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What do you consider a flair up?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 7/2/2008 2:13 AM (GMT 0)
I'm just wondering what some of you consider a "flair up"? I'm new to UC, and my UC is not near being under control yet, but my neighbor also has it, and she considers a "flair up" to be some abdominal cramping and maybe one bm of diarrhea. Can it get this good? Right now I go to the bathroom many times a day (10-20), and there is always a lot of blood and mucus. She told me that for a lot of UC sufferers that it can get a lot better, and that a flair up can be quite simple. Is this true? Sounds funny, but I don't want to get my hopes up if this is not the case for most people. Does everyone consider this to be a flair up? And how long does a flair up last?
Thanks!
enjoyingnow
Posted 7/2/2008 2:21 AM (GMT 0)
Flares come in degrees of severity.  What your neighbor describes is probably a minor flare, your flare sounds moderate, and then severe would land you in a hospital and would include rapid loss of weight, dehydration, possible fevers and vomiting.  There is no standard on how long a flare will last.  I had flares that lasted as little as a few days to one that went on for over 2.5 years.  UC is unpredictable at best.  The goal is to get a flare controlled and in remission.

Sue

Posted 7/2/2008 3:57 AM (GMT 0)
I consider a flare-up to be anything other than remission (which most people consider to be "normal" bowel function).

Sometimes a flare might be loose bowels for a week or two, but it can be controlled thru diet change. Sometimes you might be bleeding and need to go on steroids for a few weeks. Sometimes you might have to be in the hospital for a while and receive IV medications.

I think the key to managing flares is to not let them get out of control. As soon as I see blood, I let my GI know. I took a 10-day backpacking trip last summer, and he gave me a bottle of Prednisone and said to start taking it if I started having bleeding again so that it wasn't a raging flare-up by the time I got back to civilization.
Posted 7/2/2008 12:28 PM (GMT 0)
Everyone views their flares and remissions differently. Someone can say that they are in a flare even if they are going more then once a day but to them, that is a lot especially if their disease is mild. But then we can have someone who says they are flaring and going 15+ times a day and their disease is moderate/severe. So yeah, basically what Sue said lol - there are different severities.

Flare = active symptoms

Remission = no symptoms (individualistic) - some can have very mild symptoms and they consider themself in remission
Posted 7/2/2008 4:06 PM (GMT 0)
Having lived through a horrid five-year flare, my definitions may trend a little differently than most.

Blood (other than from hemmies) - definite flare

Cramping, mucous - flare coming, take action

More frequent/softer stools - watch yourself, watch the diet

2-4 stools a day, no cramping or mucus - remission

I guess I'll do most any kind of rationalization to keep from calling it a flare, because that word takes my mind to a place where I was so sick for so long.
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