Agency is crucial as a chronic pain patient - especially when you feel most helpless and scared with pain at its worst. Flares are always difficult to navigate, but they don't have to make you feel so helpless and reactive. What are the phases of a flare, and how can you manage each one? This episode is a critical resource to learn how to identify and sooner recognize your own flare patterns so you end up in 'the hole' less, and can navigate your way out more effectively when it does happen.

As a provider, how can you better explain flares and give patients a prevention strategy so they are empowered to impact all the aspects they can control, and more effectively treat the pieces you can help with when they are most vulnerable? Listen to this episode for more tools and a structure you can implement right away.

Resources:

www.iniyh.com

https://www.instagram.com/iniyhpodcast/

Timestamps:

00:00 Official Intro

00:17 Intro - Flare Management

02:38 Reasons for this episode

03:55 Justine's Most Recent Flare

05:34 Breaking Down the 5 phases

05:43 1st Phase - Trigger or Stressor

09:27 2nd Phase - Loss of Routine

12:05 3rd Phase - Worsening Pain

15:03 4th Phase - The Hole

17:55 5th Phase - Digging Yourself Out

19:35 Phase 1 Strategies

23:34 Phase 2 Strategies

25:30 Phase 3 Strategies

30:43 Why not Opioids?

32:10 Communicating with your provider

34:44 Phase 4 Strategies

38:27 Phase 5 Strategies - The Reach Out

43:08 Pain Flares have a Cycle

46:58 WrapUp

48:54 Disclaimer