What’s the difference between a flare and merely “symptoms?”

I notice UC’ers will mention having some symptoms (but not flaring per se) when having trigger foods or drinks. Is the idea that our digestive systems are just generally wonky and are more sensitive to certain things? I know what a full-blown flare feels like, but I thought “remission” would be defined as an absence of symptoms.

Remission means no UC symptoms, but it doesn't mean no symptoms. A lot of UC patients in remission have what resembles IBS. Sensitivities to certain foods, stress, etc. It's probably because the colon has just been through so much that it never fully returns to normal, and this is confirmed by science. UC patients have permanent changes in the structure of their bowel cells that never really go away. So the mechanical function of the bowel is never really the same, even if the person has no symptoms. This is why UC is life long and we shy away from the word "cure".

A flare usually means inflammation is out of control, number of BMs per day is high, quality of life is reduced, and treatment is needed. A flare is a "medical exacerbation".

"Symptoms" can mean anything, but if a person is not flaring yet has symptoms, it means they are concerned that they are having early signs that COULD mean a flare is coming, but it's not for sure yet. For those of us who have had low symptom or remission periods, we always remain paranoid that the sudden diarrhea we had today "might be a flare". This condition is so stressful. Even in remission you are haunted by it.

IBS...oh yeah!

VJ...Apparently not true about permanent architectural changes....my scopes are of normal structure now. I didn't believe it at all ..swore my biopsies were mixed up with someone else's. The next scope was the same.

I still flare, but the meds I've been on seem to have made the difference to allow healing. I do treat early symptoms, so inflammation doesn't have a chance to continue to make changes. If I went off the meds, well, flaring would be a totally different scenario.

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