"I wonder if I’m supposed to feel completely fine if and when I get to zero? Or should I just be happy feeling my age, which is still 70, but not for long. How do other people navigate their paths to 0?"
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Very good questions. I'm 70 too... I have 7 more months until I'm 71. I'm very happy feeling my chronological age. I don't expect to feel completely fine and certainly not pain free.

I count my blessings because some people don't make it to 70. There was a time during the peak of PMR and taking prednisone when I didn't think I would make it to 70 either.

People often describe how PMR feels by saying, ''I feel like I have suddenly aged." That is an apt description. PMR struck me when I was 52. By the time I was 60, I felt like I was 150 and rigor mortis was setting in.

I retired for medical reasons at 62. Improving my health is now my full time job. I had a major breakthrough at 65 when I was able to get off Prednisone. Since then, my PCP has deprescribed about 10 additional medications that were mainly treating Prednisone side effects.

I still have an unfinished goal of losing more weight but otherwise I'm no worse for wear considering I'm 70 years old. I think I might get to 80 or 90 but 100 might be pushing it.

I still have PMR and some other autoimmune conditions but I'm happy to be off Prednisone. My biggest dilemma now is the thought of additional surgeries to help with some lingering pain. At least the spine surgeon is no longer saying I'm a poor surgical risk because of my decades of Prednisone use. The surgeon said that 10 years ago when I was 60. Now the surgeon says I can do the surgery whenever I'm ready. Presently, pain isn't much of an issue for me and not enough to undergo major spine surgery.