From what I can tell -(I quickly looked it up ) - that med will suppress your immune function.
That is not good when you've got lyme disease.
So, if your spine normal - how do they know for sure you have it? I thought that was the main diagnostic tool?
From Spondylitis.org:
Onset is usually under 45 years of age.
Pain persists for more than three months (i.e., it is chronic).
Back pain and stiffness worsen with immobility, especially at night and early morning.
Back pain and stiffness tend to ease with physical activity and exercise.
Blood Work and the HLA-B27 Test
First, HLA-B27 is a perfectly normal gene found in 8 percent of the Caucasian population. Generally speaking, no more than 2 percent of people born with this gene will eventually develop spondylitis.
Second, it is important to note that the HLA-B27 test is not a diagnostic test for ankylosing spondylitis. Also, the association between AS and HLA-B27 varies among different ethnic and racial groups. It can be a very strong indicator in that more than 95 percent of people in the Caucasian population who have AS test positive for HLA-B27. However, close to 80 percent of AS patients from Mediterranean countries and only 50 percent of African American patients with AS are HLA-B27 positive.
The Hallmark of Ankylosing Spondylitis
The hallmark of AS is involvement of the sacroiliac (SI) joints. Some physicians still rely on X-ray to show erosion typical of sacroiliitis, which is inflammation of the sacroiliac joints. Using conventional X-rays to detect this involvement can be problematic because it can take seven to 10 years of disease progression for the changes in the SI joints to be serious enough to show up on conventional X-rays.
Another option is to use MRI to check for SI involvement, but MRI can be cost prohibitive in some cases.
www.spondylitis.org/Ankylosing-Spondylitis/Diagnosis