How to know when you're having a flare

[elephant]

It sounds like a mild flare, but you need to be persistant and find the underlying cause. It also can be an infection too, but I am sure they cultured his throat and nose.

[sue7211]

Yes, they have cultured his throat for strep twice now and his nose for flu. They also did blood cultures a couple weeks ago. All were negative. I just spoke to the rheumatologist and he's going to start on septra. She said it might take 1-3 weeks to see an improvment.

[reb876]

Hi Sue, what do they do when they take a culture of the throat for Strep, reason being I was dx with Strep and all they did was went by the blood results and looked down my throat, 4 weeks later I was in hospital with loss of 88% kidney function, before strep it was ross river, rubella, parvovirus B19, arthritus, and gout, took a year to finaly figure it out it was wegs.

[drz]

A check for strep is just a swap of back of throat which is determined to be either negative or positive.

[Sangye]

That's the quick-strep test, drz. If it's negative and they suspect strep they generally do a throat culture at the same time because the quick test isn't 100% accurate.

[Rini]

Last week I had a bad chest cold and coughed till my ribs made my cry. I ended up at the ER and they gave me pain drugs that made me loopy. I got worked up, ended up back at the ER and had blood, CT, and doctors called. In the end they put me on antibiotics and i was fine. I feel so silly, it was so expensive, but the alternative was not an option in my mind. Is there something that would be a major flag that it is NOT a flare?

[pberggren1]

You did perfectly find hun. You did what you had to do. And you did well. A flare is never easy to spot. I am flaring now and didn't know it was coming.

[mishb]

Hi Rini, great to see you....... and I'm glad it was nothing too serious.

Bad enough that the pain sent you to the ER - I think you did the right thing as well.

You just never know with this sneaky little condition.

I hope everything else is going good with you.
Take care

[Col 23]

Hi
I recognize when I'm having a flare as it always starts in my feet and joints. My feet were so painful before diagnoses then it progresses to joints, eyes and chest, I seem to have sort of pattern. The confusing bit for me is when I have an infection, I can never quite pick it before it
progresses. Just have to keep on monitoring and as this illness moves very quick its better to get checked out. Bloods always have away of picking up infections and flares but even that gets tricky.
Nearly lost my thumb in October 2012 through infection that spread to bone. Weeks on intravenous antibiotics.
Col 23

[Marilyn]

I am so happy to find this site, my name is Marilyn, I was diagnosed 2 years 9 months ago, after almost dying before an infection specialty MD dx me. I couldn't breath at all and had to go on life support or die. I was ready to die, and didn't want to be intubated because I had just seen my husband die while being intubated 4 weeks before. I started hurting all over, and my lower arms and legs, feet turned in and brown when I had my son take me to the hospital. Took 11 days almost dead before starting me on the right treatment came home after 16 days, fluid overloaded, 30 pounds with fluid coming out the pores of my legs and leaving sores. Not fun. I am an RN and had never heard of the disease except on TV show House. I have had questions about symptoms, that have been answered by all of you. Thanks Marilyn