Polymyalgia Rheumatica

by Graham Kelly

What a great disease arthritis is. Is there any other illness where the experts won’t diagnose exactly what it is? I mean I’ve been suffering with Rheumatoid Arthritis – or at least I think that’s what it is, since the middle of 2006. Suddenly one day I couldn’t get out of bed due to the incredible pain in the back of my neck, back of thighs and behind my upper arms. The pain in the arms and legs appeared to be in the muscles which sort of points to Polymyalgia Rheumatica but the rheumatologist I go to said that at 59 I am too young for that particular disease and he thinks it’s rheumatoid arthritis.

That flies in the face of what a local country doctor said when I limped into her surgery in August 2006 – she diagnosed Polymyalgia Rheumatica (which I would have preferred as I understand that condition can go away in a year or two, unlike RA) and put me on a high dosage of Prednisolone (steroids), reducing over the next few days. Well, I had almost instant relief as the arthritis pain left me within two hours of taking my first tablets (15mg a day). However, by the time I got back home a few days later the pain had returned so I went to my local doctor who agreed with the diagnosis and increased my steroid intake to 25 mg a day. I then suggested a specialist and he referred me to the one I mentioned earlier.

This specialist seems really good and knowledgeable but he won’t diagnose until my Prednisolone intake is down to around 7mg a day – at this stage that’s in mid-November. It’s a damned nuisance that you can’t just stop taking steroids and that you have to taper off them. I’m coming down from that 25mg a day and it’s taking forever. Currently on 10mg and each time I lower the dosage (every three weeks) I wait for the body to react badly. I must say it hasn’t done so and I’m eternally grateful for that. I am also on some herbal tablets which may well be helping.

You can read the rest of my story at www.bestonlinetips/arthritis.

About The Author

Graham Kelly is a 59 year old Aussie who was struck down with this crippling illness in mid 2006. He is still waiting for a proper diagnosis. He can be contacted at graham@bestonlinetips.com

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