a question about flares | Arthritis Information

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After posting again to update you about that brief mystery illness I had last Fri-Sat, I'm wondering something. Someone mentioned the possibility that I was having a RA flare.

Would you mind clarifying what a flare actually is? I thought it was a long spell of significantly worsening of symptoms. I know I had a bad one for about 9 months when the Plaquenil stopped working for me after I had a flu (respiratory, 103 temp, lasted weeks). For all those months, I needed help dressing, eating, I could only type with thumbs, my DH shampooed, dried and curl-ironed my hair, I could barely walk... on and on... it was quite miserable. I thought that was a typical flare.  But, after reading what you guys say, can a less severe and shorter lasting of worsened symptoms be also considered a flare? I do have really bad days that come and go but I thought that was just to be expected for active RA.
CathyMarie
I don't think there's one etched-in-stone definition of an RA flare.  For me I consider a flare to be more than a few days of pain, stiffness, swelling, malaise, perhaps even a slight fever without any other explanation (overexertion, illness/infection, stress) - generally requiring naproxen, acetaminophen, tramadol, perhaps even vicodin and/or methylprednisolone. Since my first experience with RA the flares that I have a very small and insignificant compared to what I hear others experience.
I have little spasms that appear out of nowhere and can crisscross from one side of the body to the next.
They are noticeable but very mild in discomfort levels, I'd put them at a .5/.75 on a pain level.

It can all be over in two hours or after a nights sleep.
flares....hmmm
I've had two major ones... and maybe hundreds of mini-flares over the years... mini's lasted a day or a few up to a week.....
major flares were months long.... horribly debilitating..  all pain.. no function... poor cohesive thoughts due to discomfort.
 
Yea, a major flare is one where I end up hibernating for weeks, living on Coke and meds  JasmineRain2009-05-28 20:29:56 [QUOTE=JasmineRain]I don't think there's one etched-in-stone definition of an RA flare. [/QUOTE]
Nor a is one flare typical of all flares, at least in my experience. Babs quite rightly, again in my experience, described them as major and minor.

Arthritis Today offers a definition that many of us, if not most of us, can agree with.

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