Flare???

indigosunrise

Regular Member

Joined : Nov 2007

Posts : 497

Posted 6/2/2008 4:24 AM (GMT 0)

What exactly constitutes a "flare"? Is it when any of your Crohn's symptoms are active? Are some flares worse than others?

Sorry, just confused as to what a flare is!

Thanks everyone!

JudithUK

Regular Member

Joined : May 2008

Posts : 24

Posted 6/2/2008 8:13 AM (GMT 0)

I think of a flare as a worsening of symptoms and the onset of a bout of D. My joints and stomach ache most of the time, but a flare means I cant get up the stairs without taking them one at a time, and stomach pains noticably worse.

Kittikatt

Regular Member

Joined : Jul 2004

Posts : 422

Posted 6/2/2008 1:29 PM (GMT 0)

Over the past 4 years when I'd go in to see my GI, he'd ask me how I've been doing. Having been in remission since being Dx, I'd usually say I've been doing pretty good with the exception of a few "flares". I considered these 'flares' to be a day to three days of loose BM's, maybe 4 times during the daylight hours.

But my GI would said he didn't think those sounded like "actual flares". He thought it was just my colitis acting up - or possibly just IBS.

THEN, this year rolled around. My loose BM's started waking me up at all hours of the night; I was excessively lethargic; my Iron levels were very low; my C-Reactive Protein levels were through the roof; my ankles swelled to the point that I had to use crutches for 2 weeks; I began vomiting while going to the bathroom; my joints ached; I dropped 30lbs within 2 months...THIS was what my GI was talking about. THIS was an "ACTUAL FLARE".

Now I know the difference!

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