New to Gout

[James Mansfield]

I am a 55 year old male with Type-2 Diabetes and periodic onset of tachycardia. BP is perfect with the 3 different med’s I’m taking. 125/75 like a clock. I’m 5′-10″ tall, in the morning and about 230 lbs. This is down from 240 a week ago when I was diagnosed w/ Gout based on elevated Uric Acid Levels. Left Big-Toe for me. I’m fairly active as I live on a farm w/ Horses, Goats, Chickens, 4 dogs and a partridge in a pair tree. I’m a big boned boy so the 230 doesn’t look bad but the Dr. said I should target a weight of around 190 +/- 10 lbs.

My Dr. and I believe the onset of raised Uric Acid levels is however due to over indulgence of late. Bad Food Choices, way too much Wine and not enough Cardio. So, the Dr. said that I need to remove all the bad stuff, keep the good stuff, get some exercise and lose about 30-40 lbs.

I am former military. I’ve jumped out of 56 perfectly good airplanes. I’ve broken 1/2-dozen bones in my life, had several severe lacerations (stitches & staples), sprained most extremity joints, had several concussions, bitten by spiders, bees, snakes, etc… I have a good tolerance from pain and know the difference from being hurt or truly injured.

This said, I have never felt this kind of pain. Nothing seems to help. Redness, swelling and pain comes and goes for no apparent reason. From 1-10 the pain over this past week has ranged from a constant 5 to peaks of a solid 10 throughout the day and no in between.

I’m holding off starting the Steroid the Dr. prescribed because of my Diabetes and the lowest dose will give me uncontrolled blood glucose readings in the mid to upper 300’s. So, I’m trying to manage with Tylenol, Ibuprofen, elevating my foot above my heart and some really dramatic diet changes. I’ve lost 6 pounds in the last 6 days, averaging 1,250 to 1,500 calories of Rabbit Food and 4 to 6 oz of Salmon or Chicken Breast. Who knew there were so many Salmon and Chicken recipe’s??

Now some questions:
1.) How long is this crap going to last?
2.) Any other ideas on Pain Relief other than what I described above?
3.) Probably a stupid question but when it does seem to get a little bit better during the day, will walking on it bring the pain back well after my walk?
4.) Any things that this group has found that works to shorten the flare up?

Tomorrow it will be one full week of dealing with this crap. Someone throw me a bone and help educate me on what I’m dealing with and how to fix it “QUICKLY”.

Thanks,

Jimbo

[nobody]

With a name that sounds like yours, I wouldn’t lead with the military stuff on an international forum. Anyway…

1) the easiest guide we have for the evolution of gout is the amount of uric acid in the blood, a value you haven’t posted so we’re totally in the dark

2) considering steroids would apparently be ill-advised… higher doses of regular anti-inflamatories such as ibuprofen (though a slightly different drug might be advisable if your stomach is sensitive), drugs which target gouty inflammation more specifically such as colchicine, real painkillers (beware Tylenol’s liver toxicity)

3) it’s not a given but certainly possible, depending on how (and how long) you walk

4) other than drugs which are much more effective than the following and of course adequate hydration (drink plenty of water), you could try icing gently (low joint temperature can trigger or worsen gout) as well as stimulating blood flow to the affected joint with hot water or vigorous exercise involving other parts of the body

bottom line: your main objective isn’t to stop this flare quickly (indeed, improving your diet could actually make your gout worse for a few months/years) but to stop having flares in the future, and cardio or weight loss will probably not the trick. Quitting alcohol and adopting a better diet (I wouldn’t recommend salmon or chicken to someone who isn’t on a uric acid drug!) might help but most people require a drug such as allopurinol to cure their gout. If your doctor isn’t serious about treating this condition, consider getting another.

[Keith Taylor]

Hi Jimbo,

I was going to lead with “elevated Uric Acid Levels” but I see nobody has mentioned the lack of a number. So I’ll save that sarcasm for another day.

Before I get to your questions, a few words on “I have never felt this kind of pain”. You might have done if you ever had a really bad case of flu or similar.
I say this because it’s important to realize that gout pain is your brain interpreting signals from your immune system. Those signals are an alert that your natural defenses are in trouble. White blood cells are fighting microscopic uric acid crystals and you have a shitstorm. So you’re right – gout pain is absolutely not like the types of physical pain you describe. But how do you deal with that shitstorm?

Nuke it with steroids? I wouldn’t.
Tease it with dietary tantrums? I wouldn’t.

1.) How long is this crap going to last?
“this crap” might mean your:
a)- current gout attack. See How Long Does a Gout Attack Last? That will probably prompt some more specific questions from you. But also see 2.)
AND/OR
b)- ongoing battle with elevated uric acid. See How Long Does Gout Last? It’s Your Call. It really is up to you how long gout lasts. But a good plan that both you and your doctor buy into will make it as fast as possible.

2.) Any other ideas on Pain Relief other than what I described above?
I hate steroids! They knock out your bodies natural inflammation fighters. But everyone should have the discussion with their doctor and make up their own mind.
I recommend a combination of up to 3 meds Relief From Stubborn Gout Pain. Any or all of:
a) Block inflammation. Colchicine stops inflammation getting worse but does nothing for existing inflammation. Omit this if you hate colchicine. Or ask your doc/pharmacist if there is anything else.
b) Reduce inflammation. I’m a fan of Ibuprofen but you must get gout strength from the doc. For other choices, a pharmacist can often advise as can many hospital ward staff (they’re the experts in stopping grown men crying in pain). Remember Over The Counter is not enough. OTC really means Only Tickles Chronic when it comes to gout pain.
c) Bad inflammation can take a few hours to resolve so backup your anti-inflammatory med with Tylenol or similar. Again, get qualified medical advice on this.

3.) Probably a stupid question but when it does seem to get a little bit better during the day, will walking on it bring the pain back well after my walk?
No question is stupid. Look in the Should I Walk with Gout discussions and you will see every opinion. I can tell you what works for me but there is no definitive answer.

4.) Any things that this group has found that works to shorten the flare up?
I was so good at shortening my flare-ups that I neglected to address the underlying issue of uric acid above 6 mg/dL (personally I don’t like to be over 5 mg/dL). As a result, I have knee and feet joint erosion that limits my mobility. Please trust me when I say you should stop worrying about that (answer 2 gets it down to minutes anyway). Instead, plan a strategy to get uric acid safe so that gout never returns.

That’s more than enough for now. I’ll add more thoughts depending on responses.

[[email protected]]

Hi Jimbo,

Here is a bunch of information that might help with the gout. I found it worked for me. I never took medication other than Indomethacin (anti-inflammatory) during my single/only two month flare up two and a half years ago.

Make sure urine pH is normal

Acidic urine causes the kidneys to excrete too little uric acid. High levels of uric acid over years cause gout crystals to form in joints.

Test urine to see if acidic with pH test strips.

If acidic, use sodium bicarbonate to raise pH level. At first, I was using two or three packets of Picot throughout the day to keep the pH level normal. I chose to use this product instead of just a teaspoon of baking soda purely for convenience.

---

Baking Soda for Gout Warning

Sodium bicarbonate should only be taken under medical supervision. For more information see Dangerous Baking Soda For Gout
I won’t bother commenting on the other points as they are merely useless. Whereas this is dangerous.

Removing gout crystals

Once my pH level was normalized, I used the following products. I found that using them before the pH was normal, caused the gout symptoms to be worse. I suspect it was my kidneys were not able to get rid of the uric acid.

I used Chanca Piedra to help facility dissolving gout crystals. The product is made for dissolving kidney stones; however, gout crystals are the same thing, just in the joints.

I also used Uric Acid Flush. It is tart cherries. I used it once a day.

It takes 6 months to two years to break down the gout crystals with a uric acid level under 6.0, so be patient. I used a Care Touch uric acid meter to test my blood. The strips are kind of expensive, but it gave me peace-of-mind.

Foods

I eliminated all meat (chicken, beef, pork and fish) because they are high in purines, which the body breaks down into uric acid. I stayed off of meat for about 5 months. Now I eat it, but just not as often. During the five months, I got most of my protein from beans, yogurt and cheese.

Make sure you are getting plenty of vegetables. I use a slow juicer to juice celery, beets, carrots, sweet peppers and a scoop of powdered barley grass in the morning. I also added a fresh clove of garlic to help my heart and it actually made it taste better. I also eat veggies throughout the day when available and I eat a yogurt and banana about an hour after I juice.

Drink plenty of water, but not too much. Drink about one gallon a day.

Try to eliminate alcohol during flare ups. Alcohol causes your body to become acidic causing the kidneys to not keep up with the uric acid. Beer is worse than hard liquor because it has yeast which is high in purines. There are three commercial beers that filter the yeast before bottling: Heineken, Heineken Light and Amstel Light. I now drink these and have had no problems. I pretty much stay away from all other brands, especially, the American beers, micro-brews and IPAs.

Exercise and weight loss

Exercise lightly. I started walking 20 minutes a day and moved up to walking fast for an hour a day within a month. I walk 5 to 6 times a week.

Lose weight slowly to avoid another gout flare up. No low-carb diets!

Vitamins

I take a multi-vitamin and Omega 3

Also, wore a sock at night to keep the joint warm and promote blood flow.

I know this sounds like a lot, and it is; however, this is what I found to solve my gout. At about 9 months, I could actually feel my foot return completely back to normal.

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