I too started with painful, swollen joints earlier this past fall. It affected my hands, fingers, wrists and knees. After a thorough exam the doc put me on 20mg of prednisone...3 for 3 days, 2 for 3 days and 1 for 3 days. I had good relief and he said "that ought to get you through the winter." Well, about a week after the last dose....the pain was back. So we did another round and also lots of blood work. Sed rate came back at > 122 so I was referred to a rheumy. She gave me prednisone 5 mg, two in the morning for 7 days and then 1 in the morning for 7 days. Took the edge off but nothing like the 20mg dose I was given by my PCP. The rheumy did gobs of blood work and the only thing abnormal was my renal function so now see a nephro tomorrow. In the meantime she has started me on plaquenil, 200mg twice a day. May take 4-6 weeks to see results so she said I could use the prednisone as well but I am just "bucking up" as I have enough medication in my system. First she classified it as RA, even tho the lab work was negative, now she has it listed as inflammatory arthritis. What ever it is.......it sucks!! (PS I also have peripheral polyneuropathy, small nerve fiber, so if one thing isn't hurting, another one is!! But through it all......GOD IS GOOD!!