This rings a few bells. In 1998 I became ill with prostatitis which followed with serious downturn. Eventually I was diagnosed with ReA (reactive arthritis). This is thought to be incurable AI disease. I did not fancy the treatments to 'alleviate' the symptoms, nor the incurable label. I started a quest to find the solution to this epidemic which over took almost every part of my body, eyes, joints, (too much to list) etc etc. I started in the local hospital library and after a month ran out of books to read, then went to the British Library and started there. The resources in that building are just what I needed. I tried every alternative treatment on the market, including every cure and supplement with only worsening or without resolution. Given ReA is so rare I was foced to study many other illnesses to try to get a grasp on nature of the problem. I eventually started experimenting with antibiotics (abx) but not in normal 2 week courses but long prolonged courses, treating like one would for a chronic infection like TB. I must have been through 10-15 different abx, most with only side effects to talk about, but one Cipro did something, despite being totally hard to take, (dieoff) after 3 weeks at 1.5g per day I had to stop but did notice a slight change; after a few months break I wanted to try again for a longer duration (6 weeks) since this was the recommended course for prostatitis. I did and 2 weeks after that I remember the day when it all lifted in a 'woosh', I was not home yet but the rampant infection which was raging had been put down. Then I unfortunalty had a hickup, colon went south and I thought for 6 months it was side effects from the abx, yet it was actually a campylobacter infection which I know now is a comon side effect of abx. despite tests by local drs and labs they did not find this, I had to go to a private lab who found it and recommeded Cipro. It cured that in a few weeks but that secondary infection caused much damage and which has been yet another battle (tbc). The pockets of infection (back, left eye, hard to get places etc.) were still not 100% and a lot of courses of Biaxin did wonders to get it out of these places. Then I was limping along with colon problems for years, the cure to this was high doses of Anti fungals (AF), lamisil 250mg per day / 3 months, and nystatin or funglin (oral amp. b.), this was very effective for about the first 3 months, but i carried on for 18 months with these, but never got much more improvement, than after the first 3 months lift. Then I found that I was totally allergic to Gluten, then after another 6 months Dairy, and then Corn / Maize. After eliminating these the colon started to improve but is still not 100% and I'm still battling to get it 100%. B vitamins seem to be the latest aid. During this entire time I have done mostly everything without the help of Doctors who have had their hands tied and been unable to RX the treatments such as the abx etc. I have bought many on the net and had a friendly pharmacist who sold me what I asked for. There are good DRs out there though, 1/100 IMO. Good luck you will need it!

Edit: I do not have the 'so-called' incurable ReA any more! I do question many so-called AI diagnoses and believe many are infections. I'm not 100% but much better, I have good and bad days still. The body is an amazing machine and given the resources it will repair even from the most devastating damage.