When is a flare, really a flare ?

[HelenJames]

I think we all get a little bit distracted from the main topicstarter's theme

[eyeamdry]

This thread is almost two years old.  I think it was retired.    Lucy

[SeaBreeze2]

Hi...  As Lucy said, this is an old thread that I started over a year ago..
I'm very sorry that you felt distracted by the theme.
Keep reading, there are tons of great threads and helpful information.
Best of luck to you...


Seabreeze2 a.k.a. Seabreeze  

[gphx]

MS has some premade terms that lend themselves quite well to Sjogren's issues.

An 'exacerbation' is a medium to long term resumption of symptoms or addition of new ones.

A 'pseudoexacerbation' is a very short term (typically 24-48 hours) aggravation of old symptoms
brought about by temporary factors such as stress, unrelated illness, diet, heat, etc.. A pseudoexacerbation
just highlights existing damage, it doesn't include anything new and typically passes fairly quickly.

Borrowing from that model one could say a true flare is anything over 48 hours or anything involving new
symptoms. It's a useful model for me and hopefully for others too.