Arthritic flare

I am healthy fit 71 year old that had an arthritic flare come out of the blue .At the outset my GP thought it was Polymyalgia as the stiffness was intense . I was put on high dose of Prednisone ( 50 mg) on a tapering schedule . As the Prednisone definitely helped it did not completely take away the stiffness and it was not bilateral she decided it was some type of arthritic flare .Sediment rate and rheumatoid factor were normal
But my C Reactive protein was extremely high .
My two questions are . Is this my new Normal or it really a flare and I will return to normal.Never had arthritis before this event which has been going on for 3 months . Second question. While waiting for an appointment with a rheumatologist is it safe to stay on a
High dose ( 40 mg) for the next few months while I wait
For the Rheumatologist appointment. The original stiffness is now pain and stiffness so the high dose of steroids at least helps with the pain but obviously doesn’t change the course of flare.
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