to blame any ache and pain on PMR but Im sure they are also now down to the fact that I am 8 years older than when I had it the first time Hope your husband feels better soon and your reduction programme goes well I am going to behave myself and not start reducing until next week !! It does seem amazing Mrs O that your bloods are so much higher and are on 2mg I just feel we must all have a different normal blood rates to start with I had one little blip between my 2 bouts of PMR when my upper arms were aching and my DR sent me for blood tests as precaution ( I felt fine when I went back for the blood results ) and mine were 2 and 3 !!! sol I think that must be my norm as anywhere in the teens and I feel in pain Interesting how different we all are
Mrs G - yes it's interesting comparing our blood results at different stages. At present (2 weeks ago) and just having reached 2mgs, my ESR was 19 and CRP 7. However, some time ago and on a higher dose, my ESR has been down to 4 and my CRP 7. I feel what is happening to me at the moment is that just possibly either the steroid dose is a bit too low to keep the markers very low or perhaps it is just connected to the adrenal glands trying to pick up again. Today I have been very tired so I'm hoping that doesn't mean anything sinister. It might just be because I got up earlier this morning to get to the hospital waiting for it to open so that there wouldn't be 100s in front of me as it was a fasting test and I didn't want to wait too long for my breakfast (I'm always starving when I wake up!). Oh, we are a complicated bunch aren't we and I think we all need to be under that expert of a Dr that Green Granny has discovered!
Keep well......and dry!!
MrsO