A few points that may help you sort this out. 15-20% of people have normal blood markers when diagnosed with PMR. Also, prednisone can affect your inflammation blood markers. PMR pain and ESR/CRP don't necessarily correlate. It's PMR pain that let's you know the amount of prednisone you need. According to Mayo, PMR lasts for 5.9 years on average. If the pain is back, you likely need to restart prednisone. If it's PMR, living with it without prednisone will be difficult or impossible. It's important to educate yourself. There's a lot of misinformation out there even in the medical field. I've found "healthunlocked" PMR group out of the UK to be a good resource. https://healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk/posts