GOUT ! , no this is not a spam ad marketing a cure all , i wish it was LOL , i was afraid that's what everyone would think if i had GOUT in the tittle and delete it lol , but its no laughing matter . i have had gout since 2003 , and had some pretty intense flare ups in the last 12 years , i feel sorry for the newcomer's who describe it as brutal pain and having trouble walking , you know you have hit the pinnacle of the affliction when you have to crawl and you think it night be better if you chopped or chain sawed your foot off , this pic is a pretty good description of what it feels like . mine doesn't seem to have any one particular factor for a flare up , except it usually seems to happen with the changing of the seasons like summer /fall and winter /spring . dose anybody else here have gout , a good home remedy or preventive measures ? thanks Keith
Fortunately, I have no idea about the pain you have to deal with. Hopefully you'll get some good advice here. Have the doctors been any help?
doctors can give you steroids and pain meds which sometimes is enough at the time , they have some other preventative long term meds , but it seems even taking those you can still have a flare up , i would rather take something natural for long term control , i just figured it would be a good ice breaker and a chance to interact with everyone maybe share some stories and home remedies .
Wow. Just had Dr appt today for blood pressure checkup and he said he's had a lot of gout patients this week from Easter ham.
To much red meat and tomatoes (acidic foods) that's what my doc told me .i had gout once and it sucke
I feel you pain Joker. I got it once about 8-9 years ago. We were at out cottage and just the weight of a single cotton sheet on my big toe was excruciating I thought that I had broken my toe in a drunken stumble but couldn't remember how and when Anyway came home and went to see the doc. Told him the symptoms and he said, "Oh at the cottage eh....drink lots of beer and eating lots of red meat where you?" to which the answer is almost always yes Anyways, after he told me it was Gout, he gave me 5 pills, said I would only need 3 but take them all. 2 days later all signs and symptoms were gone and I Haven't had it since. I wish I knew the name of the pills but they did work well.
Welcome to the site Joker. Sorry to hear about your pain BrianK will be along sometime here. He may be able to help.
I get it in my ankles. I am able to normally derail a flare up if I have my colchicine. 1 pill does the trick, if it's a full blown attack 4 pills...
Ok here's your free advice from a fellow gout sufferer who also happens to be a Podiatrist. Avoid processed meats! Salami, pastrami, pepperoni, kielbasa, sausage, bratwurst, balogna, hot dogs etc etc. Lebanon balogna is one of the worst possible things to eat with gout. Some people have particular trigger foods but Lebanon balogna is just bad for everyone. Processed meats contain a lot of organ tissue especially liver which is high in purine amino acids. Purine breaks down into uric acid which causes gout. Shell fish including shrimp, crab and lobster are all high in purines. Shrimp and pepperoni kill me. I never touch Lebanon bologna. Plain red meat is only medium on the list of purine levels. It doesn't usually cause gout flare ups by itself but it can in some people. Pork and ham cause problems for some people too. Pork sausage is bad again because they usually include the organ meats. Plant derived proteins don't usually trigger gout. Don't know why. Beer is trouble for a lot if people but personally I think its because its a mild diuretic. Gout is more likely to flare up if you're dehydrated. You can dissolve a lot of sugar in really hot water but when the water cools or boils off the sugar crystals will precipitate out. Uric acid in the bloodstream is the same. It settles out of the blood in the cooler areas of the body like the feet in the toe joint fluid and its concentration in the blood increases if you're dehydrated. Being sick with vomiting and diarrhea can also trigger it as can being really hot and ... Drinking beer. Diuretics for blood pressure can also trigger it. Especially HCTZ (hydrochlorothiazide.) I've seen HCTZ cause gout in little old ladies with no prior personal or family history of gout. Drink more water. Black cherry juice and extract is a good natural anti inflammatory that helps a lot of people with mild gout. Colchicine is a very good relatively safe prescription med for gout and prevents joint inflammation that can be taken once a day to prevent flare ups. Allopurinol decreases the level of uric acid in the blood. Ibuprofen and Naprosyn are both good OTC NSAIDs that can alleviate acute attacks. Indomethacin is the gold standard prescription NSAID for gout. Steroids ("dose pack") usually give short term relief but don't work well long term and the gout will sometimes rebound a week or two after a steroid dose pack. Don't ignore gout. It can also cause kidney stones and is associated with higher rates of cardiac problems. In some people it's also one of the components of "metabolic syndrome" which also includes high blood pressure, high lipids, heart disease, Type II diabetes, fatty liver, and possibly Alzheimer's. *Consult your physician. This is not intended as medical advice and do not undertake any medical therapy, OTC or by presription without first consulting with a physician. Blah blah blah. Insert legalese boilerplate stuff here.
