Hi chaos

I suspect our flares are slightly different from one another, but I'll tell you my definition lol. Yours does sound like a flare, I hope it passes soon...

Normally (ahhh. What is normal anymore?!) I have pain, but I can tolerate it and still get on with my usual life (usual life now lol). I have the icy cold pain, some burning hot pain, usually in the evening, aches and pins and needles stuff.

During a flare (like now ) I feel generally lousy on top - I am tired, have a headache, I feel slightly spaced and wobbly, I am weaker, stumble more, am more clumsy, and struggle to formulate sentences at times. I have to check my writing and correct this a lot more! My pain levels are higher and I can have some weird pains in unusual places, or just unexpected pain in the usual places. It feels as though every synptom i can have happens all at once. I was out just now and had really bad pain suddenly in my arm and shoulder, and my hand has the freshly-sandpapered feeling... My knee hurts worse and is prone to giving way, clothes feel more uncomfortable, i ache all over.... Basically it's like CRPS-squared.

Going by history, this will hopefully only last until the weather has settled a bit again (we are working up to a load of rain right now, pressure is falling), about 3-7 days. If I'm unlucky it will be more major, and might last 2-3 weeks or more. They will be long days, where I just want to hibernate and feel sorry for myself, and definitely not pretend to cope just fine with it all. I'll want to plead with a doc to give me something that works on it, but I know nothing really does for me, so I normally try to avoid it.

For me, that's a flare. I have to keep reminding myself that they pass. Just typing now is making my fingertips and hands hurt... Most of my flares are either weather-related or because I've done something stupid and overdone things majorly. I try to learn from experience lol, but the weather ones I can't control, and they seem very cruel

You learn to get through by doing whatever makes you feel a tiny bit better. Warm baths, epsoms, warmth, relaxation, meditation, massage, soft lighting and music, nice food, a few treats, good conversation with nice people who know you are feeling crappy... and of course raiding your meds bag for something if it gets bad.

Good luck with your flare, and I hope things settle soon - if they don't, then go to see your pain doc, as you might be experiencing a general worsening of your CRPS and need a meds review. Hopefully thats not the case. Keep exercising gently when you can as it does help...

PM me anytime if you want to, I am on every day!

Bram