Thanks very much for the info. I'll ask the rheumatologist at Mayo when I go there in two weeks; he's a connective tissue disorder specialist. I've had bad luck with rheumatologists too over the past year.

Luckily, my major internal organs like kidneys, liver and heart are all fine, so I doubt I have to worry about vasculitis involving them if I haven't developed anything by now (I've been sick since 1997). If I do have any form of vasculitis, it is likely limited to skin and possibly blood vessels affecting peripheral nerves. My sed rate has not been consistently elevated, but my CRP has been high for most of the past seven years.

fanfaire