Hello,

Just visited a new doc. Fed up with the last one. Well, this one diagnosed gout instead of sero-neagtive RA. I agree with this diagnosis more as my uric acids are always elevated. Just wondering though that i dont exhibit any of the classical symptoms like pain in the big toe etc. I discussed this with doc but he said that its not necessary that these symptoms always show up. Anyway have been prescribed a variety of NSAIDS like Vioxx and Distalgesic in addition to Allopurinol and a multivitamin. Lets hope this works.

Anyway i need more info about Gout, its symptoms, treatments, risks etc. Please let me know any good informative websites.

Also i would love to hear from people who have suffered from this disease.

Thanks!

Gee kissa that was some really useful piece of information on gout. I really am very grateful. Thanks. :)


P.S. Do u know any patients of gout here with whom i can interact and share my experiences. If u would let me know their names i would be very grateful.

Unfortunately we are unable to share personal information on this board, which in a way is a good idea but sometimes it's frustrating.\
You might look for an email support group or listserve with others who have gout or RA, you need to do a bit of looking around but you can definately find they exist by searching for them in specific on the web.

There are several 'gout lists', but in keeping with policies here, I will not post any urls.

Did your doctor ever actually confirm the gout by drawing synovial fluid and looking for crystals under two different types of light?
My doctor was unable to aspirate any fluid and therefore was hesitant to say 'gout' even though thats what he thought it most likely was.

I drank copious quantities of water, often distilled water.

Do you have a history of animal bites? One researcher suggests gout is caused by a delayed reaction to an animal bite that transmitted Pasturella multicida, but he is most definitely in the minority on this point.

Have you been tested for heavy metals such as lead or cadmium, this too is a minority viewpoint but less of one since so many gout sufferers do have high levels of lead.

Regarding diet, you should avoid red meat or only eat it occasionally. Drink plenty of fresh water every day.Good Luck.
Excelsoir

Drinking lots of water is very important. The things that seem to give me the most problems are shellfish (groan), soft drinks, and pork. However, I can partake of them if I don't overdo it, but usually I just try to avoid them. In my case, it seems to be caused more by stress to the joint. If I have to put unusual stress on my feet (like one time, I jumped out of the back of a pickup and landed on my foot awkwardly), sometimes I'll have gout in a couple of days. I take a couple of prescriptions, one daily and one when I feel like I'm about to have a flare-up. Now that I'm on regular medication, if I do get gout, it's not nearly as bad as before.

I know a lot of people who get gout. Some of them get it in their ankles, knees, even elbows. Mine always comes right to the big toe on either foot (or sometimes both).

Good luck.

I think I may have gout, awaiting diagnosis. Have been temp. diagnosed with RA/polyarthritus but RH factor was neg and today I found my uric acid and calcium level in UA was supersaturated. No toe prob here either, mainly the middle joints of my hands, ankles and wrists. Have hand x-rays but don't know what to look for. Would appreciate any comments, suggestions, etc. Go to doc in a few days to go over results.

I guess by now he has aspirated some synovial fluid and tested for gout. Let us know.