Hi, DWK:
In the meantime, the pain is ever-present (68 days now)
68 days is too long! Much damage is piling up from the inflammation. Can You fast for seven days to take down the flare, or do a fruit monodiet--cherries to start with, since they are closest in season and apples are out here in Northern hemisphere (assumption You are above equator).
The NSD might take too long to eliminate Your flare condition, so it is time to take more drastic measures...if I were You. You can perhaps determine for Yourself whether You have AS by looking at the Pre-AS criteria in the Medical Centre section--AS and RA Papers:
Ankylosing Spondylitis, HLS B27 and Klebsiella - An Overview: Proposal for early diagnosis and Treatment see the section on "Importance for Early Diagnosis..."
If Your uncle has AS, but is B27 negative, You will also be B27 negative. If You are positive, this would only serve to illustrate the serious number of
false negatives the old serological testing provided.
There seems to be no doubt about Your status, since Your uncle has confirmed some related symptoms and is AS+B27-.
Yeah, and I have a story about oral steroids (topical too but that will be for another time). When I was in rehab after my last surgery, I briefly shared a room with a young man who had SLE (lupus) and had taken too much prednisone too often and ended up with a hip replacement. Well, that hip stole about a year from him, since the first one got infected and he needed more socket work after that.
Although steroids scare me, I have really needed epidural injections at times, but this is for crushed and broken vertebrae; not for inflammation. These drugs can get You out of inflammation quickly, but they will steal your health, eventually, as can NSAIDs. It isn't worth it, from my own sad experiences.
I also hope that You will be given proper treatments, but more so that You will take an active role in Your health management,
John
