Gout!! Somebody help me

[Conquest102]

Sorry to hear about your flare up. Had it for about 11 years myself Rht foot. Diet change does help a LOT. The only things I have not seen here is LOTS of water 10-12 8 oz a day. You could also try to keep it elevated.
Also CALL DR.

[guglipm63]

Black cherry juice and or celery

[RoyalD]

I also have suffered from Gout, woke up one morning and thought someone had broken in during the night and broke my big toe. The worst pain you can imagine, could not even touch it with a feather without causing tears to form. Seriously considered blowing it off with a 357 it was so bad. What I found was first to knock down the inflammation using a NON ASPIRIN medication, 800 mg of Ibuprofen every four hours and then Allopurinol as directed by your doctor. Once the Gout attack is over you can select items in your diet that seem to aggravate the condition and eliminate them. I find shrimp, antacids such as Rolaids, Aspirin, alcohol in excess amounts are things that antagonize my Gout. Be careful with the Ibuprofen, it is very hard on the kidneys. I take a couple Ibuprofen the minute I feel an attack coming on, you must break the cycle quick before it snowballs into a major problem. Allopurinol will cause a Gout attach during the initial treatment and is normal. Stay with it though. Above all, CONFIRM ALL ADVICE WITH A DOCTOR!!!!

[Trekkers]

GOUT, ouch a painful subject.
Ok, Here's the scoop. Gout is a problem with the handling of the breakdown of Purines (components of protein) causing an increase in the uric acid levels in the blood which can then precipitate in joints, with the big toe being the classic, but other joints can also be involved. Occasionally there is a problem with overproduction as an instigator such as in Lymphomas. So, first of all one should be sure there is no evidence of underlying disease. Usually, its just plain gout, however.
Plan of action includes, medicine, diet and activity.
Medicine: the most common drug is the allopurinol that you mention. Usually the dose is started low and increased as needed. If pan control is not adequate, one needs to check to see if the uric acid level is responding adequately to the dose. But that is not the only medicine that can be used for gout if one doesn't tolerate it or if it is not effective. There are some older and some newer drugs available. Also some medicines may aggravate the problem such as thiazides which are used frequently in the treatment of high blood pressure which may be a co-existing condition. If one is on thiazides one might inquire if other medication could be used instead.These are prescription medicines and you would need to work with your doctor.
Diet, this is a big issue and will help in almost all cases but requires commitment to the plan. As I said the purines come from protein processing in the body, so a relatively low protein diet is useful. First of all red meats and even fowl and seafoods must be eaten in moderation. Some things like organ meat, herring and anchovies should be avoided all together. A low fat diet is useful as saturated fats interfere with the body's ability to get rid of the uric acid. Low fat dairy products are useful.
In general vegetables are very good. But asparagus, spinach, peas and beans are possible problem foods. Also avoid fructose corn syrup which is used to sweeten many beverages and other foods. Fructose is the only carbohydrate which is known to increase uric acid.
Some foods like black cherry or black cherry extract may help reduce uric acid but by itself is not likely to control gout except in some milder forms.
Alcohol is another culprit, particularly beer. Moderate intake of wine seems to be less of a problem, however.
Lots of fluids particularly water helps to flush the uric acid from the system. Too much acid in the diet such as excess orange juice can precipitate the uric acid in the urine causing stone formation. So don't over do that.
Weight loss is very helpful however one should not go on fasting diets which induces ketosis. That could aggravate the situation.
Regular moderate activity is recommended and also helps keep weight under control. During an acute attack, obviously that will be limited.
My DH and two sons have gout. Also, I am a cancer doctor and I can tell yuo that gout sometimes hurts more than cancer. I have had patients dealing with both, they may complain more of the gout! If the sheets hurt your feet at night, it's gout till proven otherwise!

[Trekkers]

Originally posted by RoyalD:
"Allopurinol will cause a Gout attach during the initial treatment and is normal. Stay with it though. Above all, CONFIRM ALL ADVICE WITH A DOCTOR!!!!"

Since the allopurinol may initially aggravate the pain it is usually preceded by certain other medicines or given in conjunction with them to keep the pain controllable.

x2 on the advise to work with your doctor. Most doctors have experience with gout but if your situation is uncontrolled after working a while with your doctor you may ask for a rheumatology consult.

[Rodneykrantz]

Thanks Trekkers for the info Arthritis runs real bad in my Family

[chuydog]

Back when we lived in Michigan and lived next door to a couple who raised Clydesdales we found the ultimate Gout solution. It's a product sold at tack shops and is called DMSO for use on sore joints on a horse. About two cold beers and grab the paint brush and can and apply this to your big toe and then another beer and the pain is gone. No joke, it does work.....really.

[Grmart]

I had it pretty bad a few years ago and started drinking black cherry juice and it helped a bunch. Also quit red meat and beer, that helped too. But after a few long months it just seemed to go away on it's own.
Sorry to hear about your pain, I know it can hurt like hell!

Cheers,

George

[Rodneykrantz]

Trekkers You might have hit on something it seems like my gout got worse when I starting taking BP medicine I am taking Lisinopril 40mg

[raycon9]

since most are taking about black cherry juice, allow me to point out, sour cherry juice has a little less sugar. and since sugar is part of the problem, i would think the sour cherry juice would be better. it seems to be helping me. JMO

[HappyCCRVr]

Originally Posted by chuydog

Back when we lived in Michigan and lived next door to a couple who raised Clydesdales we found the ultimate Gout solution. It's a product sold at tack shops and is called DMSO for use on sore joints on a horse. About two cold beers and grab the paint brush and can and apply this to your big toe and then another beer and the pain is gone. No joke, it does work.....really.

So this product for horses negates the problems that beer causes in people with gout as well as relieves pain?

[HappyCCRVr]

Originally Posted by Rodneykrantz

Trekkers You might have hit on something it seems like my gout got worse when I starting taking BP medicine I am taking Lisinopril 40mg

I don't take BP medication anymore because I learned that Yoga, meditation and deep breathing along with healthy eating and eliminating salt from my diet (and all junk food and sodas) brought my BP to normal.

[stink]

Originally Posted by chuydog

Back when we lived in Michigan and lived next door to a couple who raised Clydesdales we found the ultimate Gout solution. It's a product sold at tack shops and is called DMSO for use on sore joints on a horse. About two cold beers and grab the paint brush and can and apply this to your big toe and then another beer and the pain is gone. No joke, it does work.....really.

Guys PLEASE do not use DSMO!!!!! My wife is disabled because of it. It weakens the nuro transmittion and will damage nerves. I grew up on a racehorse ranch and used DMSO on the horses liberally especially after a race and it helps them (horses) not humans!!!!!
My wife in her 30s contracted gout because of the Atkins diet. As soon as she started eating right, no more gout.

[jillie]

My mom had gouty arthritis. The crystals tore up her finger joints so bad she elected to have the end joint of one finger amputated because of the constant pain.

Now I have gout and can sometimes feel the sharp pain in my finger joints. I'm on allopurinol so I hope that works.

Here's a good site with easy-to-understand information on gout.
What Is Gout? A Form of Arthritis Caused by High Uric Acid Levels in the Blood