OT - Gout

[kimwcook]

I'm sure there are a number of y'all on here that are aware of gout as it's a mature forum. I've had a bout of gout in my left ankle since last saturday and I'm getting sick and tired of it. Seems just when I think it's subsiding it flares back up. Drinking plenty of fluids, staying home to stay off of it, taking Indomethicin for the inflammation and OTC Acetominophen for the pain. If I don't wake up and take a dose of meds in the night on my own it'll make sure I wake up and do it. It woke me up at 0200 this morning and here I still sit, 0500, awake and at the computer when I should be sleeping. I hate getting old.

[jd45]

I'm with ya buddy. I had my first serious gout attack last june in the ball of my right foot....lasted 3 days. I had no meds then so I just took tylenol. My doctor drew blood & found my Uric acid was 10.4 at the time. Normal range runs from 3.5 to 7.2. I was eventually prescribed Allopurinol 100mg, but after taking it one time I detected that it elevated my blood pressure & pulse rate, so I quit & decided to use my own method to combat the gout of quitting alcohol & cutting way back on red meat. So far so good. Uric acid 2 wks ago was 7.1. Good luck. BTW, I'm 62. jd45

[kimwcook]

During the previous trip to the doc for meds he sent me to the podiatrist. He wanted to pull fluids from my inflamed big toe joint. He told me he was going to numb it first and then pull the fluids. Well the bugger stuck that needle in and just pulled the fluids. Won't happen again. I just about pulled his head off his shoulders.

Usually I get a warning that it's on the edge of blowing up, but not this time. I try to watch my diet and stay away from too much meat, whether it's red meat, white meat or fish. I've had a bout from eating too much tuna.

[Hobie]

Cherries.... Works for the wife, worked for my father-in-law, worked for my grandfather. If I couldn't eat meat I'd be in rough shape!

[kimwcook]

Cherries.... Works for the wife, worked for my father-in-law, worked for my grandfather. If I couldn't eat meat I'd be in rough shape!

My dad used to drink black cherry juice when his flared up.

I'm a meat eater too. We didn't get to the top of the food chain eating salad. It drives me nuts. Plus, I love seafood. Shrimp and lobster especially. And, they're two of the worst for purines.

[Ysabel Kid]

I hate getting old.

Sorry to hear about your gout flare-up. I was thinking the same thing with my back issues over the last week - it stinks getting old, but as someone reminded me, it is 100% better than the alternative!!!

[Bigahh]

I don't know why, but it seems people that never have gotten the Gout seem to think its funny when someone else does. I got my 1st bout at 35 years old, and it seems once a year thereafter at the same time of year. I tell my wife it is worse than child birth! I was told the same thing Hobie mentioned, and Wisconsin is a big Cherry state thankfully! I have not had a bout in 5 years. I pick some Cherries every August which is the same time of year my Gout comes on. It seems to work, and I am staying with it. Good Luck with yours, I feel your pain! Eat them Cherries.

[Don McDowell]

CRANBERRY JUICE AND ALL OF IT YOU CAN SWALLOW. Everytime you even think you need to take a leak , do it.

Now the important part, it might not be gout. What caused my heartattack turned out to be blockage in the artery going into my feet, somewhere after it went past the ankle. I would advise you have your doctor take a serious look at your blood pressure and possible hypertension. Trying to fight what might or might not be gout, could proove a bit of a shock. And I guarantee you you don't want to be laying on an emergency room table with tears streaming down the nurses face as she's wildly stuffing baby asprin and nitro pills down your throat all the while trying to get you set up for the crash cart.
That second nitro pill was a hell of a ride.

[Don McDowell]

one more thing cut out all soda pop from your liquids, and if you've got something stressful going on , get it destressed.

[kimwcook]

one more thing cut out all soda pop from your liquids, and if you've got something stressful going on , get it destressed.

Thanks for the information, Don. I just had my annual check up in January and everything is in good working order.

I don't drink much pop, but I had one last night. My gout got worse. I didn't know pop was a no no. As far as stress goes, I don't have an easy solution to that. I was called out last Friday night for an attemped homicide. I'm not going to be able to destress from work until I retire. Just the way that is.

I'm going to pick up some cherry and cranberry juice today. Or, let me say the wife will. I can barely hobble to the bathroom.

[Rusty]

When she goes out have her pick up some blueberries too. They worked when nothing else would for my Sunday School teacher.

And like they say, drink water till your teeth float.

[Don McDowell]

Kim it's not just pop its anything carbonated (beer) also hard liquour can be a bit inflammatory.

Understand about the stress deal but try and not enternalize it too much.

Rest assured I feel your pain

[rjohns94]

You have my prayers for a speedy recovery.

YK - not sure I can agree with you on it being better than the alternative. I happen to be studying the promises assurred us and it will be just perfect when go down the last trail. I for one am looking forward to it. Now this life isn't so bad, but the next is eternally wonderful by my understanding. Blessings

[Blaine]

Get thee to the Tack Shop for some DMSO. I use it on inflamed joints and it helped my buddies gout in his hand/knuckles. I have no personal gout experience, just saying.

[bogus bill]

You aint going to like me. Get it taken care of. It go`s hand in hand with kidney stones! I am a old vet at it. Do everything they suggest. Indocine,(sp?), have vicodin on hand, cheery juice, voo doo or whatever! If you get a stone, the gout will be a honeymoon in comparison!

[kimwcook]

I appreciate all the replies guys.

I've battled gout since I was about 35, now 52. I used to be so active that it didn't hit me until I'd burnt one on for a weekend and eaten a lot of rare steak. The older I get the easier it hits me. I really hate it so I try real hard to listen to my body and back off anything I know (key word-know) that'll cause it to go over the edge. This one just sort of snuck up on me. And, each time it hits me it hits hard and stays longer. Like stated earlier, I'm a meat eater and not being able to eat protein like I like, is hard. But, I'll get over this bout and try harder. Thanks again.

[Hobie]

Based on all the no-nos I should be froze up like digging bar. I eat meat, drink Diet Pepsi, LOVE seafood. I suppose that my time is coming.

[Bob A]

A trip to the tack shop is alway fun but you need to see a Dr.
I have had gout bouts for years and the Doctors have several meds that can help
prevent attacks and reduce the intensity if you get an attack.
It took me years to see a Dr about this, which normal for me and lot of guys I guess,
but I should have gone ASAP

Bob A

[2571]

Never heard of eating cherries. I treat mine with broccoli & allopurinol.

Last time I had a bout, shooting a lot .45-70 seemed to help, too.

[jazman]

I take supplements daily, all natural stuff (with zero side effects) that helps kidney and liver function, which is actually good for everybody. Since I have been taking this stuff I haven't had another gout attack. Cost about $40.00 a month, which I consider WELL worth it, man, when mine flares up it hurts like a bastard. Check out the website for this stuff, goutcure.com. The site is funky, looks like a lot of ads, but ignore how it looks as it has a lot of good info on gout. Cherry juice, blueberries work great for me, cranberry not so much. Stay away from beer and other bubbled stuff, major triggers. A friend turned me on to the goutcure place, he has had gout bad for 30 years, and he swears by the supplements. I figured worth a try, and now use them day in and day out.

[kimwcook]

I saw the goutcure.com site, but like you said I got bombarded with what looked like ads. I left. I'll go back and take a more concerted look.

[scarville]

Ask your doctor about allopurinol. Supposedly it is only a preventative but I take 100mg four times day for a week when I first notice the pain in my big toe and, so far, it never gets beyond that. It used to spread all the way to my ankles and made walking a lesson in pain. Usually symptoms disappear in about four days. For inflammation, I use naproxen sodium and serapeptase enzyme. I have a prescription for Vicodin but it never gets that bad any more.

[Blaine]

Kim, I didn't pull the DMSO think out of my butt....Here are some entries. I have personally used DMSO for inflamation for over 10 years. It won't cure the gout, but it will help inflamation of it..RA, too.

http://www.google.com/search?q=DMSO+gou ... f8&oe=utf8

[Texas45]

Had my first bout with gout about 3 years ago. First the left big toe, then the right big toe (2 weeks apart). Not fun. Then I had a kidney stone about a year ago. Will take gout all day in every joint before I would wish a stone on anyone.

[Bruce Scott]

one more thing cut out all soda pop from your liquids

Definitely!! http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/ ... ekey=86855

[the telegraphist]

An aboriginal fellah once told me that gout was a white mans affliction, he said the best permanent cure was to drink warm water in a glass with the juice of half a freshly squeezed lemon. Do this three times a day a half hour after eating.
It works. Had the same thing ten years or so ago, love my seafood and red meat also, never had a problem since. Once a month after its gone do this again for a day or two.If nothing else it may be enough to stimmy a kidney stone, usually caused by lack of fluid intake, by that I mean water, not coke, diet pepsi etc. We could all help ourselves by taking more water and less soft drinks and coffee. I still love a strong cold beer on a warm day though.

[Sixgun]

With gout, even the touch of a sheet hurts. I really abused myself with drinking beer and Jack Daniels up to I was in my late thirties and bouts with gout were becoming a weekly adventure. One day I got up out of bed and said the "hell with this!". I quit drinking & smoking----I always did eat right-----not a big meat eater-----my gout went away, my wits came back, and forty pounds came off.

I am now 54, weigh 175 pounds and can outwork most kids in their twenties. The Lord did not make our bodies to be abused, whether its food, drink, or lazyness. Everyones destiny is in their own control.

My Dad used to tell me that YOU have to take care of your own body after you reach 40. He must have done something right as he could have whipped my butt right up to the day he died at almost 80 years of age.-------------Sixgun

[jd45]

Right-on, sixgun..........regarding everything you said! jd45

[24thMICH]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7932158.stm

According to this article, Vitamin C helps prevent gout and probably helps relieve it.

I usually take 2-3,000 mg. of Vitamin C daily, which may explain something, I dunno.

I was taught that when you're on the verge of a cold or any other illness, you up your Vitamin C intake 1,000 mg/day until you begin to get loose stools, at which point you cut back 1,000 mg. Maintenance levels should be between 1-3,000 mg/day.

Right when everybody was getting the really nasty flu that was going around up here, I ended up following that prescription and increased my Vitamin C daily until I reached a peak of 12,000 mg. for two days. I didn't get particularly sick, just tired for a couple of days. After a couple of days, my stools started loosening up so I began the slow decrease. Apart from some sinus congestion and feeling tired for a bit, I didn't get sick like everybody else.

I've never had gout, and as a matter of fact my doctor routinely gives me the backhanded complement "for a guy of your age, you sure have great joints."

Maybe the Vitamin C has something to do with it.


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