My husband has been on allopurinol for gout since 2007. The doctor prescribed allopurinol after we discovered that he is allergic to ibuprofen. It works well at controlling flares, but he is experiencing some neuropathy in his feet. He isn’t always the best at telling doctors when something is wrong, but he started at a new rheumatologist who must have asked the right questions.
He is getting x-rays and bloodwork today and has a follow-up with the rheumatologist on the 19th. Anyone else have neuropathy in joints affected?
Gout is considered permanent, but with diet and exercise, it can be controlled. I haven’t had an outbreak in about a year now (thank Og!), mostly because I switched from a very meat heavy diet to one where I eat a lot more veggies and fruits, and I try to exercise more than I was. I’ve dropped a bit of weight, which seems to help as well.
Alas, I found out gout was considered permanent when I briefly considered enlisting in the Reserves last summer - gout is an automatic disqualifier, for life.
I haven’t even read through this thread, yet … but, yeah. I HAVE GOUT. (And am ashamed of having this condition, and I’m not sure why).
My sympathies to all of you & us who suffer.
Today I go to the doc to find out about changing my dietary/drinking habits. There sees to be quite a bit of quack “cures” … dietary supplements and all that.
I live on the East Coast. How am I supposed to NOT EAT SHELLFISH?!?!?!?!
As can been seen in this thread, the causes or triggers of Gout and the prevention and “curing” of it are all subjective.
I do drink Juicy Juice brand Cherry juice every day. I love the taste, love juice, and why not, even if it’s nowhere near 100% cherry juice. I never like organ meats, and tend towards chicken more than beef, but the beer remains.
The first day i started having an attack I though t I slept on my foot wrong. Day two was me waking in agony not being able to find a non-painful position for my foot. It felt like the whole foot had been snapped in two across the laces of where a shoe would have been.
I had my brother drive me to urgent care, and at almost every speedbump I screamed in pain involuntarily. There was a bit of inadvertent screaming at the urgent care as well. The scripts for anti-inflam and mild pain killers did the trick very well. The best way I could describe the pain was having your foot broken in two laterally, then at the slightest breeze, it felt like a toddler standing on said broken in half foot. You know you’re in pain when you have no qualms about screaming in a room full of people with nasty colds and not caring a damn about it. I’d normally be humiliated.
Agreed - no shame. A friend of mine’s mother experienced both childbirth and gout and said the gout was worse.
While I agree most of the non-medication treatments are subjective, anyone who gets this aweful ailment can take steps on their own to mitigate the chances of a flareup. Certain foods seem to be guilty, as well as lifestyle factors. Making some changes can reduce your chances of getting hit. Everyone is different, so what works for me may not for anyone else. My prevention: less animal protien, more water and exercise, more fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and no sodas. With that foundation, I can still occasionally enjoy shellfish, red meat, beer and other seafood that may have brought on an attack in years past. It has been over 5 years since I made the diet and exercise changes and no attacks. Again, YMMV.
