Jennifer
I was diagnosed with PR 18months ago with a very aggressive form of the disease from the neck to the pelvic girdle,with large sacs of fluid hanging off my elbows and swollen ankles and knee pain. It is of course my opinion but you sound as if it is more like fibromyalgia than PR which I believed I had prior to diagnosis or it could be thyroid dsease. As an interest I have Hashimoto's Disease which I understand has similar pain and discomfit and fatique as fibro. My suspicion is that I have had PR for approx. 3 years. At the moment I am only experiencing joint stiffness and minimal muscle discomfit. I removed myself from Prednisone 8 months ago due to complications, such as fluid retention and glucose intolerance, and anxiety. The last severe flare up was 4 months ago which took several days before I could walk and bend an arm.I hope that you have a speedy recovery.