Well, I guess that eliminates me from wanting to try it. I have enough health problems as it is, and to risk more complications and side effects, etc. for minimal relief, not to mention the expense, is not worth it to me either!

As you say, the relief that prednisone provides is really stunning, and while I only took it for 5 days because of my COPD, it really gave the only relief I've had since getting this awful tightness. It wasn't completely gone, but very close to it, and I felt like a new person, as it also helped my lung condition enormously at the same time. I actually felt good! I almost went into mourning when I realized that after a week of bliss, thinking I was finally free of this, I was back in the same condition after the treatment ended!

My pulmonary doctor was going to refer me to a Neurologist, as he believes it could possibly be due to a trapped nerve in the thoracic area of my rib cage, but it never happened, and I went into a slump and started having second thoughts about prednisone use, even if a doctor would prescribe it for me. I never received the referral, probably due to an oversight of some kind, and as I started to think that even with the relief, prednisone might just be too harmful in the long run! It's very tempting though!