Pain Flare Vs Breakthrough Pain

This past weekend I mentioned to a family member that I was in a pain flare, that had started last Wednesday. She said "Oh, so you have to take more pain medicine to keep the pain away then?". I told her no, then explained the difference between a pain flare, and breakthrough pain.

So, what is the difference between a pain flare and breakthrough pain? A flare simply means an excaburation of symptoms. If your pain level is normally a 1 or a 2, and then it goes up to a 7 or an 8, then that's a flare. Usually with a flare, the usual pain medicine you take doesn't give you as effective relief as when you're not in a flare. A flare doesn't have to be related to just pain either. It can also be a flare in fatigue, fibro fog, or any other symptom. Basically, any symptom that you have, that intensifies without relief, is a flare. For your doctor to consider you to be in a true flare, your increased symptoms have to last for at least 24 hours.

With breakthrough pain, you may take a pain pill for your pain then before time for your next pill, the pain comes back. Once you take the pill again, your symptoms again settle down. This type of scenario is considered breakthrough pain.

Sometimes you can break a flare, just by increasing your rest and decreasing your activities. Sometimes you may need a short dose of steroids or a shot of cortisone. Sometimes an increase in pain meds will help. When all else fails, sometimes you just have to tuff it out until it breaks on it's own.

Last Wednesday, I started a flare. By late Thursday night, I was ready to call my rheumatologist. I didn't call on Friday though, because I knew that I wouldn't be able to be seen until at least Monday. My rheumatologist is at The Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, OH and it's approx. a 2 hour drive from me. My husband wouldn't be able to take the day off to get me there with that short of notice. Thankfully, my pain flare finally broke on it's own, on Sunday. This was the worst and longest pain flare I've ever had. The fibro fog that accompanied the flare was bad. It left me feeling drained, depressed and alone.

Although pain flares are to be expected when you have Fibro, CFS, Lupus, Arthritis, etc., it's still hard to deal with the symptoms when one hits. Try to figure out what caused your flare. Did you exercise too much? Were you in a stressful situation? If you can figure out your triggers for a pain flare, then you're better able to control the situations around you, that may cause a flare. I still haven't figured out what caused this last one I had. Rest assured, I'll pay more attention in the future though!

Symptoms Of Fibromyalgia

The National Fibromyalgia Association is located at http://www.fmaware.org/ .  I'm posting the symptoms of Fibromyalgia exactly as found on their website.  To see their original post of this, please click HERE.

Image obtained at Google Images

Chronic widespread body pain is the primary symptom of fibromyalgia. Most people with fibromyalgia also experience moderate to extreme fatigue, sleep disturbances, sensitivity to touch, light, and sound, and cognitive difficulties. Many individuals also experience a number of other symptoms and overlapping conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, lupus and arthritis.

• PainThe pain of fibromyalgia is profound, chronic and widespread. It can migrate to all parts of the body and vary in intensity. FM pain has been described as stabbing and shooting pain and deep muscular aching, throbbing, and twitching. Neurological complaints such as numbness, tingling, and burning are often present and add to the discomfort of the patient. The severity of the pain and stiffness is often worse in the morning. Aggravating factors that affect pain include cold/humid weather, non-restorative sleep, physical and mental fatigue, excessive physical activity, physical inactivity, anxiety and stress.
  
• Fatigue
  In today's world many people complain of fatigue; however, the fatigue of FM is much more than being tired after a particularly busy day or after a sleepless night. The fatigue of FM is an all-encompassing exhaustion that can interfere with occupational, personal, social or educational activities. Symptoms include profound exhaustion and poor stamina
  
• Sleep problems
  Many fibromyalgia patients have an associated sleep disorder that prevents them from getting deep, restful, restorative sleep. Medical researchers have documented specific and distinctive abnormalities in the Stage 4 deep sleep of FM patients. During sleep, individuals with FM are constantly interrupted by bursts of awake-like brain activity, limiting the amount of time they spend in deep sleep.
  
• Other symptoms/overlapping conditions
  Additional symptoms may include: irritable bowel and bladder, headaches and migraines, restless legs syndrome (periodic limb movement disorder), impaired memory and concentration, skin sensitivities and rashes, dry eyes and mouth, anxiety, depression, ringing in the ears, dizziness, vision problems, Raynaud's Syndrome, neurological symptoms, and impaired coordination.