Flare vs. Exacerbation

[JAG10]

Last week we had some great discussion regarding improvement without remission. So now I'm curious to about your thoughts on Flare (minor symptom increase) vs full-blown Exacerbation.

 

1-Do you think the peak of the mountain of symptoms triggered is determined by:

 

a) the type of immune system challenge (viral or bacterial or degree/strain of infection?)

 

the innate terrain ( the specific combination of infections your child has already built a response to and the status of their particular immune system)

 

c) the artificial terrain ( where your child happens to be in a particular treatment when specific bug hits)

 

d) the succession of assaults (are infections coming one right after another, not giving your child's system a chance to stand down long enough

 

2- Do you think slamming down flares with increased abx or steroids prevents the "over the cliff" exacerbation? Or do you think the right trigger at the right time will lead to the inevitable BIG one?

 

3- Do you think flares in symptoms reflect more the nature of challenge or the status of your child's health?

 

4- Is anyone who has witnessed this from childhood into puberty.... are you able to appreciate any difference in symptomatic reaction to triggers (flare vs exacerbation) between prepubescent vs. puberty/post-puberty?

[thereishope]

I answered these as I see it in my son....

 

1.....a,c,d

 

2.Hm. I want to say if you catch even the "big one" aka strep early, it can still get bad and take awhile to recover. This is what I saw in my son. I caught exacerbation #2 and 3 within a day of onset. He still got bad. However, if it is viral, stress, allergy, you can help it by catching it quick and helping the body with supplements, ibuprofen, etc.

 

3.Can you explain "nature of challenge" one more? I think flares will be worse earlier in recovery or back to back assaults on the immune system even if only viral. Also, for my child, flares I think was part of the recovery process too. It's like the brain was going in so many different directions. He would have an unexplained flare just to recover from it w/o medical intervention and at times once he recovered from the flare, he'd actually be better than he was prior to the flare (he'd still be suffering from the exacerbation but a few steps forward in recovery).

Edited November 10, 2010 by Vickie

[earnestfamily7]

I have been away from the forum for a while- not because I wasnt thinking about PANDAS but more that I need to give my mind a rest... and the kids were (key word WERE) doing very well....

 

we are flaring/ramping up again- so to answer your question... IMHO- #1 all of the above #2i would like to think and believe that slamming down the right antibiotics at the right time will prevent the BIG one - but I aw last year w.DD slamming down tons of rx over 4 month till symptoms abated - with DS his were gone with a few doses of the right rx.... o I think it is how it treated and what the trigger is.... very hard to figure out -however I think that in both cases there is the potential that some symptoms will remain (residual effect for awhile) <<side note- wouldn't it be great if this illness came with a guidebook>> #3 ? not sure how to answer - I think that regardless of the flares and symptoms I am seeing I always know there is a challenge ahead of me...and that there is something definately wrong with their health - so for me I think that I just know there is something wrong (is that what you meant?)

~Steph E.