Hi Wendy,
You should definatly see if you can get in and see a Rhumie. General care doctors do not, usually, have nearly as much knowledge of AS as Rhumies, and nurse practicioners usually have even less knowledge on how to diagnose and/or treat AS(Although there are exceptions. My general doctor know more about AS than my Rhumie, and there are nurses out there that know more about AS than doctors, but this is on average).
Inflamation does not necessarily have to be present for a diagnosis of AS, but also, hla-b27 is also not a definative tool. In order to diagnose AS early on, when there is not yet x-ray indications of it, requires a doctor who is very knowledgable in AS to look at your symptoms, family history, test results, and such. And even then it is hard to diagnose. But. . .it is very important to diagnose AS early so that proper treatment can be started to limit damage as much as possible.
If at all possible, try and see a rhumie (at least one, as many are not knowledgable about AS).
I hope that this is of some help.
Take care my friend,
Daniel
http://www.Power-Over-Pain.org
