Polymyalgia Rheumatica

[iandg]

Anyone suffering with this condition?

I've recently been diagnosed with PMR. Rode a 200km audax in April and was still tired 10 days later. Visited GP and was diagnosed iron deficient and currently waiting for scopes to investigate. Then early May I started to feel weak. As May progressed my condition got worse and pain developed in neck, shoulders, upper arms and thighs to the extent that I struggled to get up off the floor and in and out of bed, car and sofa. Haven't cycled since mid-May.

Went to GP last Friday had blood tests taken and was referred urgently to rheumatology. OP appointment on Tuesday and have been put on steroids (prednisolone) and associated drugs to lessen side effects.

The pain is subsiding with a marked improvement in mobility and movement but I'm still chronically tired (I set down to watch cycling on Eurosport in the afternoon and fall asleep and miss 30-40km).

Anyone have previous experience of the condition? How soon did you return to cycling? Is it just a case of time and waiting for the good days, taking short rides and not overdoing it - slowly finding a balance between activity and fatigue?

Thanks, Ian

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Sorry to read this, Ian.
I know how much you enjoy your cycling, hopefully the condition can be controlled.
Just shows you, one minute we are fit and healthy, next minute we are not.
Take care!

 

[oldwheels]

I have had experience of this and was also on prednisolone. It was about 20 years ago I think so my memory is not very clear on timescale but I did continue cycling for short distances until I could increase. I never went back to previous fitness levels but cycled on club mountain bike outings within a year. Certainly I undertook several week to ten day tours in the years after.
My condition was complicated by also getting rheumatoid arthritis which has now almost vanished.
The cocktail of drugs I was on was a bit frightening if you read the leaflets in the packets.
Everyone will have a different reaction but do not give up and it will go away.

 

[iandg]

I have had experience of this and was also on prednisolone. It was about 20 years ago I think so my memory is not very clear on timescale but I did continue cycling for short distances until I could increase. I never went back to previous fitness levels but cycled on club mountain bike outings within a year. Certainly I undertook several week to ten day tours in the years after.
My condition was complicated by also getting rheumatoid arthritis which has now almost vanished.
The cocktail of drugs I was on was a bit frightening if you read the leaflets in the packets.
Everyone will have a different reaction but do not give up and it will go away.

Rheumatoid is one of my concerns. My mother had PMR and progressed to Rheumatoid a few years later

 

[oldwheels]

Rheumatoid is one of my concerns. My mother had PMR and progressed to Rheumatoid a few years later

The arthritis still bothers me slightly but only a couple of fingers on one hand. What brought this to light was that I was having difficulty changing gear using handlebar levers which affected both hands. I got round this by changing to twist changing. Arms and shoulders hurt a bit as well but gradually it mostly went away or perhaps just in remission. Gartnavel General in Glasgow was my go to place and I spent a lot of time shuttling back and forth but being on an island NHS Scotland picked up the tab for travel and part payment for hotel. They paid at that time about £30 per night and Premier Inn was more but I was happy enough to pick up the difference.
Cannot remember the cocktail of drugs I was on but it was quite substantial.