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PMR is an awful disease.
I am 52 and was diagnosed with PMR September 2009. Both shoulders and left knee were so sore and swollen I could not drive my self to the doctors. I finally hooked up with a Rheumatologist at the Lahey Clinic here in Boston. He diagnosed me through blood work and started me on a script for Prednisone (Corticosteroid) which within 3 days had me feeling like a new person. Unfortunately Prednisone cannot be taken indefinitely and the drug has several side effects.
Polymyalgia rheumatica usually goes away by itself, even when not treated, in 1 to 4 years. Symptoms diminish greatly with treatment. Most patients need steroid treatment for 1 or more years.
After 8 months on the drug he started to taper me off and my symptoms returned. More blood work concluded that my PMR had now turned to Rheumatoid Arthritis, a chronic anti-immune disease that I now treat with an injection of a Biologic drug (Enbrel).
Bottom line is these diseases are awful. You can function, with medication but never really feel the same as you did before. Fatigue and depression really take their toll over the long run. If it is PMR, the good news is that it's not forever.
Best advice is to find a really good Rheumatologist and seek whatever treatment works best.
Max
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