What's a flare?

If you ve only been diagnosed a few months then I guess any medication you ve been prescribed hasn't really had time to take effect. Everyone with RA varies as to how well or quickly symptoms are controlled by meds. 

Eventually most people s RA gets under control and symptoms are reduced.  If they get worse that s called a flare. If they reduce to a minimal level that s called remission and that is what your consultant will be working towards as he tries out what med will work for you. 

So do keep a kind of diary of pain and which joints are affected so you can feed back accurately whether things are getting better/staying the same/ getting worse.

hope you get some benefit soon.

I don't know if it's the same for everyone but when I have a flare it has sharp pains that won't quit, along with what i call "bone-crushing aching" I have RA in my shoulders and that's the way it feels. Sometimes it's so bad you cannot move without excruiating agony. You can't sleep and you can't get comfortable. You just have to suck it up. Two days ago, I had a flare in my left hand and wrist which I haven't had. My arm from the elbow down was excruiating, the wrist and top of my hand and fingers swelled up big time. Fortunately I had to go into the Doc for a script and got a medrol-depo shot which by night fall the swelling started to go down and now it's almost gone. The pain is gone too. Whew!! You will definetely know when you get a flare because it will get your attention and hurt like hell. If you're lucky it will go away in about a week or so. Where do you have RA? I've only had it in my shoulders up until now and was wondering if the pain is different in different parts of your body.