Comments on: What is a Rheumatoid Arthritis Flare?

By: connie

connie — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 03:35:07 +0000

I haven’t been diagnosed with ra yet,but I get theese episodes that come every 8-10 days i feel like I have the flu my hands,elbows,fingers,toes,wrists,shoulders get very stiff,are warm,hurt like a broken bone,swollen.My throat hurts when I swallow and ist not red or sore.Are theese episodes consider a flare? It lasts 3-4 days.

By: Craig

Craig — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 02:40:35 +0000

Oh sure, my symptoms “flare”.
In the out-of-the-frying-pan-and-into-the-fire sort of way.
There’s the baseline one knee not working and don’t try to be “a man” and open jars if you want to use your hands for the next month, and general lack of energy, strength etc.
And then some days [insert random joint/s] decides to not want to play any more.
But for me anyway, there’s no such thing as remission or a lack of symptoms – just a different type of “normal”

By: Anya Brooks

Anya Brooks — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:46:40 +0000

I have RA, and I’ve noticed that the more active I am or just after an illness ie: sinus infection, my RA is much worse. So I guess you could consider this a “flare”. My RA sometimes go in “remission” usually during early Spring or early Fall, but it doesn’t last long.

By: Marilyn Bielstein

Marilyn Bielstein — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:51:41 +0000

For Shannon and Jonathan concerning the ‘long bone’ pain you both mentioned—I had it too, and my rheumy checked vitamin D3 levels and found they were practically negative…after a couple of injections of Vit D, I am now taking 2000 mg/day and the pain disappearted almost immediately.

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 04:34:18 +0000

Flares that come and go but we remain on constant medication irregardless confuses me a bit. Could we perhaps treat the ‘flares’ with minimal medications?

As the progression of RA continues it will always be more painful but the medicine we are taking constantly is suppose to be preventative measures to decrease the effects but still RA it still progresses and never gets cured. Is there times I could say dang I feel good and don’t need to swallow or needle myself with these medications today? Some of these medications could be doing more long term damage worse than having RA itself.

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 04:12:31 +0000

I often too think of ‘Flares’? What gives? If we are all taking medication to stop symptoms of RA but we are still having bad repeats of pain; Why are we taking anything at all on a regular basis?

By: 11bravowifey

11bravowifey — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:01:29 +0000

I do have what they call “flares.” I have long periods where I have no ra symptoms at all but then a year later bam I wake up and my whole body hurts, I’m exhausted and I can hardly get out of bed it can last a month or a year, but at least I don’t have constant symptoms.

By: Marilyn

Marilyn — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:29:41 +0000

Shannon, I experienced that bone pain as a ‘twisting sensation’, in both legs, and could not sleep at night with it. During the day it was more of a stabbing pain. My rheumy had vitamin D levels checked, and found I was lower than the lab limits. I had a couple of shots of D3, and have been taking 2000u a day since then…..no more leg pains.I know others who are taking 3 times that amount.I hope you have discovered this by now, I just found your post. Kaytelle

By: Marilyn

Marilyn — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:17:43 +0000

My RA never ‘flared’ while I was on Humira—since I have been off everything except Tylenol and Lyrica (for FM), the joints in my hands,all of them, have been red, swollen,and stiff. A couple on each hand lock up and are painful to open, especially in the mornings. This started in February of this year, and has been constant—sometimes less painful, sometimes more, but constant. The swelling involves the entire hand, and I cannot wear my rings at times. I am still doing Yoga (once-a-week classes) and am in physical therapy twice a week to improve balance and core strength. Really strange to have to learn how to walk again—I never thoughtI had a problem there…but I do have to learn to slow down with everything I do apparently, in order to improve balance. It seems to work. However, the joint pain is still there, no matter what else we manage to correct….

By: Kelly Young

Kelly Young — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 22:17:05 +0000

gotta love Dr. Google. Glad to find out she’s a chick.