What is a flare for you?

Kelly, it's hard to say exactly what a flare is, but for me it's when things get a lot worse than the "normal" pain and fatigue of lupus. My pain level and fatigue increase, my malar rash gets worse, I get headaches and I get fevers. Sometimes I'll get mouth sores and swelling in my joints. Sometimes labs will show if you are in a flare, but labs can be pretty unpredictable and sometimes turn out looking fine even when you are feeling absolutely awful. I hope this helps. It's kind of a gray area and maybe someone else will maybe have a more concrete definition of a flare. Take care

Hi Kelly, like hippi and stacie said, you just feel much worse. sometimes it creeps up on you, especially if you are sedentary like me and you can find yourself really sick and not remember getting there. My face is the real indicator for me, red, red and chipmunk cheeks and puffy all around my face and neck, sometimes the red goes down into my chest. Usually something hurts, gi pain, urinary, back, joints, something hurts. I don't run fevers, my temp goes low because I also have endocrine problems. And the other main thing is just plain really bad fatigue. But most of the time for me it creeps up so gradually and never seems to go away, so that I really notice when my face is really red and I catch sight of it in the mirror and say, "oh my!".

I tend to get what I call a "mini flare" about a week before my period.  My fatigue level is far worse than normal and my hands and feet get very sore.  I also feel a burning sensation across my shoulders and in my legs along with very low grade fevers.  Nothing thats not tolerable but it can be draining.  I have never gotten a rash or any type of sores (thankfully!) but I do feel much worse.  I also tend to feel worse in the winter when it is terribly cold out. 

I got a cold at the tail end of our vacation last month and it has been lingering.  The cold combined with my monthly "mini flare" has really did me in this month.  I have scheduled labs and a rheumy visit mid Nov. so I will try and hold off until then.  It doesnt help that I have been swamped with my work so I need to try and take it easy when I can.