@petermccarville
There is I believe one other way to diagnose GCA, which is with "Color Doppler Ultrasound" also called "Power Doppler Ultrasound," or "Musculoskeletal Ultrasound. " It also can confirm PMR by looking at the shoulder. The Ultrasound Dr had to look at both my temples and sides of my head and maybe somewhere else I can't remember to check for the GCA. It's not like a regular Ultrasound and might need special training by techs, I'm not sure. Just in case no one knows about it. Don't know how easy they are to get in rural areas as mentioned though.
Unfortunately, in my experience, regular Dr's, NP's often have never heard of it, encountered it nor be very knowledgeable about dosing and tapering speeds etc. But every Dr is different. I hope everyone can get the help they need. This is a terrible disease.