Gout is Really Scaring Me, Help!

[beetlebug]

For me, the pain with a condition like gout is not the bad part. The bad part is the fear of the unknown. When will the pain end? Will it ever end?

I became a member of the Gout misery club last Tuesday when I woke up and noticed some bad foot pain in the right big toe joint and on the side of my foot. I squeezed into my new black Reeboks, and was grimacing through the pain during the day. At lunch, I drove to a park, and stripped off my shoe for some relief. I already have odd shaped feet with a high instep so my working theory was that my foot was rejecting the new shoe.

The pain continued to the point where I dreaded getting up from my desk and walking. I finally went to the doctor on Friday, and he said I had a classic case of gout. I only vaguely knew of the term, but I immediately felt that this was going to be another lifelong condition that will suck away the freedom of living and being active.

I looked up gout on the net, and sure enough, I had every sign of it even the red shiny toe. I was even a bit proud that I was making it through with one of the most painful conditions known to man. I figured that I could spend the weekend icing the area, resting, and wearing sandals when I go out. The websites say that the condition goes away after 1 - 2 weeks.

Fear crept in yesterday when I went to the post office and suddenly felt pain creep into my right ankle. Now, that's not normal with a first gout episode, right? I immediately went to bed, and felt pain creep into my back, and I feel asleep in this nightmare that my whole body was freezing up, and I wouldn't be able to call for help. It's times like these when I really do wish I was married to a loving wife.

Today, I do not seem much better. My ankle and foot seem really swollen. I am scared that this condition won't go away any time soon. I will be limping for the rest of my life and I am only 33. Even more frustrating, the info on the net is very conflicting. One site tells me to ice it, the other site says ice makes the gout worse. Heat is good or bad. Some people suggest drinking cherries or baking soda.

Can any gout sufferers out there give me some advice and encouragement? I really felt like my life was over yesterday.

[Titchou]

Oh, come on! THere is relief out there. Obviously, your physician didn;t give you a prescription or a diet as you certainly would have included that. So, therefore, try 20 canned tart pie cherries (NOT FILLING!) a day. And yes, it works. Personal experience. Keep on for several days after pain subsides.
Watch your fat and alcohol intake as well. That contributes to the build up of acid. Since it's just started you should be able to get this under control within a few days. And forget the ice...it won't help.

[Lenin]

Beetle,

The treatment is allopurinol daily to keep uric acid levels low. THis is done for life. With luck you'll never have another attack.

If you DO, the standard is the drug colchicine which has been around since biblical times. Take this evey hour during an acute attack and the pain goes away quickly.

With these two drugs there's no reason to suffer from gout. I haven't had an attack in 7 years thanks to my daily allopurinol, 300 mg. AND it's a cheap generic drug.

[Gram4]

Lenin, you have given me good advice in the past, I just want to run this by you. I have gout take allopurinol & if it gets bad take colchicine & thats it. Well last thurs my ankle started hurting & got worse by the days. Finally it was so bad I couldn't alk & my wife took me to EM. The tested my uric acid, it was ok, took an xray of ankle it was ok. They gave me IV rocephrin & pain med IV too. I left with Cefadroxil 500mg 2tabs 2x's day in case of infection & told to still take the colchicine. It was so bad they even gave me IV mophine.
Here I am today in just as much pain maybe alittle better but not much. If I'm going thu gout why isn't the gout medicine working like it always did before. It's driving me crazy & I can't work. Have you ever heard of this? Thanks

[dancing feet]

Eat cherries. I have been told that it is a natural remedy for gout. Also, diet plays a very important part. Alcohol, red meats will surely flare up the condition. Sometimes it takes a couple of weeks before it goes away.