Can you help regarding symptoms?

[FreeWolf]

Full disclosure here. My ability to determine my health status is lacking. I either over-react or under-react. I never believed I had PMR but I also didn't believe I had a ruptured appendix. I am a hard worker, managing a small farm so I do feel sore at times. I am presently on 10 mgs prednisone. I think I probably do have PMR as I am uncomfortable and have neck and facial soreness at this dose. I had a thorough eye exam, all is well. Should I worry about irregular transient jaw or head soreness (not serious pain) since my eyes are fine? I worry about over-reacting.

[piglette]

I would have thought it is worth a check with your doctor.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Why didn’t you believe you had PMR? Based on lack of symptoms or pure denial 😉?

10mg will probably make you feel better whether you have PMR or not… but unless you can attribute aches and pains to your work… and with a small farm to manage and all that entails that’s quite possible…it needs to be checked out.

Can you give more info on jaw and headaches - everyone thinks and worries about eyes in GCA, but sometimes they are the last thing to cause issues, or sometimes not at all - depends which arteries are affected.

see this re jaw issues - and maybe test it out - sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/...

Whatever you do, please don’t ignore any new symptoms, and better to get check rather than risk GCA and possible sight loss. Better to be safe than sorry.

I have family member who are farmers, and I know their mindset - doesn’t always do them any favours… not nagging, just saying 😊

[SnazzyD]

With these conditions I don’t think serious pain is a good yardstick for deciding it’s time to get help. It is especially inaccurate if one is used to carrying on and toughing out niggles and aches, since it can shift the benchmark of serious pain upwards. It sounds a little like you are collecting different symptoms rather than any one being really bad. Where you lose points on acuteness you are making up for with variety and they are all suggestive (but not exclusively) of GCA/PMR.

My GCA symptoms were varied and intermittent over months and I was too busy to go to the doctor and each symptom wasn’t bad in itself or they were short lived. Suddenly, GCA took its brakes off and over 48 hours I deteriorated rapidly. I diagnosed myself because by that time my basic nursing how to spot GCA boxes were all ticked. My eyes started to shut down over a 2 hour period but luckily I was in ER by that time. My bloods were fine and a few hours after 60mg Pred so were my eyes. Judging by the previous morning neck niggles I don’t think my eye arteries were as involved as they were in the neck until right at the end. We go on about eyesight but GCA can be in the large chest vessels and deep in the head as well so using eye tests to judge where one’s GCA is at is not totally reliable.

[FreeWolf in reply to SnazzyD]

Thank you.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Coming from farming stock as I do - I think you probably DO need to get more medical advice. And for a change - don't gloss over symptoms and make sure you align the farmer's pain score with the usual hospital variety!! The fact you are asking at all makes me suspect that on a normal hospital score you are probably at a 10!

[FreeWolf in reply to PMRpro]

The comments you have all shared make much sense. I admit that I get overwhelmed by the deluge of information I gather in an effort to diagnose myself. A big mistake. I will seek medical advice. The advice is very well appreciated.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to FreeWolf]

I think we usually do do well on sense! Let us know how you get on.

[FreeWolf in reply to PMRpro]

Yes I will do that. Thank you for the good advice.

[Polygolfer]

Clinicians don’t always get it right, but your chances of getting the right treatment for your particular circumstances are higher with a trained, properly educated and experienced clinician than with most gifted amateurs! For one, only they have the full picture and history of your overall health condition. Having said that, you need to question and challenge them and above all be convinced that what is being recommended makes sense and that you are comfortable with the way forward. Good luck!

[FreeWolf in reply to Polygolfer]

Thank you.