Re: Polymyalgia Rheumatica
- From: sherrybove@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: 29 May 2006 02:37:47 -0700
Music 'can reduce chronic Pain'
Research has confirmed listening to music can have a significant
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US researchers tested the effect of music on 60 patients who had
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Those who listened to music reported a cut in pain levels of up to 21%,
and in associated depression of up to 25%, compared to those who did
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Chris Malcolm wrote:
daher <catherine@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Without any serious health problems apart from high cholesterol (250) and an
immune system of 3.5 and below) white blood cells (for almost ten years) a
seventy-two-year-old female makes up on Feb 3,2006 with stiff legs, neck,
arms, etc. and pains all over her body, which she interprets as the onset of
fluor the sideeffect of AKTONEL she makes use of for osteoporosis for the
first time. She discontinues intake of AKTONEL and expects the pains to
recede. However, in about a month's time, she is totally incapacitated by
stiffness, acute pains in the legs, arms, fingers, back, head, neck,
vertebrae at waist level, fever (around 38 C), swollen knees and ankles.
Doctors diagnose acute POLYMYALGIA RHEUMATICA and prescribe a treatment with
PREZOLON. The patient's response to the drug is gradual with relapsing in a
less acute way every time the cortisone dose is decreased.
When I had polymyalgia rheumatica my response to prednisolone was
immediate, i.e., within a few hours all pain and stiffness would be
gone. My rheumatologist wanted me to decrease dosage faster than was
possible for me without relapse, which he took as a sign that I should
stay on it forever at 10mg/day. I read up on PMR in medical textbooks
and research papers and disagreed. I devised my own tapering off
programme. I regarded any kind of relapse, i.e. resurgence of pain and
stiffness, as a sign of damaging inflammation, and did not allow it to
happen. At the slightest sign of increasing stiffness I would take a
2mg booster and move back to the previous dose and wait another month
before trying for a dose decrease again.
It took me years to stop the pred. First I reduced the dose every
other day by 1mg decrements, only if I could do so without *any*
relapse, until I got from 6mg/day to 6mg every other day. Then I
started reducing that. By the time I got down to 2mg every other day I
was going down in 1/2mg decrements.
After I stopped it would sometimes start creeping back on me. My
shoulders would start stiffening up. When that happened I would take a
one off 2mg dose. Over about a year the need for these occasional
supplements reduced in frequency until they ceased.
At present (May 30,2006) almost 3 months after the attack with cortisone
(for the last 20 days alternating pill to a ? pill - 5 mg - each pill every
other day) the situation has improved very much apart from the neck, nape,
shoulders, the underpart of arms, forearms, fingers, palms (burning
sensation) which are still painfull, as well as partly swollen tonsils,
ankles and knees.
I would have regarded the slightest shoulder stiffness as a sign of
damaging inflammation which indicated that the dosage needed to be
increased. Don't forget the dangers of giant cell arteritis if
inflammation is not controlled.
Onset of Disease : February 3, 2006
Medication : PREZOLON 5 mg - pills / LOPROC pills before Prezolone intake
Treatment period : March 13 - May 30, 2006
Initial blood tests : April 3, 2006 - Abnormally high rates of WBC = 7.5
(usually around 3.5) - CRP : 7.70 - RA-TEST : 10.0
Latest blood tests (May 5, 2006) - everything normal, CRP : 2.70 - RA-TEST :
10.0
Ultra sound : Upper and lower abdominal region normal
Thorax X-Rays : normal
Thorax Scanner : normal
The patient has been told that the cause of the above disease is UNKNOWN.
AFAIK the cause of PMR is unknown.
I would be grateful to you if you could give me your opinion as to :
The diagnosis
Not a doctor, just once a sufferer, but it sounds like what happened
to me. Before I was diagnosed I had become so stiff and painful I
couldn't brush my hair, I couldn't put on my socks, and it would take
me about half an hour to devise the least painful way of getting out
of bed and onto my feet.
The diagnosis AFAIK is one of exclusion, i.e. we can't find anything
else wrong and it responds like magic to pred in the 15mg range so it
must be PMR.
The origin
The treatment
The recovery period
If it's PMR then recovery can take a few years. It's a mistake to try
and hurry it. It goes away by itself, and AFAIK the only treatment is
to control the inflammation to stop damaging developments until it
goes away by itself.
The after-effects (sequelae) involved
IMHO there shouldn't be any, unless slowness in diagnosis or trying to
be too hasty with cutting down on inflammation control has led to
damage. Patience is required.
--
Chris Malcolm cam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]
.
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