Beware the dreaded GOUT

About six months ago I went to bed one evening feeling fine, no aches or pains, I was feeling good. However I woke in the early hours and my left big toe and surrounding area was extremely painful, it felt as if I had stubbed my toe on something solid or dropped a heavy weight on it. It was so painful I struggled to stand on it and it was even worse trying to walk on it.

I couldnt understand it and tried to ignore it for a couple of days but it didnt improve so went to see my doctor. They took a blood sample to double check but he said he was quite sure I had Gout. Gout is an arthritic condition, apparently our bodies naturally have Uric Acid but if the acid builds to high levels crystal can gather and form around your joints causing anything from mild to severe pain.

He gave me a course of tablets and after a couple of days it was gone but he did say it can come back. Well a couple of days ago it did come back but this time it is also in my right hand. I have pain from my finger tips back to my wrist, clenching my fist or moving my fingers is damn painful. Having it your feet is one thing but to have it in your hands is a nightmare, I struggle to pick anything up, operate a door handle or even lift a cup of tea.

So I will be back to the doctors and I do remember him saying that a change of diet can help and long term it may mean "steroids"....thats just great.

Hope you guys dont have it or get it, its not much fun and to have it in your hands is seriously bad news.

Ron

Edited By Ron Laden on 15/07/2018 07:34:37

Ron,

sorry about ur troubles........I knew a guy that had the same problem.......he changed his diet etc and now has the occaisional mild flare up......the last I heard........

suppose like most I have used steroids, they sure take the pains away but long term use is a def no, no........go the diet route, there a lot of info on the web, sometimes rubbish but after studying a while u'll find out........

I suffered with extremly high collesterol.........rubbish drugs wrecked my life with long term use.......now found a homeopathic that does an equally good job WITH NO SIDE EFFECT"S for just a few quid a week..........my wife found out the info but the best results for info came from the USA.......higer population = more experience.

good luck with ur quest......... clogs

I sympathise with you. I developed a painful right big toe some five years ago. Originally it manifested itself after a long drive. I put it down to the pressure of the accelerator! When the pain persisted I went to the doctor and he quickly diagnosed gout. As you have found, it won't "go away" and I'm surprised you were only put on a short course of tablets. I was prescribed Allopurinol, twice a day and I'm still taking them all this time later. I would go back to the doctor if it were me. Good luck. It is treatable.

John

Thanks clogs and John,

Yes I will make an appointment Monday, actually when I went to the doctors it wasnt my normal doctor.

I,m sure if I see my own GP he will sort it, he is very good.

Ron

Edited By Ron Laden on 15/07/2018 08:01:32

I'd suggest you do some reading on diet control and the underlying reasons that this happens. The Dalmatian is a good canine model for this but there the issue is uric acid crystals and stones in urine (a failure to metabolise uric acid to more soluble urea)

pgk

Thanks pgk, I will talk diet to my GP.

Having said that I thought my diet quite balanced, I dont eat junk food and eat a lot of fruit and veg but obviously something is not helping.

Ron

Ron,

Red meat is one of the problems in diet, you will probably be advised to eat bland white meat etc. no more big juicy steaks!

Dave W

John H,

There is/was a drug trial for heart condition sufferers. Alloprinol is thought to be beneficial for the heart attack patients. I’ve not seen any final outcome, so presume the trial is still in progress.

Basically, they were comparing patient surgery visits between those taking allopurinol regularly and those not.

I was selected for the non-allopurinol half, but I suspect I am not helping prove the case for the allopurinol - as my visits to the surgery are few and far between.

Vegan diet, lots of water, apple cider vinegar; there are many natural remedies before reaching for the tablets

.

... Some info about the drug here: **LINK**

https://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/arthritis-information/drugs/allopurinol.aspx

MichaelG.

Gout ,frightened the life out of me the first time, huge blue toe and pain. Doc gave me tablets, only needed one, and one if it flared up. Now just diet, my favourites are banned-- liver, kidneys, rhubarb, kale and spinach being the worst for me. Steak every now and then seems ok. Just got to find out what suits you, we are all different.

Thanks guys,

The foods you mention are my favourites too, but if they have to stop then so be it.

The really really bad news I read is that beer is not good at all for gout, does this mean I cant have the odd pint of my favourite real ale....oh no I cant bear the thought...lol

Ron

There is no doubt, gout is a pain! I have had it on and of for 25 years but it has become less severe in recent years maybe because I have changed my diet from wine to whiskey.

Wife has more severe bouts than I. One of our trips away recently could have been curtailed when she copped for a badun'. What saved the day was our invalid buggy which we normally take turns on otherwise we would have cancelled.

Colchicine was prescribed but side effects made her feel very poorly for weeks after.

Someone recommended a daily drink of diluted Montmorency cherry syrup which we have both tried but the jury is still out as they say.

Rik

Ron, I have a mate who suffers from gout and he really loves his ale. His old tipple of Guiness is now off the list but lager does not seem to affect him. He manages 4 pints a day and "Has a Drink" at the weekend !

Chris, it may not be all bad news then.

Rik, thats ok I dont mind changing from wine to whisky..lol

Edited By Ron Laden on 15/07/2018 09:27:50

Edited By Ron Laden on 15/07/2018 09:28:16

NDIY,

I didn't want to labour the point, but I did have a heart attack in 2008, have had a total of 3 coronary stents implanted and have just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes! All downhill from now, I guess. I have a good, balanced diet, drink one pint of Guinness a week. ( Today's the day. Yippee! ) Must be something in the genes as my mother's health followed a very similar path and she lived to 81. Only short-term projects for me from now on!

John

Good news- my doc said a few pints a week, of good real beer, will do no harm. The odd whiskey is ok . White wine and cheap lager the worst. But this is getting embroiled with heart and blood problems as well as gout. Remember we are all different.

A guy at work used to suffer with this. You need to avoid high Purine foods:

**LINK**

I suffer from gout two or three times a year. Had a session in March, grabbed Naproxin which had been proscribed last year, cured the gout but ended up with duodenal ulcer. I have had Allopurinol in the past but only whilst I had the gout. Had it in both big toes and thumbs. Ah the joys of old age

Roy

I have gout which is mostly under control. It is one inheritance from my dad I don't appreciate - the one I have is a Y chromosome defect, so my brother has it too.

Gout is caused by a high concentration of uric acid in the blood precipitating out as uric acid sand. This is caused by the breakdown of protien. So the way I tackle it is to drink lots of fluids and reduce protien intake. This has meant a reduction in nuts and red meat. I now average 2-3 oz of chicken a day, rarely more than that. An 8oz steak will cripple me the next day. I have also found air conditioning in hot weather works wonders by reducing indirect water loss. If urinating and the stream is darker than faintly yellow, need to drink much more water.

I currently have very hot knuckles on both hands, an indication I need to drink a lot in the next few hours. I have had juice from red fruits recommended (eg cranberries) but for me it makes the situation worse, not better.

Regards

Richard