Another member of your club here!
Diagnosed in December with PMR (couldn't rise from a sofa, pull the duvet over me and was climbing stairs on hands and knees and still I thought that it was because I had stopped exercising! Doh!)
I was started on prednisolone at 15mg but had to raise this to 20mg before it worked for me. Possibly because I had left it too long? Who knows. I have been reducing but had a flare when I overdid exertions but am now on 15 mg.
The common idea from doctors is that this illness will run for approximately 18 months - two years then burn itself out but I understand this to be wildly inaccurate. The average mean time is six years before symptoms disappear.
Check out a website named 'HealthUnlocked'. Within that there is the PMG/GCA organisation and they have the most wonderful help available. Their FAQ's (frequently asked questions) are a real boon to anyone recently diagnosed or who has a query. There is much information regarding tapering of prednisolone. If the information isn't there, it doesn't exist!
Incidentally, the GCA means Giant Cell Arteritis and this is quite a worrying concern if you have PMR as the two are linked. Those with PMR have a 1 in 5 or 6 chance of developing GCA which can lead to blindness, so any concerns with headaches, tender scalp etc., should be taken seriously.
The other aspect to PMR and prednisolone is diet. One should lead a low-carb diet life and in addition to the obvious no buns, cakes, bread, rice, pasta, potatoes etc., one should not eat many vegetables or fruit. Not much left! However, it is possible to eat well and maintain weight. Not easy, just possible!
One of the side effects of oral corticosteroids is that they can increase blood glucose levels and increase insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes and in people with insulin resistance, cells don't respond normally to insulin and glucose can't enter the cells as easily. As a result, your blood sugar levels rise even as your body churns out more and more insulin to try to lower your blood sugar.
I don't mean this to be all doom and gloom as taking prednisolone will have given most of us back our lives but there is a payback in the above re. diet, what pred does to our skin and hair etc. Still, being unable to move was not the best of times so if diagnosed (incidentally, not all PMR shows up in blood tests. It is possible to have PMR but not have raised markers in your blood. In this case you need to see a rheumatologist to help diagnose as PMR is similar in presentation to RA) read up and inform yourself as much as possible.
Try to have a positive mindset and know that you should not be in any more pain.
Wishing you better soon...
