Fibro Friday - What is a Flare-up?

The Best Offense Is, Indeed, a Good Defense

Some of you might hear me say that I am in a "flare-up" and you might not understand exactly what that is. So I thought I would just take some time to explain it.


In my everyday life, I have my good days and bad days. And then there are the flare-ups, where everyday is a bad day. Flare-ups can last for a few days, a few weeks, or even months. After I had Annabelle, I felt like I was in a flare-up for over a year. My flare-up that I have been in now is finally starting to ease up, (which is about time it has already been over 4 weeks).

On an everyday basis, I have my usual symptoms and complications from FM that range from mild to severe. During a flare-up you can get a sudden onset of more severe symptoms, more pain, or get every symptom possible all at once. It really varies from person to person.


There are times when I can figure out exactly what triggered my flare-up and other times it just seems to happen. Once again, that is completely different for each FM suffer. Some things that can bring on a flare-up are: depression, interrupted sleep patterns, changes in weather, physical and emotional stress , and other illnesses can contribute to a flare-up.


For those of you with FM, it is important that you have a Personal Fibromyalgia Symptoms Flare-Up Management Plan. Having a plan a head of time, can make you feel more in control and give you the strength to get through your flare-up. The website link above gives some great tips for helping you get through your flare-up. For me, getting control of my mental thoughts during a flare-up is very important. That completely controls how well I handle a flare-up.


I have linked a few websites that offer some great tips for managing and helping you get through your flare-up.