flares

[enrico]

hi,
i'm enrico, i'm 20 and, after more than 4 years of pain and doctors telling me i was crazy (they diagnosed me and treated me for anorexia), i finally discovered i have sle. I'm new to this condition and have problems understanding what to do. most of all, i'd like to have your advice on flares: so far i've always had symptoms! there are actually days in which they all seem to get worse, but they last no more than 2 days but are really frequent (up to 3 times a month): r these flares? How can i distinguish them from colds, infections and so on....? Also, what would u do as first steps now to deal with sle?
Thank u guys
enrico

[enrico]

maybe i should make the question clearer....
often i'm not really direct...........it is just that i'm so confused about living with this new "thing".....
how often do you have flares
what r the signs?
thankssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Maia]

Flares differ for everyone, and some people feel sick all the time and get worse in various ways (more joint pain, more swelling, increased protein in urine, more fatigue, develop fever, etc.). Other people have times where they feel nearly normal. Most people seem to flare more than a few days at a time from what I've heard...

I can tell when it's a cold or a virus that's going around by if my daughter and/or husband also get it. A cold normally has pretty typical progression of symptoms that get better in a predictable time period, whereas my lupus flares tend to last longer without such a predictable course.