I'm doing well ... thank-you John.

Your story is amazing. I often wonder what would have happened if I had taken Actemra sooner than I did. Prednisone helped me manage the pain reasonable well for 12 years but it didn't ever seem to solve the problem. My long term use of prednisone wasn't good for me.

My rheumatologist and I would have philosophical discussions. I would say prednisone "protected me" from pain. My rheumatologist would say prednisone was also "putting me at risk" for other things. We were both right depending on our perspective on things.

I currently don't take anything else for pain besides Actemra. My primary care doctor said she would prescribe something else if I needed it. She also said Actemra isn't a pain medication because it only treats inflammation. She seems to think I still should have some pain. She is right ... I have mechanical pain but it isn't the really bad inflammatory kind of pain. I probably could use some Tylenol once in a while. I'm just used to a monthly Actemra infusion and I wait until the next infusion a month later.