A flare is a sudden and severe onset of symptoms.  A flare may indicate a worsening of the disease process. If you have arthritis, you have probably experienced a flare at one time or another – your disease seems to be well under control for a while, then suddenly your joints become inflamed and painful. You may also experience pain and fatigue.

You can do everything “right” and you will still experience flare-ups of your chronic pain.

It can be difficult to stay present when you’re experiencing a lot of pain and suffering. Fear and anxiety creep in as you worry of when it might go away, if ever. You are not alone, and this flare will pass.  You have survived every flare that has come before, and this time will be no different.

Informing your health-care team is a great first step – they can often help you adjust treatments to reduce the duration of the flare.

Deep breathing and offering yourself compassion can help calm and sooth your nervous system and weather the flare better.

The more we resist, the harder things can feel for us. Offering yourself compassion, a massage, a nap, a bath or your favourite Netflix show can also be great for helping you cope.

Remember self-care does not have to come in the form of a face mask, sometimes it can be a phone call to someone you love, or simply allowing yourself to sleep in an extra hour.

Checklist for managing a flare:

• Inform my health-care team
• Practise 5 minutes of deep breathing
• Allow myself to cry about it
• Offer myself compassion
• Allow myself to do one thing for myself

If you are struggling with a flare, please make an appointment with Dr Caryn April.

Chronic pain is a very difficult condition. There may be good days, bad days and then really terrible days. A better understanding can go a long way in managing chronic pain. After all, you are not alone. One in five people in South Africa, suffer with chronic pain. This is a MASSIVE number (20% of our adult population!). Chronic pain is also the number one cause of disability worldwide.

There are many chronic conditions that exist without any cure. Chronic pain is unique for two specific reasons: The first is that pain is largely subjective. The second is that pain is invisible and very similar to grief because people cannot see it. Pain makes it difficult for them to understand and give attention to what they are feeling. The most important thing to remember is that your pain is real, and you deserve validation and proper treatment from your doctor.

These reasons make chronic pain more difficult to treat. People who suffer from chronic pain are afraid to share their experience for fear of being a burden to their loved ones. This leads to them suffering in silence and keeping up appearances at work, at home, and in their relationships. This is often at the expense of their mental well-being.

It is well researched that there is a strong association between chronic pain and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. This means chronic pain is physically and mentally exhausting.

Many traditional treatments for pain are not helpful and may be actively harmful. Things like rest (avoiding exercise), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opioids, injections, and operations. All things that can potentially worsen pain or have serious complications, especially in the long term.

But there is hope. There are evidence-based treatments available. None of them are quick fixes. There is no one-size-fits-all treatment. But know there are millions of others on this journey alongside with you. Just knowing that you are not alone, you are not crazy, and you are not some weird anomaly who has no “fix” is a step toward bringing safety to your nervous system. Which is one of the foundational steps for healing chronic pain.

You are not alone. Dr Caryn April and her interdisciplinary team is here to help you along this journey. Make an appointment if you are interested in taking your pain seriously.