FLARING PMR AND ARTHRITIS

I have been in a flare for about 3 weeks, level 8 on pain scale. My PMR is outrageous and I am getting sick and tired dealing with it. The Nurse Practitioner put me on a prednisone burst to see if the pain I was in constantly would get better, it did for the first 3 days at 60mg. I had lots of energy, I forgot what it felt like, I was in low pain levels around 4 with my arthritis joint pain , prednisone does not work for it only the PMR muscle inflammation and pain. So when I had to make the sudden drop in prednisone from 60 mg. down to 40mg for 3 days, my PMR was not having it and so I have been flaring with it and with my arthritis and persistent head and neck pain and insomnia , all through Thanksgiving week up to today so far . Went back to the Nurse Practitioner and her and my daughter both could not figure out why that happened, well duh, you don't drop the dose of prednisone that extreme, I knew that why not them? they are the ones educated not me. So I opted for 20mg. until I went back in. Well she was not having it and told me to drop down to 15mg for 3 days and then after that back to my regular 10mg. So now the past 3 mornings I can't move my arms, hubby has to massage my upper arms with Aspercreme and lidocane to get them loose enough to be able to get in my wheel chair. I am trying the new Aspercreme with the Lidocane and I must say even at my 8 pain levels , about 30 minutes after it is applied my pain levels ease up a bit and mobility is much improved. So the Nurse Practitioner put me on Tramadol up to 4x's a day but because it makes me itch terribly she prescribed Zyrtec and I am still having to take benadryl to keep from itching, not working so well, and it is not even touching the pain. Switching up on the muscle relaxers    , I don't think that it is working, when flaring nothing helps, I don't know how it all works at my normal pain levels .So I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon for my shoulders and the very large cyst on top of my right shoulder joint it is about the size of a baseball. Will be getting an MRI on that cyst as well.
Living with chronic pain and mobility issues with back and neck, both arms and legs is challenging to say the least. I did manage to put a small 2 foot Christmas tree up but any more decorations, well I am just not feeling it this year . Last year and this year Christmas will not have any gifts bought for anyone, last year we had no money coming in and this year a little improvement but that money is ear marked for bills. Well welcome to my life. In spite of all the pain and circumstances I am doing OK with the depression levels , I seem to be holding my own and not too down over it all, I just choose not to let it get me down, life is what it is and I know it could be worse so I ain't having it get me down, no way.
for what it is worth,
healing blessings
PATC