Polymyalgia Rheumatica: A Rheumatologist explains

My CRP… was 28.9 ,my doctor pinned pointed PmR concerning me right away. Months of so much pain. Why don’t more doctors know about this? Especially since it’s the second. I had Covid and woke up with all the above symptoms. I keep thinking it would go away , very wrong. I am on a steroid doing very will. This doctor is very informative. Good get help.

Can't hear you very well.

how does it differ from fibromyalgia

Dr. Ortiz knows more about PMR than either of the rheumatologists I saw during my bout of PMR, and she does seem to be aware of some exciting work being done in Australia. Otherwise, there just isn't much. I read recently that they may have found marker antibodies for PMR. I don't remember anything more than that.

I’m 39 and have pmr x

Is it possible to have Fibromyalgia and have PMR? I was recently told by my Rheumatologist that I most likely have Fibromyalgia as I tested negative for many autoimmune conditions like Lupus. I did another blood test recently and it showed I have off the charts inflammation CRP (36) and ESR (78). I am a woman 29 years old, have many of the symptoms of Fibromyalgia and I'm overweight. My Rheumatologist prescribed me Gabapentin but so far it's only given me more side effects than helping me. I do have widespread body pain, skin sensitivity when touched and anything touches me, fatigue, stiffness in many joints with joint pain in the morning and throughout the day, brain fog, restless legs especially at night, muscle cramping/ spasms and trouble sleeping/ insomina, problems walking from the pain/ stiffness just to name a few. I don't have a follow-up until November with my Rheumatologist. Is it possible I have both conditions?

I am 74 -- I was riding my bike 200 miles a week for years, am used to exercise pain, have worked on staying as fit as I can for my age and one day week ago was brought down to my knees in pain and could barely get up. I was at.a family vacation and I could barely squat on a toilet, could not turn in bed, could barely get out of bed. I had no idea at first if it was an old crash related that knocked me out o alignment or what? This pain was so different and I have done 10,000 hours of squats and could not squat. I was told lupus due to ANA but it was not high i had no real Lupus symptoms. I live in Florida and cannot into a doctor for a real diagnosis until Nov. or get into a major medical (Mayo, University of Florida) center without a diagnosis. I have all symptoms but weight loss (of course). I used your video to send to my GP to get steroids and hope they work. All I can say is thank god for google as that is how I found you! Who knew? Great video. Love it - call Rheumatologist offices and and beg to get me in sooner? I am in severe pain - - "crickets" or "go to ER." Is this an ER specialty? Anyway - thanks for doctors like you who care!

Thank you for making me feel so much better about PMR. You were very clear and concise. We need more Doctors like you.

MODERNA BOOSTER PLUS FLU SHOT 1 MO APART 11/21 BROT MY PMR BACK!! HAD PMR 2014 TOOK 2 YRS TO DECEND! BE AWARE! THEN ALMOST FIINISHED ANOTHER 2YR DESCENT, SHINGLES ATTACK, STARTED PMR HAD TO START BACK PART WAY AGAIN! PLEASE INCLUDE FACT OUR ADRENAL GLANDS NEED TO RELEARN TAKES TIME CORTISOL TO BEGIN! YOU ARE AWESOME! IM 82 NOW, GREAT PHYSICIAN ASST GUIDED ME ALL THESE YRS IN HIS 50'S. HE BELIEVED ME, WE BECAME A TEAM!! GRMA NANCY WA STATE

I was diagnosed 17 years ago and get bouts lasting about a year at a time. Prednisone is the only thing that helps. Would like to know more about the artery inflammation. Wonderful information much appreciated.

In other words, take the prednisone and poison yourself only to find in the end, it doesn't really work! Western medicine is generally rubbish. If prednisone is so great, why so many relapses?

Recently diagnosed with PMR, the relief with prednisone was immediate with the dose started with 15 mg daily. I'm able to function on 8 to 10 mg without symptoms, and did not have elevated inflammation markers. I attribute it to having to a challenged autoimmune system.
Yes the low dose prednisone has side effects, i.e. blood sugar elevated, higher blood pressure, put on weight, but I'll take the prednisone and its side effects compared to the crippling pain. Before prednisone, I was consider euthanasia.

I'm 59 and just got "that call". I believe I am one of those that has suffered from this for many, many years. This last 6 years have been terrible. Unfortunately telling "all" the doctors that something is wrong (I would wave hands across my pelvic region and hips like a big triangle front and back) fell on deaf ears and my gp blames everything on Fibro. I have had steroid shots in many of my joints for over 30 years - which helped my whole body. The last 6 years the swelling, stiffness and joint pain ramped up and dressing became difficult (shoulders)... Well, my face breaks out some 1 or twice a year.....this involves an itch which leads to severe burning, redness and than swelling eyes then the peeling begins, which only prednisone stops. I know by the casual neck itch what is coming. I asked 1 year ago for help saying I'm swollen (behind my knees, the pressure might blow off my kneecaps - lol) but he was non committed to run blood work because "I will have markers for inflammation"....so that was it.........this last 2 weeks ago my face, neck, chest and now arms and hands came again and I told him "I'm fed up" what is causing this - it's so painful. Funny thing is, each time I got pregnant I developed face and neck rashes.....Seems pregnancy triggered something. I've been given a second week (first for face) and of course I'm feeling better. The hip joints down my outer thighs ending at my knees feel remarkable. I've had this painful areas for 25 years or so.....sleeping with a husband who would lift a knees during the night and rub along my outer thigh would shock me away.....I know it's a long story but for most of my life I've had these problems.....and to finally be told a tangible "thing" and it's not in my head and it's not fibromyalgia.....I hope I continue to improve as I've been concerned of late with my eyes/vision, balance and cognitive health from fatigue. Thanks for reading.

I forgot to ask about my abdominal discomfort and bloating. You mentioned stomach inflammation. I’m on prednisone, does this usually help stomach inflammation too? It hasn’t. If not, what will? Thanks

Hi, I have recently been diagnosed with this but have a question. I started with hip pain, then knee, but my upper body symptoms started the day after a chiropractic neck adjustment. I can’t imagine it’s just coincidence. Thoughts?

excellent info, thank you

I have been diagnosed with sudden onset PMR and my hips are not involved. It is worst in the shoulders, elbows, wrists and hands as well as the knees. Trouble getting up from sitting is not from the hips, it's from the bad knee pain in the soft tissues beside and behind the knees.
I suspect I have oxalate arthritis, having increased my oxalate intake suddenly on a new diet (yup, a lot of those "superfoods" are very high oxalate), but since the treatment is the same, I will accept the PMR diagnosis to save having a lot of diagnostic tests which may be inconclusive. Just letting others know that it may be wise to go on a strictly low oxalate diet in case it is caused by oxalates.

Thunbs up thanks

❤ Bless🙏🏻 you

Very informative but sound low.

I was diagnosed early 2022.
Better now and off the prednisone.
Does anyone know if I’m sick with a long lasting cold because my adrenal glands aren’t right?

I thought I had pickleball injuries and was horrified at the thought of two hip replacements and shoulder surgery. Somehow it dawned on me yesterday that this is inflammatory and I knew what it was! I started small 5mg doses of prednisone weeks ago, trying to skip days, which caused severe rebound. Now that I know what it is I upped to 10mg last night and will take 20 today. I have to fly tomorrow. Once I am home I'll get the lab tests and see my doctor early April.

This video was so helpful, than you so much!

My husband a rare case. He's 38 and has this, but we don't have insurance and have been going to basically a walk-in for this. The doctor doesn't seem to have any experience in this and prescribed him 10mg to start which helps but he still has pain and she's simply told him to take ibuprofen (which is a joke in this area of pain). Does he HAVE to see a specialist or just insist on a higher dose with blood test monitoring?

My mother has PMR and Giant Cell Arteritis! And I have GPA and Goodpasture’s Disease!

Great down-to-earth information. Thank you so much!

A brilliant video. Thank you SO much. I really wish you were my rheumatologist! (I have PMR). X

One doctor is suggesting overactive immune system which could be from having Covid OR covid vaccines. My came after my first vaccine. Just my head and neck - then my hips and knees, and last my shoulders . A bit different from the usual. I’ve had 4 covid vaccines. I don’t want to avoid my vaccines - what a trap.

I was so hopeful when I first read this - I started with sore hips - could not bend to pick things up from floor, then to the knees and finally the shoulders - my GP did mention PMR a few weeks ago but we are still testing - for the first time in my life (I’m 72) my C-reactive is over 1 - it’s now 14. But what some people are saying here about the Prednisone treatment - loss of hair etc it disturbing - tho I guess I should not care! But even when my GP mentioned the possibility of PMR he did say ‘you don’t want to have to go on Prednisone - it’s a very dangerous drug’. But how else can one get rid of it. I never thought I would not get in the tub alone - I can’t now. Thank God I’m so active- use a Fitbit and walk a lot - tho some days the fatigue is so bad I can’t leave the house. I wonder if this can just go away on it’s own. It was interesting when you mentioned causes - like an overactive immune system from vaccines. I’ve not had covid but I’ve been faithful about the vaccines - have had 4 so far and got more and more systems after each. How can we protect ourselves from covid if the vaccines might be the flare for the PMR? Scary. Thanks so much for this talk and all the other feedback from viewers - so very helpful. :)

I was diagnosed with PMR...been on Prednisone for 2 years... I've gone down to 1 mg of Prednisone and went off it..y muscles are not the culprit...I have severe arthritis in my feet and hands now...what's up???? Can't take Celebrex or ...Lyrica need help...don't think I ever had PMR!!! I hate Prednisone...lost hair, destroyed my nails and now I have been diagnosed with osteopenia.... Please turn your sound up ..we are having a hard time hearing you without turning our TV's extremely high volume!!!

Unfortunate that the audio is so low

your videos are very informative, wish I could hear you properly. poor sound quality.

Thanks so much for this video! I have been on prednisone for nearly 3 years and I'm tapering off now and just had a major flare, hearing you say that it happens more often than not made me feel more hopeful. I learned more from this video than from my Dr over the last 3 years, so again thanks!

I have just been diagnosed with PMR and Giant Cell and has now also lost 90% vision in my left eye. Have also lost 11 kilos in 3 weeks. It is very frightening.

Excelente video. For the first time I understand PMR And I must because I have been suffering from it for years. Thank you!

Thank you is was so very helpful ❤

I am a generally pretty healthy, active woman, windsurfed and swam this summer, and all of a sudden, got it over 48hrs , most probably after `an infection, after Covid as well. Until they gave me the meds, I took anti-inflammatory, voltaren, and even the antibiotics..
I lost 4 kilos, lost muscles and could not move out of bed, walk or even chew. I could not even use the tooth paste tube, no strength at all...only got up with my husband's help.
I was lucky to have it diagnosed within the first two weeks, and started taking Prednisolone 40mg, then lowering down to 20mg in one week, still on them. I think I also have the Temporal Arthritis which started together, I felt very tender crane, very hardened jaw, could not chew and very bad vision...feeling better..definitely very bad stiffness in the morning and then gets better by noon. I have no headaches, no fever. I had very high aESR and CRP which was over 105. Good point about tummies. You have covered it all Dr Ortiz, Thank you so much...
Such an incredibly good explanation...Thank you so much....

Love your blogs. Thank you.

OMG..!! I love your videos..!! I may have just found my condition..!! I'm 54 and tested pos for HSV-2 about 12 years ago. Since that time I have experienced joint pain flares that do not seem to cause swelling but are extremely painful. These flares affect my knees, elbows, lower back, back of neck, shoulders, wrists, hands, and ankles.... Not all at the same time, usually knees, elbows, shoulders..!! I have also noticed declining vision and dry-eye..!! The lower back flares about once per year for 3-5 day periods..!! During this time I have no palpable masses, blood in stool, stool shape or color changes. I also do not feel urgency to urinate or exhibit substantially reduced flow..!! It may be worth noting that I have also been struggling over the years with unusual sebaceous cyst growth in various locations..!!

My Rhumy only pulls crp and Sed and cbc that’s it! Then she stopped and only pull Cdc. I wish I could find one that will pull blood and really look!😢we lack good doctors in my area…

Oh and she refuse to continue with my prednisone. That’s probably why I still have so much trouble, no prednisone for over a year! Most I was on was 10mg…

If we stop poisoning ourselves with foods that humans were never ment to eat PMR and many other modern diseases may never even appear?

I am one of those flukes I was diagnosed at 43 and am 7 years with still no remission.

Wish you would discuss LDN (low dose naltrexone) for many autoimmune diseases that lowers inflammation, pain & increases energy naturally.

Bless you for this video. I have two shoulders that I can't move plus a couple months ago I wasn't able to get out of bed anymore or go to the toilet without pain. Morning stiffness was the worst. Two weeks I ago my doctor ran about 40 blood tests on me and the ESR is normal but CRP was 48. I'm certain I have PMR. I see him tomorrow to go over the results and hope to get on prednisone immediately.

I was diagnosed recently with this. I just turned 54, symptomatic since September of 2021. No known cause but theorized that bacterial or viral infection and or stress can bring this on. These things can also cause flares or relapse. Prednisone is a double edge sword. It works great until all the awful side effects start eating away at you. Very informative and to the point video. It’s hard to find up to date information on this as you said, not much has been learned about this. I’d like to know who or what is being done to research this more. There are a lot of us, numbers constantly growing, that suffer, and I do mean suffer, from this awful disease!

No mention of brain fog

A friend was just diagnosed with PMR. This is an excellent overview of the disease!

I’ve been diagnosed with PMR, but my only symptoms are the labs. No pain, or stiffness other than normal for my age. Currently on 5 mg prednisone daily. I want to discontinue the prednisone, very worried about bone strength and density.

What a great and an insightful video. Can you advise on how to handle the weight loss due to this. It really disturbing. Thanks