Gout...Anybody out there deal with this...and any luck reducing attacks?

gonepostal

I had another attack yesterday/last night and really wish that i could find something to slow it down some. 2 shots today and they did the trick. Will be able to walk the route tomorrow no problem but that is the 3rd round of shots since Nov 2015. And i'm taking daily meds now. (allopurinol)

I miss the days when it only happened once a year...but i'm not giving up my red meat...and i'm not giving up my beer!

bgebrent

I like your attitude, better learn to like your gout.

RRP

Hi...I was diagnosed with that nearly 30 years ago. Initially I too had some severe attacks, but I never had to resort to shots. To this day I take the same med you are on and it has kept it in check. As for the myth about red meat and alcohol as far as I'm concerned that is BS! Good luck and I wish well and trust me I KNOW that pain!,

CountryBoy

Yes I am 30 yrs old and have been dealing with it for past three years! No fun at all! I found out most of my attacks come from eating around holiday time....ham is my culprit so I don't eat it no more. And salt is a big player in the role so I try to stay low sodium. I am on uloric every day and take indomethacin during flare ups! Since being on uloric I haven't had an attack in over a year and a half!

Hook_emHornsfan_74

RRP said:

Hi...I was diagnosed with that nearly 30 years ago. Initially I too had some severe attacks, but I never had to resort to shots. To this day I take the same med you are on and it has kept it in check. As for the myth about red meat and alcohol as far as I'm concerned that is BS! Good luck and I wish well and trust me I KNOW that pain!,

I suffer from it as well. I am on allopurinol as well. I just got back from vacation where I drank tons and ate plenty of meat. I haven't had an attack since I have been on that medicine. 

CountryBoy

All the allopurinol did for me was cause major migraines. So uloric was my next option. So far so good! It is quite expensive though depending on your insurance.

bgebrent

You have to modify your diet unless you choose not to which is reference to my first post.  That is the key.  It's body chemistry.

rmr62

Gout results from uric acid deposition in joints.  Uric acid is the end product of purine metabolism.  Purines are building blocks of proteins----so meats are the main dietary culprit---although there are others.  The meat with the highest purine content is pork.  So basically cut down on pork (and other meat) and take your allopurinol or Uloric.

jdsmithii

Another element is water.  Try to ingest plenty of water to keep your kidney's flushed, ideally with a little lemon in it.

I was at the rheumatolgist today for a flareup in my ankle.  Allopurinol is what I take to keep my uric acid level low, but Colcrys helps me when I get a flare.  Also, prednisone, when used in tandem with Colcrys, can wipe out and attack quickly.

Try to avoid shellfish if you aren't going to cut out read meat or beer.  Also, a lot of people recommend tart cherry juice/extract as a way to minimize gout.

gonepostal

I'm probably gonna up the dose of Allopurinol (per the Dr) and have a few other ideas in mind. I'm trying to limit high fructose corn syrup ( cokes and mtn dews)...actually trying to quit those all together. I do skip the beer when this happens but did put a couple of steaks on Monday night. I have been dealing with this since 1997 but it has gotten much worse in say the last 5 years. My medicine cabinet is full of everything mentioned above with the exception of Uloric. I'm even up for trying "snake oil" lol

Very interesting comments and perspectives above. Thanks...

Moderation!!!!

RRP

I really think that @Focker said it best this passed weekend...Please ask for professional medical advice rather than asking for opinions on a BBQ forum! Just the same I know that in my case my high uric acid level turned out to be my body's over reaction to another BP med. Good luck and I mean it! 

gonepostal

Thanks @RRP...i have sought the professionals in the area and have been way too stubborn as far as starting the daily meds. I finally gave in this year and after having another attack was more or less seeing if it ever got better for some. Glad to see that yours is in check. Hopefully i just need a little more time to get my system in check. 

smokeyw

I have also suffered from gout. I initially had it in my big toe joint which seems to be common. I have an attack every year or two and keep some Indomethacine which helps quickly. I have recently been bothered by pain in the ball of my heel. At first I didn't consider it might be gout. I took some Indomethacine and it got better. I ate scallops last night and it flared up again. I haven't ever heard of gout affecting the bottom of the heel but it sounds like it may be.

NonaScott

Eat lots of watermelon. It works for me and was recommended by my doctor.

steel_egg

When I first got hit with the gout I went to a rheumatologist and he broke it down for me. He explained that the body is like a glass a water with salt. As it evaporates the salt concentration gets higher. The body, as you get dehydrated he uric acid gets more concentrated and gets "stuck" in the joints causing a flair up. He told me the best thing I can do is stay hydrated. I drink a TON of water. Still eat red meat and drink beer. I've been pretty good for the past 10 years but when I feel a little tingle coming I head for the jugs of water and ibuprofen. That keeps it as mild as it can be. Take it for what it's worth. I'm not a doctor but this works for me. 

six_egg

I do not have Gout but a friend did and he swears by Cherries. He was always eating them or taking some kind of cherry extract .

Eggcelsior

RRP said:

Hi...I was diagnosed with that nearly 30 years ago. Initially I too had some severe attacks, but I never had to resort to shots. To this day I take the same med you are on and it has kept it in check. As for the myth about red meat and alcohol as far as I'm concerned that is BS! Good luck and I wish well and trust me I KNOW that pain!,

It's not a myth, it's how your own body chemistry responds to the increase in uric acid. Your body creates uric acid from the break-down of purines. Research what is high in purines and get back to us, please.

Mfdohio

I have been dealing with gout since my early 20s.(25+years). Everyone's suggestions seem about right as far as water intake and certain foods. I also refuse to give up red meats and beer but have been managing with allopurinol and lots of water intake. You may also want to keep a food diary and see what you have ingested within about a day of an attack. Different people have different "trigger" foods. For me it's shellfish and I believe artificial sweeteners, because of that I gave up diet drinks and haven't had an attack in 2 years.  My doctor said that there are studies with high Uric acid and joint damage so it's important to get your Uric acid under control. Good luck with your research 

Don_Piero

Naturally, I have heard eating celery stalks and cherries helps. 

YukonRon

When suffering from gout, or having issues with chronic gout food and drink is of three catagories: Avoid, Limit, and what is ok.
Avoid:
Beer, soft drinks that contains sugar, fatty foods, organ meats, such as liver, from any animal, bacon, veal, venison, yeast, gravy, sardines, mussels, haddock, anchovies herring trout, scallops, most all mollusks.
Limit:
Lunchmeats, especially those high in fats, liquor, beef, pork, chicken, duck, crab, shrimp, oyesters, and lobster.
What you can have:
Coffee in moderation, wine in moderation, fruits vegetables, rice potatoes, noodles, pasta, peanut butter, nuts, eggs in moderation,
and at least 12 cups of fluid, water or juices.

Staying hydrated helps, drink twice as much water and juice if you drink a beer.

blind99

Benjamin Franklin had a discussion with the gout.  Here's a little snippet, courtesy of http://www.bartleby.com/109/3.html

FRANKLIN.  Eh! Oh! eh! What have I done to merit these cruel sufferings?	1
GOUT.  Many things; you have ate and drank too freely, and too much indulged those legs of yours in their indolence.	2
FRANKLIN.  Who is it that accuses me?	3
GOUT.  It is I, even I, the Gout.	4
FRANKLIN.  What! my enemy in person?	5
GOUT.  No, not your enemy.	6
FRANKLIN.  I repeat it, my enemy; for you would not only torment my body to death, but ruin my good name; you reproach me as a glutton and a tippler; now all the world, that knows me, will allow that I am neither the one nor the other.	7
GOUT.  The world may think as it pleases; it is always very complaisant to itself, and sometimes to its friends; but I very well know that the quantity of meat and drink proper for a man, who takes a reasonable degree of exercise, would be too much for another, who never takes any.

MaskedMarvel

I can contribute that if you drink tart cherry juice please read the labels of what you buy - that stuff gets expensive and lots of it isn't pure cherry juice. We have a brand we buy exclusively here, and it was pretty cheap. If I remember what it was ill post again. Good luck. 

Edit - it's VERY CHERRE 

http://www.thenutritionexperts.com/2011/10/food-should-taste-good-chips-review/tart-cherry-250/

kv1963

I have gout also and the Cherry concerate works for me as well I mix about a teaspoon in welchs cherry juice I buy it at GNC a bottle last a long time

NonaScott

I mix my vodka with cran-cherry juice just to be safe

EGGjlmh

I too drink cherry juice when I get it.  It tastes gross but it works very very well for me.  Chug as much as you can.

gamason

Lots of extra water and Tylenol till it passes.

Sayfore

Been suffering since college...went to new Dr...prescribed Sulindac for attacks...works awesome and no attacks in 5 years...just pop one at onset and symptoms gone is an hour

AVEngineer

I have not had a major flare up in a while. As others have suggested, start a food journal since we all have one or two foods that trigger attacks. For me it is mostly dehydration and artificial sweeteners, mostly from powdered drink mixes and not diet sodas. I am fortunate enough not to need a maintenance drug to keep it at bay but do keep my rheumatologist on speed dial.

DieselkW

My brother in law suffers the most after eating shellfish like crabs or shrimp. I can see his joints are swollen and tender... it's very much like arthritis, right?

He just lives with it... eats whatever he wants and just lives with the pain. Every time he comes over he's always willing to eat whatever I've got coming off the egg.

I cannot imagine how that must feel, and how some people lack sympathy because they think gout is caused by eating rich foods. (The disease of Kings, right?)

Hans61

I know gout is a very serious painful condition, but it reminded me of true blood those who watched probably remember this...

https://vine.co/v/bLmeEBaJlQq/embed/simple

Canugghead

I know someone who swears by club soda.