For me, a flare up is when I walk like Fred Sanford, I hurt all over, my fatigue renders me a couch potato, and I just over all don't do much. I always have symptoms, but when I lose normal day to day function I call it a flare up.

I am never symptom free. Life with fibro sucks period. I agree with sandymclaughlinbean, a flare up for me is when all my symptoms are magnified and walking and movement is extremely difficult.

When your taking it easy and are not feeling too bad then you walked too far or did the grocery shopping, or you are stressed about something or there is a weather change and your pain starts to feel really bad it will usally last a few days. This is a flare. You can loose all your energy and want to sleep. Your headaches take over and your whole body hurts like hell. The pain is unreal and it affects your mind. You cannot remember anything , you put the coffee pot in the refrigerator and the ice cream in the cupboards and when its really bad it seems you dont even know your own name. This is called fibrofog. It feels like you've been run over by a truck. And although you don't always visibly swell up.... in a day or two when the pain starts to let up you feel as if your whole body is bruised. You take it real easy and get over the flare then it's time to do the shopping again. Remember to pace your self.🌹

For me a flare up is when I can barely walk I r straighten my back. My body is painful to the touch. The pain is pretty much unbearable.

I never have a symptom free day either. I have a baseline level of fatigue and pain, and then I have days where I feel like I can't go on! if I over do it, which I often do, I will have 3-5 of those horrible days in a row. I am assuming that is a flare. I also get this for one week around my period every single month.