★★★★☆
I am drinking my ginger tea as I type this...I also take a tumeric capsule (with the pepper added) and 2 tsp ACV in water every morning. Just before bed, I drink magnesium tea to help relax the muscles. This is in addition to my other supplements (D, C, B-12, iodine, ). Of course, being diagnosed with PMR in 2014, I also still need to take prednisone. I am now down to 2mg daily, which my rheumatologist says is very low...yay! I am being weaned very slowly off of it, having started in the spring of 2014 (when I diagnosed myself via the internet). First, I just tried a dose pack and the symptoms (sore arms, hips, legs, back etc) came right back after going away for a short time. In October 2014 I had my first Dr app't and yes, that PMR diagnosis was correct and I was started on 20mg of prednisone daily. It was scary taking that drug as I know all the awful side effects. However, it got rid of most of the pain and the doctor began slowly tapering my dose. I was positive I would be off it in less than a year...haha. Every time I tried to go too low, the symptoms would come right back and I'd have to increase the pred. again. How did I get this condition is what I want to know. My niece is in a rheum fellowship and she sent me a long paper on how it could be a virus or bacterial infection and it may have connections to a vaccine (aha...flu shots, which I will NEVER have again!! ). They say there could also be a genetic connection; however, I know of no one in my family that's ever heard of it, let alone had it. My fingers are also swollen with arthritic joints and I don't know if that's part of it. My dr just calls it osteoarthritis. Getting up in the morning is difficult and I need a full two hours of walking around to be able to move semi-normally. If I stay in one position too long (i.e. out to eat with friends), I have difficulty walking when I get out of the chair. But, the good news is, although it's been three years now, it IS slowly getting better. I am thankful to only be on 2mg of pred. now and hope I can taper off even more. I try to do light aerobics in the AM and try to get 10,000 steps on the fitbit....all that helps. Lifting anything but very light weights brings on more pain so I don't do much of that. In short, it's been a longer journey than I originally anticipated. In fact, I feel it may have started in 2013 (I did have a flu shot that year), when I fainted due to anemia....also a symptom of PMR. Hang in there, people, and do what your dr advises...but also, be your own medical advocate and research into treatments that help (tumeric, ginger, ACV, exercise, magnesium tea before bed).
