I was reading your post today about your arava experience etc.
I am going to try and give you my two cents about what is going on with me and hope it helps. I know many have given advice, but I didn't see any posts by people going through the exact same thing with as much pain as you.
I take prednisone, arava, celebrex, ultram all daily with high potency iron pills as well.
I too has wonderful months on Arava when it first started and then one day a flair came and i have been on one ever since.
I have swollen ankles and other parts that come and go and once one type of flair is gone, another seems to take right over.
Now, I did lower my prednisone 5mg during that time which I think had something to do with part of it, but I have had the same things as you going on.
I have some things that I want to know so i can reply in hopes that it might help you.....
Have you changed your diet in any way? Drinking milk now when you didn't then, now eat different vegies etc.?
Do you do different physical things since then?
Are you puting different vitamines in your diet, any herbal remedies etc.?
All of these things can effect you in the slightest way. I changed a ton with the foods I eat and now I can say that I have to go back to scratch to fix myself after my dr. appt tomorrow.
I did have a wonderful remission time last summer when I did nothing but eat all organic foods with fruits and vegies. I didn't eat any pork, red meat. I also cut out any eggplant, tomato, potato or bell peppers, I also lowered my bread intake.
I think I will start doing that again and see what happens. It took about 3 months, but it did kick in and that was "after" I stopped taking methotrexate and my arthritis keeps me stuck in wheelchairs etc. without medication.
So, your body can change and be effected by different things.
One last thing, do you have iron anemia? Getting the proper multi B complex and iron should help if you are as you get inflammation from having so little in your body.
I wish you well.