rheumatologist and blood results advice

[ctrlkeys]

Hi Guys,?

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saw the rheumatologist yesterday and she was a lovely lady, she had a good understanding of gout and considering the crappy doctors ive experienced she was a ray of light, she concluded I have gout based on my symptoms my initial onset 7 odd years ago with elevated urate levels, my location of attacks and my partial control of the disease over the years with diet, she did order the below blood tests, a whooping total of 11 vials of blood, I havent had all the results back but I was looking for some comments on the abnormal ones that have come back.?

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Blood Tests Asked for

– renal

– liver

– bone

-CRP

-iron

-feritin

FBC+Diff

Serum B12

ESR

Red Cell Folate?

Urate?

Vit A?

CK?

Hep B,C

CMV

EBV

HIV

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I know right thats a damn long list, my urate has come back as 2.4, previously was 2.2 so its staying well below 3.0 and im a month into allopurinol now, ab-normals so far are bilirubin (mine 18, normal range under 17, previously before allopurinol mine was 17 so its only drifted by 1) and my Vitamin D has come back as 24 (normal range 70-140)?

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I appreciate any comments, Ive been on Allopurinol for about 5 weeks now, attacks have calmed down but there is a general soreness in both feet, which i am guessing is the shift in half dissolved crystals.?

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thank you for all your forth coming comments.?

[deltatoes]

Hmm..having just discovered this disease for myself, I know I cant answer your questions (hopefully others here can), but I am curious about your experiences over the last 7 years.

The ensuing attacks, since your first 7 years ago, were they more or less severe than the first?

Did the frequency of attacks increase or decrease?

Did they occur mostly in the same joints, or in others not previously affected?

Also, based on your jugdement of when and how much anti-inflammatory medication to take (ie., idomicin), did you stop taking it once the pain subsided, or continue to take it for a period of time afterward.

Thanks in advance for your response.

[ctrlkeys]

hey deltatoes

when I was first diagnosed I had the worst first attack lasted about a month and in total I think I was off work for 6 weeks, from changing my diet and getting my weight down to a normal range I managed to keep the attacks away for a few years, ver 7 years my frequency of attacks were a couple every few years and they were very mild, recently in the last 3 months it came back and didn’t go, giving me on and off attacks for 3 months, so started allopurinol at 300mg and accepted at least probably another 6months of possible attacks, would rather get settled on medication while I’m 34 then later when my body won’t tolerate NSAIDs or other meds, allopurinol is going well have had a few minor flares and general soreness but no night time flare ups so I can at least sleep, with regards to medication I would say go on your gps advice but for me I do 1.5mg of colchcine 1mg then .5mg an hour later and if that doesn’t knock the attack out I switch to indomethacin and do 150mg over 24 hours, I stay on that for a max of three days, but also keep doing 1.5mg of colchine throughout the day, after three days I normally lower e indomethacin down to 75mg a day IF the pain is okay enough I can make it to work I stay on 1.5mg of colchcine till the pain has fully gone, I also take lansoprazole with the indomethacin to stop it tearing my stomach up.

generally I don’t stay on indomethacin for more than 3 days, but My attacks when I use to get them use to subside in a few days, I use indomethacin for the pain and swelling and colchine to stop the attack, hope that helps if you take indomethacin ask your gp for a stomach blocker like lansoprazole

and more questions feel free to ask 🙂

imi

[ctrlkeys]

also attacks all in my big toe joint, first 6 years only right foot but recently right and left big toes only

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