I developed optic perineuritis two years ago,lost most of the vision in my right eye until I was started on 70 mg. of Prednisone. Headaches persisted, an MRA showed inflammation of the right dura, cavernous sinus, optic nerve. I had low-dose radiation treatments to the optic nerve after one year. Headaches persisted until about a month ago, at which time I developed some pain on the left side of my neck. CT showed thickening of the common carotid artery, not typical for atherosclerosis. I'm a cardiac and vascular sonographer, so we did a carotid ultrasound, and in September my common carotid/bulb intimal thickening was .64. In October, my left External had progressed to being 99%occluded, and the internal walls are thickening now (as well as the subclavian artery walls). The artery was perfectly clear in June when I was teaching ultrasound and being scanned by students. Radiation oncologist said these arteries were not in the field of radiation. Physician thinks it is a type of arteritis; temporal artery biopsies were negative. Sed rate is elevated on Prednisone. I had almost 40 blood transfusions in the 1960's. A couple of years ago, my hepatitic C titer was positive(first one I've had). Internist ordered an RNA test, which was negative. He told me not to worry about the Hep C. Do you think that this is a type of arteritis caused by exposure to Hep C, even though it is not present in the RNA? I'm seeing a Rheumatologist, but we have never discussed this. I'm not even sure if I told him about the Hep C, because I was told it was gone and I didn't have to worry