Help me understand what happens during a flare...

[FluidMotion]

OK, I am newly diagnosed with Crohns although I now know that I have had symptoms for at least two or three years. I am trying to understand if there is a difference between an 'attack' and a 'flare'. I'm not sure if attack is the proper word, so here's what I'm talking about.

A couple of weeks ago or so, early in the week on Monday, I wasn't feeling so great. Run down, weak, stomach cramps, but no serious pooping. This went on all week and then on Thursday night/Friday morning around 3 am I was woken up by terrible horrible cramps. It took at least an hour before the cramps actually produced any kind of poop which once started, went on for 8 hours. During the time I was pooping, I was so nauseated, had to have a trash can in front of me while on the toilet. After the 8 hours I just collapsed. Then for 6 days the same pattern. By now I am just exhausted/worn out. Tuesday night I was good but woke up Wednesday and in the morning it started again. Wed, Thursday, Friday were crash and burn days. Today, Saturday, I feel goood.

so my question is, how often does this happen? Is a flare considered any and all symptoms? Fatigue, etc ... and/or poopong, or ...I'm just confused and trying to undersand what is happening.

 

[tots]

For me I think an "attack" is a bad day or night every once in awhile. Maybe I ate something I shoudn't have or under more stress than usual. Enough attacks leads to a flare up.

I could be completley wrong but, thats the way I think about it.

Good Luck and feel better soon. :ysmile:

 

[Slim Johnson]

From what I read, sounds like you had an obstruction from a flare. IDK if I would call it an attack. I'm with tots, in the sense that the attack would be more from eating something, or some other immediate trigger.

Not using the toilet with any real results for a period, then suddenly being nauseous, having to poop all day, for days on end.. IMO, the frequent trips usually mean your body is flushing something out.. Be it an allergic reaction, or the body freaking out because waste is contacting the affected intestine.. or clearing an obstruction.

 

[Chrismac]

For me, I would call that a flare.. To be honest I'm not sure I have attacks because I have a happy medium of being not quite in a flare but still not quite normal and I coast along like that.
If anything I'd say I have attacks of normal, it's that rare!

But a flare for me is having things get worse suddenly and last for days.. sometimes there will be a more 'normal' poo in the middle of that as a one off, but generally it's a decline in solidity.

I don't know if that makes sense? It hardly does to me sometimes..

 

[archie]

I think you just have good and bad days in general as our intestines are sensitive without actually being in a flare, I flare to me is when you have lasting symptoms that need meds to sort out but sure who knows it's such a diverse illness and differs form one person to the next.