Prednisone and Surgery: I have Polymyalgia Rheumatica and need hip replacement surgery?

I answered your question, but I guess I wasn't signed up yet, so don't see it. Will try to remember what I said. I woke up the end of December or early January with PMR. Since I couldn't get out of bed, went to see my chiropractor for the month of January - when we both agreed he couldn't help me I went to my GP (smart guy) and he ran blood tests after blood tests. My sed rate was 76, range is <=30. My last sed rate was 28. My white blood cell count - high, my C-reactive protein or CRP was high, and could not get out of a chair, or off the john and couldn't raise my left hand to scratch my head, plus the pain. After more blood tests, my Doctor diagnosed me with PMR. I started on 20 mg. prednisone or 4 mg 5 times a day and tapered down to 4 mg. Have been on 10 mg. since the 4. He also sent me to a Physical Therapist in the Water. Have been there since early March and am 'graduating' next Tuesday. I am now back riding my bike on the days I don't go to the pool. With in the next week or so will be at the pool only on Saturdays and bike the rest of the time. I might note I am an 82 year old female. Have no pain, but will get blood work done on April 1st and if my sed rate is lower, my Doctor will reduce my 10 mg to 7.5. He said the previous patients he has treated have not had a relapse as he takes at least 18 months to taper off the prednisone and monitors their blood rate and activity. Several times he asked if I wanted to go to rheumatologist, but just thought I couldn't go through all that blood work again. Now I am glad I didn't. A good book to read is Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arthritis, a Survival Guide, 2nd edition by Kate Gilbert, PhD. She has not had a relapse. I did learn that this is a vascular disease, that is it is an inflammation of the arteries and blood veins that feed your muscles and is not really arthritis. There is very little research done on this disease because it mostly occurs in older people. Prednisone has been the medicine to treat this since probably when they invented it. I highly recommend the Water Therapy before the 'knife'.

I was in your situation in 2016. I had double hip replacement done three months apart. The polymyalgia rhumatica was diagnosed in April and I was put on prednisone 25mg. at that time. The surgeon was not very optimistic about my recovery from the surgery as he expressed what your doctor has stated but we went ahead and I was at 15mg when the first was done in June and then the second hip done in Sept. During that time the dosage went up and down but no higher than 20mg. I am so glad I had the hips done... no problem there. I have had a relapse on a couple of occasions of the polymyalgia rhumatica and now I am at 6 mg prednisone. So hard to get off this drug and as so many say a double edge sword. I have to say that I wish I had had the hips done ten years earlier but am still so thankful even if I am dealing with the side effects of this drug on a daily basis. I try to monitor my diet and water intake..sleep, rest... keep a log and journal what I am doing or need to do. I was using a walker 3 years ago and now can drive into town myself and walk the isles and walk around my property at home. I had an appointment with the surgeon this past spring and the surgeon was so pleased with the hips... all well. He wished me good luck getting off the prednisone.
Good luck with your operation and research all your options.