Hi tennis1234567, It's too bad you have to wait do long to see the Rheumatologist. I can communicate with mine via email in between appointments. Is that possible for you? A medical textbook I have says both PMR and GCA should respond dramatically to proper dosages of prednisone and if they don't, physician should pursue other diagnosis as infection, connective tissue disorder, malignancy, hypothyroidism. Terrible morning stiffness and pain is a classic PMR symptom. In my case, it persisted through movement and lasted most of the day. At night I felt a little better. Keep a record of your symptoms with dates so you have it to give the doctor. My aunt had GCA and was on high dosage of prednisone. It masked an abscess she had in her gastrointestinal tract, which was not discovered until very late in her treatment. Good luck.