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Hey Folks
Ok on 7th of September It was my birthday I got binge drinking beer and got my first gout flare. I never feel pain when I am that drunk. But I very much felt this – I was hopping around like a Teletubby and I have never experienced agony like this before.Anyways, I went to the doctors 2 days later and the doctor suspects its gout. So, I have been put on multiple inflammatory drugs to help my foot. And the swelling has gone down and I can walk on it. Also, I can put weight on it. But it’s very stiff at times and feels crampy and has the occasional sting.
I am terrified that it is going to flare up again. So I walk around as much as I can. And I am hoping its just the walking that’s doing it.
I need to see the doctor again tomorrow and I am hoping that the doc can cure this. Also, I am hoping you folks can help me understand how to tell when a gout flare is going to start. Finally, is there a way to stop it without gout????
I am sorry for my terrible typing skills I am trying LOL
I am desperate.
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Hi!
You apparently need a quick answer since you’re seeing your doctor tomorrow. So here goes…
Unfortunately, I very much doubt your doctor will have a quick fix. Gout is slow to develop and slow to cure. I fear that many doctors in this situation would tend to go with something like this: “your condition has improved and I expect it will keep improving, come back if you have another flare and in the meantime let’s do nothing”.
So my opinion is that the most important thing you need to do is to make it clear that you want to get to the bottom of this but that you are not demanding quick results that your doctor can’t deliver. If you indeed have gout, it will silently damage your body while you do nothing about it. So I recommend you don’t take “let’s wait and see” for an answer to your very serious symptoms.About strictly medical stuff, the first step is that there are tests that need to be done to confirm that you have gout.
You didn’t say if you’ve had any tests. It doesn’t matter if you don’t type well but it does matter whether you are communicating all the revelant facts (like: the drugs you took have names).
You may have to do some research, stay on top of your test results and take charge a bit in order to make sure you are receiving halfway decent medical care. -
I am taking Indomethacin, Prednisolone and Plucloxacillin for Inflammation. The Inflammation has gone down their is no swelling now except a lump on the side of my foot at the big toe joint which is tender too touch and have a burning sensation at times. I am well aware that gout does massive damage too the body which is another reason I am worried about it I am only 32 I don;t want to be 40 and in a wheelchair due too severely damaged joints. I am seeing a different doctor turns out the doctor I am supposed too see wont be their all week but I am still going my doctor said it could be Cellulitis I am really hoping that’s all it is and I have had blood tests I will hopefully find out the results today but all the evidence leads too gout. I am really going too miss beer ๐
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Considering you’ve been given an antibiotic, it’s evidently too early to conclude you have gout. Antibiotics weren’t even considered when I had my first flare.
A wheelchair at 40 isn’t a common outcome for gout in any case. Don’t worry about that.Indo usually works well to relieve gout symptoms quickly if you take enough of it but sometimes you need something else to put the flare to rest for good. I never took prednisone pills (I take something more specific to gout) but I guess that should do the job.
You might want to ask the doctor if it would be safe for you to take a bit more indo next time.It’s good to hear you had blood tests. Is that the only test you got so far?
Unfortunately, blood tests are often not conclusive for people who are having their first flare. If the doctor is still unsure about the cause of your problem after seeing the result, you might want to ask about less common (and more expensive) tests so as not to delay treatment in case you indeed have gout.
I recommend you ask whether the amount of uric acid in your blood had ever been tested prior to your flare. The results might be illuminating. It would be best if you got your results printed but you could also simply write down the exact value(s) for your uric acid test(s). -
thanks yes prednisone is a disgusting tablet it tastes utterly terrible and I hate taking them I am praying too whatever excuse for a god their is that its not gout I really want my life back I want to be able to drink beer again too I know they like too stick a needle inside the joint and take the fluid out for testing I am really not looking forward too that. I will update you on what this doctor says. I am more trying too make sure I don;t have another flair up and that this is gone for good I know with anything its best too get it early and that’s exactly what I am going too do.
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Doc stated its gout and told me too stay off the booze and said they wont do anything unless I have another attack I am like the whole point is too avoid another attack in the first place and yep a utterly useless doctor show just trying too take my money i guess. I don;t know what the hell I am supposed too do now.
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Not entierly surprising.
The way I see it, you have a few choices:
-see your regular doctor next week
-see another doctor such as a rheumatologist (the specialty dealing with gout)
-start by assessing the seriousness of the situation yourself, using your uric acid test resultsWithout knowing your test results (if you only have the one, I recommend getting another blood test next month), I can’t tell you much more except for the following…
Staying off booze is of course not bad advice at such but it’s at best incomplete when it comes to gout. Very lazy on the doctor’s part. -
Hi Mr. Alien Firefox! I’m 58 and didn’t start getting gout till I was 50! When these things happen…just get to the doctor and get on their regime ASAP! You’ll be good! BEER…I hate to tel, you my friend…eventually you’ll have more and more episodes till you give it up. I was a homebrewer for 26 years and gave it up this year due to annual episodes and 3 this year…I read all the books and ALL said..”Don’t Drink Beer” it truly is a trigger…hope this helps!
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Alcohol is usually only a contributing factor to gout.
At this stage it’s impossible to tell how dangerous drinking will be for you in the long run, especially without knowing your test results and so forth.
Generally speaking though, once gout is under control, alcohol consumption need not be much more harmful than it would be for someone who never developped gout. But as long as your problem isn’t under control, you are taking chances by drinking. So provided you are not currently addicted to alcohol, it would be prudent not to drink at all for a while. -
I see and the doctor tested kidneys function and not uric acid levels which I thought they were testing for. I wish these wankers would do the right thing. I currently have no pain in my foot however on occasion It stings on in the lump on the side of the joint I sometimes feel it might be coming back but it doesn’t.
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Gout typically goes dormant for long periods bewteen attacks, especially during the first years. In hindsight, I’m not sure my previous message was clear so: when I said “under control” I was talking about cause of gout (uric acid crystals), not about pain or other symptoms. Once the pain and swelling completely goes away, you will be able to use your foot more confidently but gout will continue to work silently.
Then again if they are such wankers, maybe the gout diagnosis isn’t to be trusted in the first place… do you understand on what basis it was made? -
The only basis I have is that my kidneys are not working at their full efficiency and so the doctor assumes that the reason I got gout is because of my drinking and the uric acid built up too much and so I had an attack. I am getting the feeling that this gout never really goes away and its going too come back and say hi sooner or later? I am sorry I can;t give more information I simply don;t have any that’s why I came here.
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Typically, untreated gout as you say never really goes away.
I’m not comfortable with all the assumptions being made. If you do have gout, you might have had too much uric acid for most of your life regardless of how much you were drinking. In that case, drinking would only have made you develop obvious symptoms quicker and quitting alcohol would not be sufficient to cure your gout. There’s no way to know if you never got tests for uric acid. In order to know to what extent kindey function is to blame, the amount of uric acid in your urine can be tested as well. There’s no need to rely on assumptions. -
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