Hi all just to let you know regarding the sweating I'm having I went to hospital on Fri only to find out because of the sweats and high white blood cells they are finding out if it's cancer of the lymph nodes can you please tell me if it still.part of pmr to have high white blood cells at the time they took my blood I had a bout of shingles so could that play a part of of the white blood cells being high with having an infection thank you
You'll get more knowledgeable advice soon, but as far as I know shingles does increase white blood cells. I hadn't heard that among its many effects pmr has any significant influence on white blood cells.
Isn't it white blood cells which produce the cytokines which cause our inflammation?
Hi Paula, I have suspected GCA and maybe PMR, I recently was referred to haematology because of a high white blood cell count, I didn't have any sweating, but I had to have a bone marrow test which fortunately was o.k., the Haematologist said the high reading could be due to an infection, or the Prednisolone which sends the count up sometimes. I know it's worrying, but they do things to rule other things out, I think they put it down in my case to the steroids. Good Luck, I'm sure everything will be fine.
Well said, catherine. I'm sure that paula was very reassured by that.
I also had to endure various tests and scans in the early stage of PMR diagnosis because the rheumatologist thought that some of my symptoms were 'atypical' and she needed to rule out 'anything else'. Thankfully all test were normal also. I suppose they have to be thorough or they wouldn't be doing their job properly. . . . J
One of the side effects of pred is a raised white count - it raises neutrophils and, as a result, also the total white countr. I gather there are a lot of medical staff who are unaware of this. Sweats are also absolutely typical of PMR itself as well as corticosteroids. And shingles will also skew any blood tests since any infection will raise the white cell count - they are what fights infection.
One of the things which should be ruled out in patients presenting with PMR symptoms is the possibility of these cancers.
Thank you Eileen I told the consultant I had shingles when they took blood also about this group what everyone was saying regarding the sweating he still said he never heard of sweating with pmr or pred I told him lots of people on this group suffered with sweating but like you said its better to be tested to rule it out thank you for your reply I don't know where I would be without this group your far more knowledgeable than the doc iv seen so far thank you very much
Thank you Anhaga for your advice I appreciate it all from this group
Thank you very much Catherine I was a bit scared when I found out they were testing me for cancer silly me but it's good that they are trying to rule it out so thanks once again for your advice
I'm pleased that all your test came back fine as I'm sure mine will it was just a bit of a shock when I got to hospital to find out they we're testing me for cancer as doctors never told me they were sending me for them to rule out cancer
Some nights I've sweated so much, I've had to dry off with a towel... My Rheumy asked if I had night sweats, but was still worried about it when I said I did, especially as I had an occasional fever, and also sent me for lots of investigations, including a referral to the infectious diseases department to exclude other conditions. My white blood cells were raised, iron stores low, Hb low, and the usual inflammatory markers were raised. It's reassuring to have serious conditions like cancer ruled out, but in the beginning you feel like you're constantly having hospital appointments and investigations, and it's all quite daunting. It's quite a relief when they eventually settle on the PMR.
Thankfully all the tests for infectious diseases were negative, but it was tedious having yet more blood tests.
Southern Cross in New Zealand:
"The pain and stiffness is caused by mild inflammation in the joints and surrounding tissues. Other symptoms of PMR may include: Headache. Fever and/or nightsweats"
Night sweats are almost always listed as symptoms of GCA - and since PMR and GCA are probably at different ends of a broad spectrum there will an overlap.
I had PMR for 5 years with no pred - frequently had sweats, not just night sweats, any time of day, especially if I exerted myself. The night sweats tended/tend to be in the early morning, about the time the inflammatory substances are shed in the body. And swears are listed on EVERY list of side effects of pred I have ever seen!
Where do some of these doctor get their information? Apart frm anything else - if they don't ask the patient won't tell them because they'll assume it is "normal" for our age.
I wonder if it ever occurs to them that telling the patient what they are doing actually would stop patients panicking. Though of course - if they are ignorant of the fact the illness with which the patient has already been diagnosed causes sweats, they are probably quite concerned themselves. Of course, cancer is also one of the things they should have ruled out in the first place before making the diagnosis since the symptoms we call PMR can also be caused by a few cancers...
Thank you Claire I'm pleased that everything came back good for you. And yes the hospital appointments are quite daunting I must say I not a very good with hospital I'm not a patient person which is a big fault with me
Hi,
I have had PMR for 2 years now and finally my markers are down to normal levels.
I also was having full blood counts every month as my white cells were high along with my Platelets and other problems with blood. My Haemotologist ran so many other type of blood tests nearly 30 in all as she was concerned about cancer in bones,all were negative, her conclusion was my body went into (reactive changes) meaning it reacted to my PMR which was very severe in the beginning and created changes in my blood. My white cell count and platelets have all returned to normal now, and I am now down to 5mg of Prednisone and intend to drop as low as I can though my Dr. wants me stay on a low dose possibly 4 or 3 mgs for quite awhile.
wishing you well, please let us know how you fare.
Track
Thank you for your reply . I will let you know the out come thank you
How do I know that this is PMR that I have and not some occult malignancy? I've never been worked up for that?
Me neither. I just figure if it was anything like that I'd be dead by now!
They will have done some basic blood tests which would be abnormal of it were most of the cancers that can cause the symptoms - it isn't all cancers that cme into question.
If it were a really obscure cancer you couldn't really blame the doctors for missing it - but mostly, if the symptoms respond dramatically to pred and then you are able to reduce relatively easily it is most likely to be PMR or an inflammatory arthritis. That is part of the reason I keep saying that if the symptoms don't respond fairly well to 15-20mg the doctors should keep looking to be sure.
Ok, thanks. I'll worry less now.