Why should I contact my Rheumatologist for every flare?

Hi . This is a great question/topic and hopefully others will engage with their thoughts and experiences. I can tell you that my wife, Kelly Mack (a contributor here), definitely does not contact her rheumatologist for every flare. Kelly was diagnosed at age two, 45 years ago, so has a lot of experience and knows her body and RA pretty well. She developed a flare action plan with her rheumatologist, such as a prescription for extra prednisone. Our patient leader Kat (who, like Kelly, was also diagnosed at age two) wrote about the flare action plan here: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/flare-action-plan.

This still leaves the question of when should/does one contact the doctor? I have to admit that I don't have a great answer. We look for when Kelly's symptoms are somehow different or if it is a new issue she that she doesn't have experience with. The one thing I would stress is don't wait too long - when something is different or worse, such that you don't have an idea of what to do, don't hesitate to contact a doctor. Hopefully others will chime in on this as well. I know I'm planning on running this past Kelly, so may have more to say. Hope this is helpful. Best, Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)

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I do not contact my rheumatologist with every flair. I have a prescription for prednisone with use instructions. My doctor also gave me instructions on OTC use during a flair.
Once these are tried and if I am still in trouble, I will write to my rheumatologist on My Chart. I am currently on a taper dose of prednisone.
I think having a Flair Plan of Action at the ready before a flair hits is a great idea.
Best to you! Julie

I agree with both Richard and Julie here. While communicating with your doctor daily may sound like a great idea, contacting your doctor every time you experience a flare may not always be necessary or beneficial. The best thing you should always do is keep a note of any new pains or patterns you may experience. One of our contributors talked about how journaling her symptoms has helped her in many ways and this could also help when communicating with your doctor. Maybe you can read more about her experience and see if this may be something that you may be interested in doing. You can access the article here-https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/journaling-joy. I hope all of this feedback as been helpful to you thus far. If you have any additional questions please do not hesitate to reach out! Kindly, Latoya (Team Member)