@jabrown0407 Thank you for the contact. I've been getting a tocilizumab infusion for almost six years now. I still get flare-ups, on the other hand, I'm still alive to get them. I have good days and bad days, more doctors than I can keep track of, but overall I feel very fortunate. I'm 75. I've helped care for and bury a few friends and relatives who were healthy and worried about me when I was diagnosed.
I don't know how early they caught it. I was pretty sure I had Whack a Mole inflammation when my father got sick and I wondered if doctors would figure it out by the time I was sick enough to need help. Early scans showed a slight aorta enlargement but there has been no change since then. No one seems worried about it.
Good luck to you on your journey, you've got a good heart. Blessings on the doctors and scientists and all who work to find solutions. It's a fascinating mystery.