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Gout! Not just for 17th Century Monarchs!
Sentry
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So... I have gout. In addition to being horribly embarrassed by it (for some reason, maybe the King of the Hill episode?) it's also the worst pain imaginable. Every time I get an attack I feel like putting a bullet in my head.
So! Anyone else have this magical affliction? If so, how do you deal with it? Does medication help?
So! Anyone else have this magical affliction? If so, how do you deal with it? Does medication help?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
When I was a little kid, I always pretended I was the hero,' Skip said.
'Fuck yeah, me too. What little kid ever pretended to be part of the lynch-mob?'
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On the plus side, you have a perfect excuse now to purchase a fine Victorian gout stool:
I'm going to the doctor this week. I just got health insurance back and I need some drugs.
vonPoon, do you know of a natural or over the counter way of increasing liver function?
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
If not, then pretty much just drink more water, try some caffeinated teas or coffee in moderation, and buy some OTC ibuprofen for the pain.
I knew a guy who had gout, but it's been a while since I talked to him, so I can't really advise you. Basically, I remember him mentioning that he was taking some supplements to help his kidneys do a better job of removing uric acid from his system. What those supplements were I can't recall. Sorry.
Get your doctor to prescribe you an anti-inflammatory med for immediate relief of gout - I take indomethacin. It usually takes 30 minutes to 2 hours to kick in and doesn't have all that bad side effects. My bad attacks nowadays mean that I need to use crutches for a few days. Generally, my attacks now only last a week or so, with one or two days of relatively minor pain.
If you want an OTC med in the meantime, get a joint-pain/arthritis med, like alleve.
Drink a lot of water during an attack. The main outlet of uric acid (which is what crystallizes in the joints to cause the pain, which is what purine turns into) is urine. Avoid soda during an attack.
I just recently went on allopurinol, which is supposed to prevent attacks, so it might be worth looking into.
As was said above, diet will help. I hope you've gotten a list of foods to avoid from the internet or your doc, but if not, you basically want to limit your intake of meats, especially offal and seafood, and soda. You'll want to cut *way* back during an attack - eating the bad foods will prolong your attack.
Natural remedies? For a real remedy that will help: cherries. They're a natural anti-inflammatory. Some people also recommend baking soda, but it's never been medically proven, so I categorize it as an urban legend.
I've had gout for about 10 years now and it's been under control for the past 8 once the doctor got the dosage right on the allopurinol. But I still have a standing prescription for indo if I do get an attack.
There really isn't much of a natural remedy that will help once you get a full on attack other than time and lots and lots of water.
And you want to avoid foods high in purines, not just protein. That's organ meats, bivalves and oddly enough, very yeasty beers.
But if you've had more than the odd attack after you've overindulged, you need to talk to your doctor and get a prescription for the allopurinol.
Thanks for the suggestions, I'm going to see a doctor next week to get some meds. And Improv, I do know that it never goes away, but you can do something to ward off attacks.
Since then, I've had probably 2 to 3 more serious attacks, with some minor and occasional joint pain between them. I've never had it so bad that I couldn't walk again. I don't have any standing prescriptions (though I wish I had indo, just to feel a bit more secure). So far I've been able to manage any pain and discomfort via ibuprofen. Other research I've read indicates reduced incidence of gout attacks coupled with a morning cup of coffee, and eating cherries or drinking cherry juice (a natural anti-inflammatory). I've also read that dietary changes, while they can have some effect, can only do so much to reduce the amount of uric acid. I'd also avoid heat on the area. I know my throbbing gets a lot worse, say, after a shower.
I did try one home remedy, which involved drinking baking soda mixed with water on a regular basis throughout the day. I believe there's a site that reccomends the treatment, www.howicuredmygout.com or some such nonsense. This didn't work for me at all, and I'd reccomend against anyone trying it due to the high levels of sodium consumption involved.
It's very frustrating, as it is a painful condition, that despite being around for hundreds of years doesn't seem to have a large body of knowledge on cause and treatment. For example, when I was first diagnosed, I wasn't consuming much if any of the high-prurine foods that result in increased uric acid production. From other talks I've had with gout sufferers, it seems like some people's bodies don't regulate uric acid production and removal effectively. My doctor's aware of the condition, but so long as I can still control any attacks using OTC painkillers I'm pretty much just treating this as an unfortunate thing that I have to live with.
And it is oddly a bit shameful. I think because in the past it was connected to living a life of excess more than anything. You tell people you have gout and they think you're downing two bottles of wine a night and eating half a pig covered in butterfat. It feels like there's still an undercurrent of 'deserving' the discomfort due to that perception.
(If you're supposed to eat a lot of low to moderate-sugar fruits and vegetables, and drink lots of water, sounds like mild Yin food. This may be a bit too un'merican or um new age, but a suggestion on vegetables with high water content, and a gentle admonishment against red meat and such- the kind of thing most H/As recommend for food anyway)
Edit-
I was always told it was from eating too much processed foods like deli-meats. Salamis and things. Maybe it is a bit of subliminal "oh you eat total shit so you deserve it" feeling.
Turkey is good on some sites, bad on others. Diary, some sites say low fat, some don't care. It's not like this fucking disease just fell out of the sky...
I don't disagree that you're going to run into contradictions. I think you'll just have to find out what works for you and your doctor. Frankly, using turkey as an example, if you're sticking to a 3oz portion, its probably a decent choice. The problem is that if you're serious about changing your diet, there's no way to just give you a list of foods you can eat unlimited. I think its very important that you think about this as a major life change and work toward managing this any way you can (with medication, diet, etc).
The reality check is, you should stick to very small, lean portions of meat from now on. That's probably half what they give you on any single restaurant dish. It sucks but you'll probably reap the benefits in all areas of your life.
Gout's lifelong, but manageable.
Onceling has good advice. Don't worry about the specific triggers (except for offal meats, like kidney, liver, etc.) - just eat meat in moderation and you should be fine. Fine, of course, is a relative term, in that you're still going to have multiple attacks a year without being on a long-term preventative.
Exactly. There's a reason why gout attacks tend to occur more around the holidays. If you overindulge, you really increase the chances of getting an attack.
And really watch the alcohol. That is a major trigger for gout since it mucks up your fluid levels so much in your blood.
Have you ever had gout? OTC ibprofen doesn't do shit. Literally the most painful thing I've ever had. Vicodin helps. Naproxen helps, a little, and that is OTC. But it only takes a bit of the edge off.
I have gout. My first attack was extremely painful, and you're right, OTC Ibuprofen wouldn't have done much besides taking a minor edge off. However, for subsequent relapsing attacks of lesser strength, it's been perfectly effective in controlling the pain and swelling until the attack subsides.
Further reading: http://www.drugs.com/cg/low-purine-diet.html
I've never gone to the doctor for my gout, it hasn't seemed that bad to me yet.
This is true.
Academic studies have repeatedly connected tomato consumption with exacerbated gout.