cs
I was diagnosed with PMR in October after 2 months of extreme pain and stiffness. I was essentially paralyzed after lying down or sitting too long. I was diagnosed by a process of elimination -- blood tests ruled out Lupus, Lyme Disease, Thyroid problems, Rheumatoid Arthritis, various Connective Tissue diseases, etc. The only abnormal tests were a high blood sed rate and high C-Reactive Protein. I also was losing weight. However, I did not experience the fatigue that is commonly a symptom. I was given Prednisone -- 10 mg/day. After just 1 pill 99% of my pain and stiffness was gone! I was fine the next month at 9 mg/day but when I went down to 8 mg/day my symptoms started coming back so I'm currently back to 9 mg/day. My Rheumatologist expects me to be on low dose Prednisone for at least a year. I'm told I'm unusual since I am only 48 years old. No one can tell me why I developed PMR, but a week before my symptoms appeared my husband had a heart attack and there were layoffs at work. I'm wondering if extreme stress could have played a part in creating havoc with my immune system. If anyone wants to correspond with me I would welcome it. cs