I was diagnosed with PMR at the age of 46, having struggled with the symptoms for about six months. It was the most frightening thing that has ever happened to me because nothing that the doctor gave me made any difference. The pain was awful. I was unable to get out of bed or get dressed without help from my children. Eventually I was refered to a consultant in Sheffield who took great care to find out what was wrong. After 9 days in hospital, I returned home feeling almost human again and walking freely, without pain. The prednisolone was miraculous and over 18 months, I have managed to reduce the dose from 15mg to 5mg. Pain and muscle weakness returned each time the dose was reduced but after a few days, the pain lessened and eventually disappeared.
Because it is so unusual for people of my age to have PMR, young doctors felt unable to diagnose it inspite of typical symptoms. Sometimes I thought I was going mad, because it would seem to be less of a problem as the day wore on, but come back with a vengence in the early hours of the morning. I would like to meet other younger sufferers if possible - just to see how they are managing their lives.
Thank you for the opportunity to express just a little of my experience.
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I've been recently diagnosed with PMR after spending 2 months staggering out of bed in the morning like an OAP and I'm only 40. I even insisted we buy a new bed, but the nice new & expensive bed made no difference whatsoever! Fortunately, my first appointment was with a very experienced GP who immediately suspected PMR and sent me to see a Rheumatologist. It's interesting that you say reducing the dosage brings back a return of symptoms which do then lessen, as I've just tried to reduce the dose from 10mg to 7.5mg and found a big increase in discomfort, so went back to 10mg today. I don't like being on steroids and think that they are probably affecting both my emotional state and also my weight. I just wish there was something else I could do to get better more quickly.
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I wawdiagnosed with polymyalgia at 47 years old male, from Perth
in Australia, reduced Prednisolone down to 2mg per day, have been down to a dose as low as 1mg, am now 50, have to continue to exercise, still feel sore, and am unsure when this will burn itself out.
Again the doctors thought nothing was wrong with me and certainly did not believe I had PMR at my age.
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dear sufferer, i too was diagnosed early (43) i have had it now for 7 years. i was a very fit healthy individual before hand. i did exercise 3 or 4 times weekly. i am down to 3 mgs. daily now, but some days are worse than others. i am reluctant to up my dose again as i have done this several times before, and then it takes ages to get back down again. i am ever hopeful at waking one day to find the stiffness gone and no more aches and pains! is there anyone out there that has suffered for more than 7 years but now free of steroids and pain??