Deanne, this assessment that if NSAIDS don't work it's not inflammatory arthritis is so much bulls**t. Back in the day, before I went on prescription NSAIDS, the only way I got relief was to pop 4 extra strength advil at a time - upwards of 12 or 16 every day!! When my rheumy found out he almost flipped and insisted I go on a prescription NSAID. The only one of those I ever responded to was Vioxx and it gave me a burny tummy so I had to go off it. The others never helped. Barely took the edge off the pain.
These days, Celebrex helps, but only since I went on Remicade and even then, if I'm bad enough to need Celebrex it takes 400mg to do anything.
If your doctor insists on this, I would suggest printing off this thread to show him the truth of the matter. NSAIDS do not always help with pain such as we deal with.
As far as I'm concerned, there is no such thing as a 'mild' case of AS. And in women, this is the assessment occurs far too frequently because we don't necessarily have the more severe spinal deformities that seem to happen in many men. That doesn't mean our disease is less severe, it just means it presents differently. Indeed, one study I read (don't ask, because I don't remember which one) it was stated that in women the worst symptom of AS is often our pain levels. Which, as you know, is debilitating when uncontrolled.
Hugs,
