21/2 years down to 12 mgs pred. Been a bumpy road reducing. Couldn't make it without Pred but it has never relieved all of the pain. A good day for me is zero norco to half a pill. Bad day is four halfs a day. By what I read most people are pain free just on Pred. That would be nice.
Last month or so feels like I have pads on the bottom of my feet worse as the day goes on and mild pain when I hit the hay. Have modified my diet extensively thinking it a blood sugar deal. Also have been checking glucose levels and it's 90-110 most of the time. Peed my rheumy off by asking for a referral to a major medical complex inDallas??? Any suggestions or helpful advice is greatly appreciated. Have been using the dsns method. Am in the middle of reducing from 12.5-12 and as usual it's kicking my patootie......
I hate that it just seems like it's definitely going to be an on going problem without prednisone. I hate the side effects of it, but it does keep my pain level down.
No, by no means everyone is free of pain with pred - but I'd also suggeset that if opiates help than it very possibly isn't PMR pain you are experiencing. Most people find only pred touches the PMR pain by relieving the inflammation that causes the pain.
I had sore feet similar to that in the early days of PMR. About 5 years ago I had other problems including severe low back pain and was referred to the pain clinic where they diagnosed myofascial pain syndrome with all my back muscles being hard and in spasm and treated it in their usual way. It all made a major difference to the back pain I had, it is now almost non-existent, and also to the way I stood and walked. About a year after it all kicked off my chiropodist commented on the difference in my feet, almost a different shape, far less hard skin and no pressure corns - and they FEEL different. Others have had similar experiences.
Had foot problem for short time til a bought a revitive
a little pricey but worth every cent. Google it! No more foot problems. Also can be used for other parts of body
I bought a portable tens unit for lower back its very small and can be put in your pocket. That also helps a lot.
Some days I am 100% pain free but have problems reducing. Went to 9 1/2 a week ago but after two days of discomfort I went back up to 10. I'll try it again next week
I started at 20 so figure I'm halfway there. I have found Rheumatologist's not helpful at all. I now see my GP who lets me adjust the pred
I was thinking the same thing Eileen said the whole time I read your question. I have had lower back problems for the last 13 years and have been on a pretty high dose of opiates for many of those years. It was just back in September of last year that I was diagnosed with PMR and it did nothing for my PMR pain. So I wonder too if the pain you're feeling is from PMR. That is not to say that you don't also have PMR but perhaps the additional pain is from yet another problem that is being masked by the PMR
They use a technique called needling where hypodermic needles are inserted just under the skin and small amounts of either lignocaine, saline or steroids are injected there, and both steroid injections into and manual mobilisation of the myofascial syndrome trigger points (in pairs on either side of the spine in shoulder muscles, about rib level and in the lower back about where the baby's dimples are). They are all techniques that stimulate the trigger points (hard knots of muscle fibres) to disperse and the muscles to relax. Similar effects can be obtained by dry needling and intramuscular stimulation - both use acupuncture type needles and no solution. You should find further info if you google them.
You are in the USA I assume - you should find all of those with a google search. I also had a lot of benefit from Bowen therapy - plenty of them in the uS too.
Further to Eileen's description of needling, I have had a similar procedure, called dry needling - same process but no substance injected. The idea is that the electrical signals in the muscles get reset. Oddly enough it did work. A very curious sensation. Sometimes quite painful, like a needle being stuck in your back but other times a sensation like a finger being pressed into the flesh, not painful just weird.