The fear of pain worsening in fibromyalgia patients can be a big deterrent to surgery, but it doesn’t have to be. People with fibromyalgia can still have surgery, even elective surgery, whether it be for a knee replacement, a cosmetic procedure, or something else.

“It is not a contraindication to have surgery,” says Gordon A. Starkebaum, M.D., emeritus professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology at the University of Washington in Seattle. “One just has to realize that because people with fibromyalgia have higher intensity pain, that post-op may be more painful. Recovery period may be longer. There is the risk that pain may be somewhat worse after surgery. But it doesn’t exacerbate the fibromyalgia condition by itself.”

While surgery shouldn’t exacerbate the fibromyalgia in general, there are incidences of short-term flares after other more benign procedures.

The Arthritis Foundation describes a circumstance where a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia experienced a flare of both conditions for a few days after dental cleanings.

Rheumatologist Daniel Clauw, M.D., explained that anxiety, discomfort from the procedure, and immune system stimulation from the procedure itself may have contributed to the flare.

Definitely sounds like a flare to me. I had an iron infusion last year and it sent me into a flare for almost 2 weeks

There's no specific test for polymyalgia rheumatica, but it's likely that a series of blood tests will be carried out. Two blood tests – erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) – can be used to check the levels of inflammation in your body. ... whether there's an infection in your blood.

I’m sorry
Katherine, I was diagnosed with poly myalgia rheumatica November 2017. It came out of nowhere, massive pain in my hips, I couldn’t push myself out of bed. Pain in my spine, and some in my neck and upper shoulders. A little bit in my knees. Prednisone is the only treatment. My ESR was elevated but my C-reactive protein was not. The rheumatologist said I have polymyalgia rheumatica but not a classic case of it. Most people have the extreme pain in their shoulders. Whatever… The pain was excruciating. They put me on 30 mg of prednisone and then reduced it slowly as I could tolerate it . I am still on prednisone, I’ve been reducing it and I am down to 4 mg today. If you do you have polymyalgia rheumatica you need to be on prednisone until the poly myalgia goes away. Everyone is different , so I don’t know how long yours will last .
Contact me anytime and we can talk. Bless you, Victoria

Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties that may help to reduce symptoms of PMR Foods that contain high amounts of omega-3 include:
fish oils, such as cod liver oil or salmon oil.
mackerel.
sardines.
eggs.
flaxseeds.
flax milk.
chia seeds.
walnuts.

Polymyalgia, or polymyalgia rheumatica, is an inflammatory disease of muscle. The cause is uncertain but it is believed to be an autoimmune disease in which the body's own immune system attacks the connective tissues. The primary symptoms are severe stiffness and pain in the muscles of the neck, shoulder and hip areas.