Gout Progression
Gout concerns soon become overwhelming. Avoid confusion by progressing in phases.
Gout Progression Introduction
I have identified 7 phases of gout progression. Because I want to help you plan discussions with your doctor that are efficient and effective. For example, there is little value in discussing your concerns about allopurinol dosage or side effects if you haven't yet been properly diagnosed with gout.
Most importantly, always remember that these notes are based on my personal experiences. So the views, explanations, and directions from your doctor must always take precedence. Therefore, it's best that you see this progression as one way of organizing your own personal gout notes. But always check with your healthcare team to see if they have their own resources to help you manage your gout.
Remember, this is a logical progression of gout topics. Not a timeline. So phases are interrelated as you learn to resolve your gout concerns. Therefore, you will move forwards and backwards between phases. As determined by your greatest concern at any given time.
1. Gout Causes
Logically, the Gout Causes phase is the first phase of gout progression. However, you might not think about causes until after you've experienced symptoms, testing, or even started uric acid treatment. In fact, many gout sufferers don't care about the causes of their gout. Because they just want to rely on their doctor to cure them.
If you have concerns about the reasons for your gout attacks, you should browse the Gout Causes Phase.
2. Gout Symptoms
For most gout sufferers, this is the phase that they identify with first. And you might remain concerned about symptoms until your excess uric acid is cured. So to understand how gout affects you, browse the Gout Symptoms Phase.
3. Gout Pain Relief
Gout causes pain through complex pathways. And to find relief, most gout sufferers need a package of pain controls that can adapt to changing needs. So to understand gout pain and how to relieve it, browse the Gout Pain Relief Phase.
4. Uric Acid Test
Uric acid test results are a foundation for diagnosis and subsequent curing of excess uric acid. And for primary gout patients, you will return to this phase periodically for the rest of your life. So to establish the most effective testing routines, browse the Uric Acid Test Phase.
5. Start Uric Acid Cure
Starting to cure excess uric acid is a significant milestone in gout treatment. And it must be planned and executed safely and effectively. In order to minimize adverse events while maximizing the chance of a cure. So to ensure a satisfactory start to curing gout, browse the Start Uric Acid Cure Phase.
6. Adjust Uric Acid Cure
You have established an individual or combination package for lowering uric acid. Now you have to adjust the treatment package to reach safe uric acid levels. So to understand titration of uric acid lowering treatments, browse the Adjust Uric Acid Cure Phase.
7. Maintain Uric Acid Cure
When you have achieved six months with safe uric acid levels and no gout symptoms, you have cured gout. But our bodies change through time. Therefore, you must return to Phase 4 at least once a year for a uric acid test panel. Possibly followed by another adjustment at Phase 6, depending on your test results. So to ensure that you stay free from gout, browse the Maintain Uric Acid Cure Phase.
Gout Progression Summary
First, assess where you are in the last 4 phases. That might be newly suspected gout without any uric acid testing. Or years of ineffective gout management. But it's usually somewhere between by the time you start reading GoutPal.
Second, assess how important the first three phases are to you. Because problems with causes, symptoms, or pain control might affect your treatment plan.
Thirdly, discuss with your doctor how you will move forward to getting free from gout. With reference to any difficulties that you have with causes, symptoms, or pain control.
Your Gout Progression
As gout sufferers, we can easily become overwhelmed by trying to understand what causes our pain and how we control it. Because there are lots of different aspects to gout pain. But if you work through your gout concerns logically, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed. Then you can review your progress and see how to find Gout Freedom.
One way to keep progress notes is the annotation system that I include with most GoutPal pages. If you need help with your gout progress notes, just ask in the Gout Forum.
Leave Gout Progression to browse the Gout and Uric Acid Blog.