GOUT! - Anyone else have this? It's Pretty Sucky!

[Lution]

:bkw

I'm 40 and Just got my first ever gout attack in my right big toe almost 4 weeks ago.... and I'm still suffering badly. This attack so far has not let up.

About 2 months ago I completely changed my diet from foods that were high in purines and acidic content (red-meat, chicken, shellfish, beer, alcohol, etc) to a high alkaline diet. leafy greens, veggies, fruit, whole grains, and no alcohol. I immediately lost about 12-15 pounds. My doctor thinks this probably triggered the gout attack.

I went to a local urgent care 4 weeks ago and and was prescribed:
Prednisone... worked for a week and then the gout flared back up
Colchicine.. didn't really work at all
Ibuprofin - 800mg 4 times a day... barely put a dent into the pain


I finally saw my podiatrist today. He prescribed Indocin 3 times a day for 10 days. He says he's had good success with it.

We'll see, but I'm also starting a different approach from details I read at http://www.icuredmygout.org which includes taking some baking soda and further looking at my diet.


Just wondering if anyone has suffered from this excruciatingly painful disease and if you had any success controlling your attacks.

[dpeterson]

i get it in my big toe from time to time... about every 2 or so months. it sucks really bad, feels like someone is jamming an icepick in your toe as you walk.

no fun.

dave

[Gibfenderson]

I had it when I was about your age. Damn, It really hurt - thought I broke my foot. I cut out beer and that helped. I switched from running to riding a bike and that really helped.

I reacted real well to meds prescribed - gone in about 3 days. Sorry, I can't remember which meds they were.

Good news is once you get under control it doesn't come back or didn't in my case.

Good luck.

[GovernorSilver]

Anything with blueberries helps me. Blueberry breakfast bars, blueberry jam, etc. And of course drinking water. I don't monitor my diet obsessively but I try to keep it balanced. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so that helps. Haven't had to take any drugs.

My last attack was almost 4 years ago.

[Lution]

yeah, i also currently have it in my big toe too.

It's been like a war! I really hope some relief comes with what I was prescribed.

[bri237]

I have had it several times and it is the worst thing. What always sucks about it I always get it on a Friday so it just makes the whole weekend terrible. I pretty much always use the baking soda trick to cure it. I have had it enough now that I can tell when it will flair up and I can control that way with some advil if i catch it early enough.

[franksguitar]

See your doctor. They give you Naproxen and an antibiotic and takes care of it. They say too much red meat causes it.

[fredgarvin]

Cherry juice works very well for me, much quicker than baking soda. I learned that from a gout website which also listed a couple of very expenseive supplements. Man that gout is painful. Drink lots of fluids.

[bsuite]

Eat a big steak & fries with a shake & you'll be alright.
diet is made up of LOTS of things in MODERATION.:dunno

[Doug]

I had a flare-up a couple of years ago in my big toe joint. Man, that really sucked. I could hardly walk. To make matters worse, the gout was only the icing on the cake. I was having another medical issue at the time that made the gout seem like an annoyance. I was on Prednisone for my other issue (look up thyroglossal duct cyst if you're curious - requires surgery to fix), and it did nothing for the gout. I hated that medicine. I hadn't slept for days because of the horrible pain in my throat area due to the condition above. The Prednisone made sure I wouldn't sleep even after the swelling went down. I hope I never have to take it again.

I digress. Fast forward to a month or so ago, I got a bout of tendonitis in my achillies tendon. More suckage, barely able to walk, etc. My podiatrist prescribed Indocin, and it was magic. Overnight, the pain was gone probably 80%. He said Indocin works well for gout too, so hopefully you'll get some relief soon.

[michael.e]

Interesting thread.

I had no idea what Gout is, now I know. Sorry you are going through that.
Your thread got me thinking about consumption and the need to monitor what is going in a bit better as we get older.
The reason I say that is because I have been having intermittent bouts of itchy skin and psoriasis condition on a low level. I am finally coming to the conclusion that it is because of my moderate level alcohol consumption, not enough water consumption and "devil-may-care" attitude with regard to foods. Mind you, I always eat high quality foods, but perhaps I am eating too much of certain food groups etc..

You have prompted me to work on a Liver detox program and a cut of my alcohol consumption to zero for a while.


Funny, the things that happen as you get older.

[MarkBuckingham]

Just for the heck of it, next time you see your dr. ask them to do a blood draw and look at your calcium and parathyroid hormone levels.

I was getting nasty bouts of gout AND a couple of kidney stones... Turns out what was actually wrong was a benign tumor on one of my parathyroids. They're 4 glands that sit on top of the thyroid gland in your neck. They regulate the amount of calcium that's floating around in your blood. When one of them goes evil, the calcium level can skyrocket, and can accumulate in your joints (causing gout like symptoms) or even kidney stones...

Anyway, I had my evil one taken out, and I haven't had an attack of gout since. (because in my case it wasn't gout in the first place.)

[madvek]

I've had it for quite a while... While diet can play a role, some people's systems just process "purines" better or differently than others. If not processed properly these purines are razor-like crystals that gather in the extremities and joints and cause inflammation. Hurts like a mother!

I used to treat the occasional flareup with colchicine which is an ancient treatment that works ok, but is rough on the digestive system and takes 12-24 hours. I now take allopurinol (prescription, one a day) which just doesn't let gout happen.

[FuzzOff]

I've never been diagnosed, but I think I have it. About twice a year, the top middle of my right foot hurts like it's broken, just out of nowhere. Sometimes it swells up and can last for days. I couldn't even walk on it during the last episode.

[redgold]

I had my first attack when I turned 40... I thought I had broken my toe playing basketball and went to the ER. Indomethacin works well for me, but I haven't had to take it in a long time. Laying off the beer, drinking a lot of water, and popping some advil at the first sign of discomfort seems to be working for me.

[Flyin' Brian]

I used to get it fairly regularly in toes, the ball of my foot and my heel. I feel your pain!!

After Indocin got it under control, the doctor gave a an Rx for Allopurinol

I take one a day and haven't had an attack for two years. No side effects except for a slight diuretic effect. It's really cheap too, the podiatrist gave me an Rx for a whole year.

Gout is right up there with kidney stones and the like for sure. In the meantime, if you can, soak your foot in ice water for as long as you can stand and it will help the pain until it's flushed from your system.

[AaeCee]

Don't they still call it 'the' gout? Always seemed like an amusing illness because of it being the only real hold-over from the days of diseases being prefaced with 'the'. Sorry you've got it, my dad had it and I know how miserable it can be, but maybe drawing a bit of levity from this little fact may help diminish the effects. Good news is that diet change and medication will send 'the gout' packing. Get better soon.

[Austinrocks]

been fighting it here lately, seems to be finally going away,

[Last Nerve]

Damn, Lution.
Sorry to hear you're still dealing with this.
Isn't that what kept you from attending the CO Tonefest?
Anyway, I tried to read up on this a little bit -
is it diet related then?
Did you ever have an outbreak before you changed your eating habits?
Did you change your drinking habits, as well?

[HeeHaw]

I had several gout attacks in my latel 30's. I changed my diet, and lost weight and it went away. Nowadays I still eat pretty healthy and last month, out of the blue....KAPOW! It struck my right foot again.

My doctor said my dehydration was probably responsible for the gout attack.

[NB_Terry]

I got Gout about 3 years ago.

I drink a fair amount of beer, and I found that this causes it. My diet seems to have little or no effect, and I drink lots of water.

Last week I played squash, and I guess the constant smashing in my feet brought it back a fair bit.

Cherry juice doesn't really seem to help, Advil is the only remedy that works for me. I haven't tried baking soda.

The worst attacks were 3 years ago when I could barely walk for 2 weeks at a time. The pain was so bad that I couldn't sleep at night.

[madaxeman]

Had it in my knee. Worst pain I've ever had in my life. I went to an orthopedic surgeon and he prescribed Mobic. Cleared it up like magic.

[Lution]

glad, but also sad to hear that there are others who have suffered through this and made it through.



Damn, Lution.
Sorry to hear you're still dealing with this.
Isn't that what kept you from attending the CO Tonefest?
Anyway, I tried to read up on this a little bit -
is it diet related then?
Did you ever have an outbreak before you changed your eating habits?
Did you change your drinking habits, as well?

Yeah, man, I wasn't able to attend because of my gouty toe.

Diet is one thing that could cause, but as others here have pointed out quite a few things can trigger it from being dehydrated, to injuring the joint, to beer, etc.

I never had an attack before this one. Along with my diet change before the attack I severely cut down on my alcohol intake. At the moment it has been 5 weeks since my last alcoholic drink.

So I feel once I beat this attack I should be pretty well set up as far as diet goes..... I just need to get through this one.

[peaveydriver]

I've had good luck by cutting out the processed meats(lunchmeat,sausage,bacon) and if I do eat to much of the wrong crap and it starts up, I eat a couple of bags of frozen cherries from wal-mart and drink mucho water to flush it out.

[BDR1]

Nothing but ibuprofen ever eased the pain for me. Drinking a lot of fluids would help flush my system. Mine was caused by too much protein and alcohol. So I'd mix in a lot of pasta and starchy foods along with a ton of fruits and vegetables while laying off the booze. I quit drinking a year ago and it's a good bet I'll not worry about it again. As someone else mentioned your body likes everything but in even quantities to keep that harmonic balance. Good luck because that pain sucks.

[Tripower455]

I've been having attacks on and off for the last 6 years. Cherries (or just juice, but make sure it's unsweetened... it tastes like ass but it works) LOTS of water, the usual no red meats, organ meats, shellfish etc. I haven't have great luck with baking soda, but it does cure indigestion nicely..... It also produces prodigious amounts of methane, even more than cherries, so be forewarned!

My last attack (last july) was 10 days long. I seem to get it in the summer almost exclusively. I think it has to do with hydration levels in addition to diet. I sweat a lot more outside, and it seems to coincide with me doing a lot of yardwork etc. when it's hot out.

Anyway, it's the worst pain I've ever endured, and unless you've had it, you wouldn't believe how incapacitating it can be!

[HalGray]

"the doctor gave a an Rx for Allopurinol"

+1000

I suffered from it off and on for about three years. Had it not only in my feet but also in my hands. A year and a half ago I got a prescription for Allopurinol and haven't had an attack since. No side effects from the drug -- and no pain.

[Glass Onion]

Sorry to hear so many others have to deal with it too


I am 34 and have had what my Dad used to call "the Gouch" for a few years. Every now and then it just hits at about 9 at night and the covers laying on my right big toe just about kills. My wife is a family medicine Doc and she picks on me about my diet being the cause and beer as you guys have said.

I just recenlty started having to take Cholesterol and High Blood presure medicine as well. I gues all those years of fast living catch up faster than we think.

[unoguitar]

I was always told black cherry juice, specifically. Well it works for me.

http://www.wellnessgrocer.com/images/074682103090_j.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/Knudsen-Juice-Black-Cherry-8-Fluid/dp/B001SAY5HU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1241807890&sr=8-3

[Old Tele man]

+1 on allopurinol...been taking it for 28 years nows (maintenance medicine).

[franksguitar]

The Gout is bad but so is Plantar Fascitis major heel pain feels like a nail in your heel (takes 3 cortisone shots) ouch!

[jefesq]

allpurinol FTW

[madvek]

The Gout is bad but so is Plantar Fascitis major heel pain feels like a nail in your heel (takes 3 cortisone shots) ouch!

I guess I'm just lucky to have them both! I manage my plantar fascitis with support inserts in my shoes, allopurinol daily for gout. No comparison: a gout attack wins hands down! Either way, it sucks getting old!

[Flyin' Brian]

I guess I lucked out. My fasciitis was completely cured with some physical therapy and the allopurinol stopped my gout.

[GovernorSilver]

I
Cherry juice doesn't really seem to help,

Blueberries have more of everything compared to cherries - antioxidants, vitamin C, you name it.

[JMintzer]

I love these threads...


Jamie, w/a daughter in college... :p

[GovernorSilver]

I love these threads...


Jamie, w/a daughter in college... :p

You love having gout?

[Lution]

update....

well, things are improving very slowly. I'm on day 6 into the Indocin. I've been drinking cherry juice and taking a teaspoon of baking soda every day.

So far, the surface pain has decreased. It's very funny though. Sometimes my foot will tolerate having a blanket on it just fine and the next minute it will be in pain. This has changed from it always being in pain so I guess it is improving. My toe joint is still a little red and a little swollen. A slight improvement there. It is still sore and somewhat painful to walk and put my full weight on my toe.

Doc wants to see me next week, but I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a refill of this Indocin and continue taking it until my pain is gone. I continue to take it very easy and rest my foot every day after work. Right now I'm pretty glad I polish a chair every day at work. If only I could lay in a bed or a couch at work. :)

[PRNDL]

Here's an excerpt from my research notes on natural therapies. It's pretty good news -- coffee is good, and regular soda (fructose) is bad.

A large prospective study found that coffee consumption was inversely associated with risk of gout and that consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks or fructose was strongly associated with an increased gout risk.
Quercetin, vitamin C and vitamin D may be beneficial.
A recent prospective study investigated several purported dietary factors for gout and confirmed some of the long-standing suspicions (red meats, seafood, beer, and liquor), exonerated others (total protein, wine, and purine-rich vegetables), and also identified potentially new protective factors (dairy products).
The clinical history of lithium began in mid-19th century when it was used to treat gout.
Iron overload is associated.

Dr. Ron

[GovernorSilver]

update....

well, things are improving very slowly. I'm on day 6 into the Indocin. I've been drinking cherry juice and taking a teaspoon of baking soda every day.

So far, the surface pain has decreased. It's very funny though. Sometimes my foot will tolerate having a blanket on it just fine and the next minute it will be in pain. This has changed from it always being in pain so I guess it is improving. My toe joint is still a little red and a little swollen. A slight improvement there. It is still sore and somewhat painful to walk and put my full weight on my toe.

Doc wants to see me next week, but I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a refill of this Indocin and continue taking it until my pain is gone. I continue to take it very easy and rest my foot every day after work. Right now I'm pretty glad I polish a chair every day at work. If only I could lay in a bed or a couch at work. :)

Good to hear of the improvement.

I would still suggest substituting blueberry anything (breakfast bars, jam, juice, frozen blueberries, etc.) for cherry anything, though.

[Lution]

Good to hear of the improvement.

I would still suggest substituting blueberry anything (breakfast bars, jam, juice, frozen blueberries, etc.) for cherry anything, though.

I've been making blueberry/cherry smoothies every night. :AOK

[JMintzer]

You love having gout?

Um, no...

I'm a Podiatrist. I treat gout... ;)


Jamie

[Florida Joe]

I've had gout since 1990 and I've tried everything. It's been so bad that I've had to sleep in a chair with my feet on the floor. My left ankle is permanently swollen because of the damage.

My doctor has me on allopurinol and colchicine. I take them daily. I've also taken indomethacine, but my understanding is it is a NSAIDs (like ibuprofen) and is an anti-inflamatory med. Cherry juice appears to help, but it was taken while I was taking meds so I have no idea how beneficial it was.

In 2001 and 2002, I was heavy on my meds. My stress was real high because of work. It felt like 24/7 pressure, then all of a sudden I was fired and my stress decreased. I got busy doing things around the house and my wife told me to take some time and relax. Then one day a buddy asked me about my gout and I realized I hadn't touched my meds for a couple of weeks - and I had no pain. So saying that I believe my biggest culprit is stress and if i keep it down I can survive.

[Lution]

Um, no...

I'm a Podiatrist. I treat gout... ;)


Jamie

So Jamie.... am I doing everything I can?

Any other advice you can give? I would appreciate it.

[tcforec]

Knudsen Black Cherry juice works like a champ for me (I mix it with water) but it will make you s#$* like a duck! Naproxen never worked and Prednasone made me feel awful. Black Cherry is loaded with Potasium (much more than regular cherry) and I think that is the key for me.

[ironmailer]

still struggling but I will try allopurinol and colchicine....

Its really frustrating having this blunt and sharp pain all the time. :(

[Jazzydave]

My dad has had this over the last few years. What's interesting, is that they told him it was most likely caused by too much red meat and beer - not the two things my dad is going to give up anytime soon!

He goes in and gets the shots in his feet every once in awhile when it gets bad and then he's out of work for a few days. He's a master mechanic though and is obviously on his feet the entire day...I feel bad for the guy.

[fredgarvin]

I had it again this summer, It came on from a huge platter of shrimp and scallops. Then I drank beer and whoo...it went away in a week or so and I drank more beer...ouch. Beer seems to be the worse thing for me. I can drink all the whiskey I want though.

[MikeE]

Another vote for Allopurinol. My grandfather started getting bad gout occurrences in his late 40's and was put on this stuff and he took it until he was 89 and never got it again.

[NB_Terry]

What do you guys take when you have no symptoms of gout (to prevent an occurrence)?

[fieldhdj]

What do you guys take when you have no symptoms of gout (to prevent an occurrence)?


Sad to say, the best thing to do avoid the food with high purine content.

This link pretty much described what my doctor advised me. Foods to eat.. (http://arthritis.about.com/od/gout/a/foodstoeat.htm)

[Darth Tater]

What do you guys take when you have no symptoms of gout (to prevent an occurrence)?

Probenecid (or Benemid) is what you take to prevent it.

[Shine]

+1 on allopurinol...been taking it for 28 years nows (maintenance medicine).


+2 on Allopurinol, only $10 a month. And no amount of diet or juices will do what the meds do.

[mge80]

Bobby Hill had gout. Played through the pain....

http://thelovingspoonful.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/bobby.jpg

[majorledhead]

Took a date for sushi yesterday for lunch. GOUT today. I've had it for 10 years. It doesn't seem as painful now as when it first acted up, but I'm kinda numb about alot of things lately. The green pills work good but they are hard on the stomach.

[GovernorSilver]

Took a date for sushi yesterday for lunch. GOUT today. I've had it for 10 years. It doesn't seem as painful now as when it first acted up, but I'm kinda numb about alot of things lately. The green pills work good but they are hard on the stomach.

Sushi never caused a gout attack for me - and I love to use lots of soy sauce and wasabi (too much for the true sushi enthusiast). The problem might have been what you had the preceding meal or hydration (not enough of it).

[Lution]

the thing I keep hearing the most about Gout is that it never plays by the rules. Different things will trigger it for different people.

In August, just when my first attack in April was beginning to feel better, I had another attack. And I'm still dealing with it. i have been on 880mg of Aleve, which is so far the only thing that sort of helps, i have been taking it really easy.

Saw an actual Rheumatologist a few weeks ago, who prescribed Prednisone along with the Aleve which did seem to help slow down the attack. After i feel better he has ordered a blood test and then I'll probably be going on the Allopurinol with Colchicine.

We'll see how it goes after that.

My 2 attacks have been relentless. They just don't want to go away and last for months at a time. This is why I've decided to go the drug route along with my diet. I've given up alcohol and have been a vegetarian for 7 months now. Still the attack remnants continue to linger on.

This is pretty Sucky, but I've accepted it as something I have and something to work on preventing.

[Brett Valentine]

Sorry to hear you're suffering with gout!!

Ahh, allopurinol! Definitely get that!

Fought gout for the last 5 or 6 years. Went from one foot to the other and settled in to an ankle I injured badly back in high school. Losing weight too fast brought it on, then slight dehydration made it worse, and that was most of my summer.

Did the cherry juice, did blueberries, did a ton of water. Also tried something called "Gout Care" which did lessen it gradually along with some dietary change, but Allopurinol knocked it out! Couldn't do ibuprofin due to high blood pressure, and it seems tylenol can prolong the inflamation.

Really haven't had red meat in a long time, but it's nice to be able to walk again!

[rivaeast]

:bkw




I finally saw my podiatrist today. He prescribed Indocin 3 times a day for 10 days. He says he's had good success with it.




Just wondering if anyone has suffered from this excruciatingly painful disease and if you had any success controlling your attacks.

I got this after a series of Kidney stones that were being caused by uric acid... same thing that typically causes gout.... Indocin worked well for me and I take allopurinol every day and have no real problems anymore but by god I'll never miss that pill and I NEVER want this again.... I feel your pain.

[jefesq]

Probenecid (or Benemid) is what you take to prevent it.

My guy took me off this. I do the Allopurinal and colchicene