I don’t know what a flare is.

I’m recently diagnosed with PsA, I’m on my own journey of research, understanding and treatments. Whilst I’m only 7 months into being officially diagnosed, with knowledge of what and how this disease presents itself I believe it’s been apparent for 10+ years. There are obvious signs of active disease, dactylitus, ankle swelling, but what about all the other broken bits that scream as loud, if not louder than the visual ones? Back, lower and upper spine - I’ve had a discectomy at L5/S1 and then had it revised 2 years later, it still hurts. C5/C6 I have a diagnosed symmetrical impingement, but does that cause all the pain in my shoulders, arms and hands?

I don’t understand a flare. No more than I can stand the question (from a loved one); how do you feel today? Or from a medical professional; rate your pain out of 10. My pain is relentless. It’s constant. I no longer know how to rate my pain out of 10, if 10 is the worst pain ever known, then I probably (like most of us) live at about 7.5. But sometimes that’s 25. Out of 10.

My point is, I’m either in a flare that has been ongoing since mid Jan, or I’ve not had a flare yet and this is just normal. Trying to put a label on what a flare is is really tough. I’m not experienced enough with living with this disease, examining myself enough to determine what a flare is.
How do you assess if you are in a flare - or am I overthinking it?