Hey Lee, Did you get cat toungue too, Every time took a dose pack it was like my taste buds stood at attantion and I called it cat toungue because that's what it felt like, along wioith all theother symptoms you mentions. BNasiclaly the positive reposnse to prednisone means your pain is an inflamatory reposnse. Inflamation is the cause, pain is the reponse. Niow, what's causing the inflamation, Arthristis, RA or OA, If you do have RA and ankoloysing spindilitis, the newest and latest treatmentis the mild versions of chemo used like embrill and Humara which atack the particluar caells that damage bone tissue. Like any med in the chemo class, you hope the benefit outweighs thenegative aspects, meaning the drugs kill more of those velss that damage nbone and don't do more harn to your white cells, red cells and aimmune system. Prior to those meds being used to treat RA and R which was just aproved last year, the older emthdto manage inflamation was the NSAID class of meds, Indocin, Motrin, Celebrex, etc etc and some milder pain meds.

It may be that your hip is so far gone you need it rplaced, But replacinga hip on a younger person is very contreversial. Some docs say ifthe max number of Total hip replacements you can do is 2 and thelife expectancy is 10-15 years. If your 40 that's a problem becuase it leaves you wiyhout options when you 70. Injectng the joints with cort may help short term and isn't quite as harsh on your tummy, Have you you had multiple ESI's and maxed the number per year most docs are comfy with, which is 3.

The big qiuestion is, how did they treat this problem prior to the aproval of chemo to treat specific types of arhristis which cause AS and the pain that leads people to having hips replacd at a young age.

You do hav some options, you just have to wait. Put things into perspective, If you have AS or advanced artitis, you will be dealig with ths rest of your life, so waiting a montht to see the doc realy s't going to eeffect the outcome of your treatment plan,
Good luck, Dave