[Zachary Foose]

Gout Flare in Elbow

Hello,

One year ago I suffered a gout attack in both of my feet. I could not walk. I was teaching english in Thailand and did not have insurance. I went to the hospital and received treatment that subdued the inflammation. I was able to walk out of there within 24 hours. I was never diagnosed with anything because I had no blood work done. I am aware this is a huge mistake & continued on with a lifestyle high in consuming purines and beer (every once and a while on the weekends)

Fast forward 1 year.
I hadn’t experienced any gout attacks flare ups other than the occasional discomfort in my left big toe. (could have been the result of joint damage). I arrived in Chiang Mai on June 18th and began what I like to call a cleanse and lifestyle change. I have always been in great shape, until i broke my foot this past February and unfortunately let myself go… So I decided to not drink for a while and to start exercising much more.

I started consuming high amount of protein. Red meats & fish. I wasn’t consuming as much veggies as I should have. An extremely high purine diet as i look back in hindsight. This was undoubtedly the cause of my flare up. On June26th, I noticed a bump, not right on the joint of my elbow, but three thumbnails below it (radius and ulna). I thought i just bumped it in the gym; however there was no bruise. 2 days go by and the bump doesnt go away. I think nothing of it, never even thought of gout (havent been diagnosed yet) and continue on eating the high purine diet. The night the flare up escalated, I consumed 2 filets of salmon and some chicken livers/hearts. (not surprisingly these are extremely high in purines) The next morning my arm and forearm were swollen to the point where I needed to go to the hospital. Long story short- I was prescribed colchicine , arcoxia , tylenol and clindamycin. Blood work was done as the doctor suspected gout. I had a uric acid level of 11.6 and my white blood cells were extremely high.

Fortunately, the medication subdued the flare up. Thank you for those who have read this far. This background information is very important to my question that I have now.

At the original site of the bump (3 thumbnails below the elbow) I still have a little bump. It isnt painful at all but it feels like there is something under/ in my skin. When i pinch the skin, it is not loose like my other elbow.

Questions:
What is this?
If it is uric acid crystals, how can i dissolve them?
What medication can i take to dissolve the crystals?
Natural remedies?
Length of time I can expect until the bump goes away?
Can i do exercises where the elbow joint is involved?
Use pain as my tolerance?

I have already altered my diet. I no longer eat meats or foods high in purines. I drink nearly two gallons of water a day and I am still exercising.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks ahead of time.

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