Identifying Flare Ups
How do most people with AS accurately identify a flare up?
Oh, yes, I wake up & really groan. There is the ever present pain, but the flare pain is upped a notch. Then as I stand, I usually list to one side or other because of muscle cramps. The normal stiffness does not ease in the time it usually takes. That pain eclipses everything else. I can feel almost sick to my stomach with pain. Additionally, it is hard to think, to concentra-sometimes, even to smile. At times, it will affect my legs which makes me shuffle. And the fatigue from just trying to get through the day! It will last until I wake up another morning, get out of bed, & realize that my usual pain is back without the add on pain element & I don't list or shuffle.
The numerical assignment of pain is too abstract: I'm sure that some scientist thought that assigning a number would be less subjective. But few of us go through life by looking in the mirror or looking at a flower & say, "By golly, I'm an 8 today or that flower was a 9 & now it is a 6: it needs water.' However, the old scale where numbers had corresponding faces, registering from happy faces to tears & screams was much more reflective of the world we live in because as humans we are trained to look at faces & make judgements.
Let's hope for the rest of the year that there are less flares & more smiles (Category 1 in the new chart).As with most people with AS, I feel less than good most days. Occasionally I feel much worse than my normal baseline. Those are what I think of as Flare Ups, but the length can be one day to several. It’s just not something doctors teach or train us to identify, so I guess its kind of different but sort of the same for all of us.
In addition, I hate the how do you rate your pain today? question at follow-up appointments. They never seem interested in how good or bad I might have felt on any other day.
Well said, it's important to be aware of your own baseline and take notice of any differential from that point.
I too agree that there needs to be a way to expand the assessment (rating) of pain. Perhaps the question can go beyond the single measure (number rating) at that moment and instead be asked about the intensity of pain over the past 5-7 days.
Thanks so much for chiming in. ~Doreen (Team Member)
Last Updated: November 15, 2023
JRobb
Well said, it's important to be aware of your own baseline and take notice of any differential from that point.
I too agree that there needs to be a way to expand the assessment (rating) of pain. Perhaps the question can go beyond the single measure (number rating) at that moment and instead be asked about the intensity of pain over the past 5-7 days.
Thanks so much for chiming in. ~Doreen (Team Member)
JRobb
Pain is a totally subjective feeling, it's absurd to try to place a numeric rating on it. What would be an 8 to one person may only be a 4 to another. A lot also depends on one's mood or frustration level as well as what they have been doing or trying to do. I think it's much more telling to ask about TRENDS such as making comparisons to - say - yesterday and last week.
Hey
,
That's a very interesting question as I guess there is no lateral flow flare test that we can take!
Personally, I identify a flare if my symptoms have got worse and got in the way of me doing my everyday life things for a few days. We can always just get hit with a bad day or two here or there but I think once it reaches 3 or 4 days I can tell that it is a flare and not just a bad patch.
But I have on occasion had some really nasty flare ups where I have had enormous swelling on my joints and been completely unable to move because of them and increased stiffness and pain. During those ones I know as soon as I wake up that this is an extreme flare!
How would you go about identifying a flare up yourself?
Wishing you well,
James (Community Member)
