Guest guest Posted September 23, 2001 Report Share Posted September 23, 2001 Hi Group, I hope I can get a clearer picture of what a " flare " is like. It sounds like a dumb question, but I'm never really sure if I'm in a flare or it's just the drugs winding down telling me it's time for the next batch of drugs for the day. Usually I feel my aches and pains in the mornings. This includes the achy rib/chest pain, slight swelling and PING! in the ear lobes, etc. A little while after I take my meds with breakfast, it starts to kick in. I'm usually ok during the rest of the day. I've heard people talk about flares lasting for an hour then it's gone. Is this because you're in-between your meds? Would feeling this way (achy) upon waking up mean that I really am not managing my disease well enough? I've increased my MTX to 15mgs but have been at Pred 25 for about a month now and my dr says when I start to feel better I can lower my pred dose. I'm VERY biased about my pred and will (admittedly) do/say anything to decrease the dose, so I'm not sure if I have a good excuse to cut down on my pred or if I have a good handle on it. Because I'm flying out to TX in a couple of weeks, I kept the pred dosage the same and have not attempted to decrease it for fear of the " unknown " during flying. Would appreciate any insight into flares you can give me. Thanks, ===== When choosing the lesser of two evils, I always like the one I haven't tried. -- Mae West __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 23, 2001 Report Share Posted September 23, 2001 Hi Group, I hope I can get a clearer picture of what a " flare " is like. It sounds like a dumb question, but I'm never really sure if I'm in a flare or it's just the drugs winding down telling me it's time for the next batch of drugs for the day. Usually I feel my aches and pains in the mornings. This includes the achy rib/chest pain, slight swelling and PING! in the ear lobes, etc. A little while after I take my meds with breakfast, it starts to kick in. I'm usually ok during the rest of the day. I've heard people talk about flares lasting for an hour then it's gone. Is this because you're in-between your meds? Would feeling this way (achy) upon waking up mean that I really am not managing my disease well enough? I've increased my MTX to 15mgs but have been at Pred 25 for about a month now and my dr says when I start to feel better I can lower my pred dose. I'm VERY biased about my pred and will (admittedly) do/say anything to decrease the dose, so I'm not sure if I have a good excuse to cut down on my pred or if I have a good handle on it. Because I'm flying out to TX in a couple of weeks, I kept the pred dosage the same and have not attempted to decrease it for fear of the " unknown " during flying. Would appreciate any insight into flares you can give me. Thanks, ===== When choosing the lesser of two evils, I always like the one I haven't tried. -- Mae West __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 23, 2001 Report Share Posted September 23, 2001 Hi : It seems that everyone's experience is a little different with flares. I have had to learn to listen to my body and most of the time I know when I am going into a flare. I am chronic and have aches and pains all the time, I also have a lot of rib discomfort and swelling. When these are the only symptoms I have I stay on 8 to 16 mg of Medrol (prednisone) and I take Enbril 2 times a week and metho, 15 mg one time a week. When I flare I notice a change in my voice and burning in my lungs, nose and sometimes eyes. I usually have a low grade fever with these symptoms. I am really scared to have my lungs affected as I have ended in the hospital. I am also on oxygen when needed and also use a c-pap machine at night. Sometimes I have found it hard to tell what is med reaction, med come down and actual flare. I think that that was a good question as I really have to do detective work. Donna CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 23, 2001 Report Share Posted September 23, 2001 Hi : It seems that everyone's experience is a little different with flares. I have had to learn to listen to my body and most of the time I know when I am going into a flare. I am chronic and have aches and pains all the time, I also have a lot of rib discomfort and swelling. When these are the only symptoms I have I stay on 8 to 16 mg of Medrol (prednisone) and I take Enbril 2 times a week and metho, 15 mg one time a week. When I flare I notice a change in my voice and burning in my lungs, nose and sometimes eyes. I usually have a low grade fever with these symptoms. I am really scared to have my lungs affected as I have ended in the hospital. I am also on oxygen when needed and also use a c-pap machine at night. Sometimes I have found it hard to tell what is med reaction, med come down and actual flare. I think that that was a good question as I really have to do detective work. Donna CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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