Untreated, GCA can have severe complications. One of my symptoms second time around was numbness up the neck into the ear on one side of my face,

This from Perplexity.ai:

Untreated Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) carries severe, potentially life-threatening risks beyond vision loss. Key complications include:
🔴 Systemic Vascular Complications
Aortic aneurysms/dissections: Inflammation weakens arterial walls, raising rupture risk. Aortic involvement increases mortality 2.6-fold compared to age-matched populations.
Stroke: Reduced blood flow to cerebral arteries can cause ischemic stroke.
Coronary artery involvement: May trigger heart attacks or myocardial ischemia.
Mesenteric ischemia: Bowel infarction due to compromised blood supply to intestines.
⚠️ Neurological and Functional Risks
Jaw/tongue claudication: Pain during chewing, indicating impaired cranial blood flow.

Limb claudication: Reduced arm/leg mobility from subclavian or femoral artery inflammation.
Permanent bilateral blindness: Up to 50% develop contralateral vision loss within days/weeks if untreated.
⚠️ Mortality Risks
Cardiovascular events: Leading cause of death, with heightened risk from aortic complications.
Pulmonary complications: Contribute to increased mortality.

You can also Google Giant Cell Arteritis, click on Images and see pictures of swollen veins from GCA.

Whatever you decide, @sbtheplumber1, I wish you the best.