Toe Tophi or others, cure success rate

[phofab]

[admin: This tophi cure topic is now closed. See treatment for gout to remove tophi for full details of how to get rid of tophi. If you still have questions, please start a new topic.]

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I read on these pages of Members with their various Tophi and this includes some of the long term Members, who admit to having success with Allopurinol and other medications.

Question :- Have any of you ever positively cured a Tophi, so that it is no longer an issue?

[zip2play]

I have only “cured” a tophus once…by opening it up with a red hot paper clip through my thumbnail.

I have two small finger tophi left, one new one this month  which is going to get a needle very soon (needle need not be hot becasue these are just under the skin, not the nail.)

Shrinking tophi with meds is no easy task, even with <6.0 urate for 20 years.

[phofab]

Gee Zip, you were the Poster I was thinking about. You seem such an advocate for Allopurinol, but I kept reading about your paper clip trick on your tophi.

So basically with me attempting the Allo treatment and coping with the side effects , I am effectively knocking my head against a brick wall in hoping to get rid of my sore toe!!!

I cope with the few Gout attacks I normally have, quickly and effectively and since I have modified my juicing regime I have reduced my UA level from .47mmo/l to .33mmo/l .

So the end answer is that by remaining on the allo treatment I cannot expect in the forseeable future to have happy toes.

Requires a rethink and discussion with my GP. Out with the bolt cutters, trouble is when I pass out and am taken to hospital, the silly b…..s will possibly reattach the gouty toe at great expense.!!!!!!!!!!

Bit of a bummer.

[zip2play]

phofab,

I sing the praises of allopurinol to keep uric acid levels low enought to avoid new attacks. Alas, old tophi are isolated by the body, and it seems even from the joints. So though they are out of harms way, they are still there, often just under the skin.

I have read that SUA's around 3 tend to rid the body of tophi, the article specifically making that claim was advocating the use of both allopurinol and probenecidbut then I have also read that surgery is needed for stubborn tophi if they cause problems.

I think you can expect happy toes, mine are, but I cannot guarantee that old tophi will disappear. What I have noticed is that the feet are the sites of pain but the fingers are the sites of tiresome old tophi. I've NEVER had one on my foot but have had 3 on the back of my hands.

phofab,

You have that weepy toe tophus right? If so, it will probably weep itself empty. Weepy is GOOD! My thumb, which was the size of a bean emptied completely, you'd never know it was there (that was about a decade ago.) My little finger is the size of a split pea half and the new one on my middle finger is the size of one of those fancy straight pin heads with the tiny white little plastic glob on the end…it's gonna get stuck next week. I think it's because of cold hands in this Northeast U.S. winter combined with 2 months of heavy beer drinking…don't ask! No pain but POP, a tophus.

[trev]

I was reading recently that tophi present much more quickly in older patients.

Nothing about the rate of depletion though- perhaps 'too early' days in this  long saga?

Perhaps also, it holds a pointer to how to get rid of them- but it probably is no more than the body defences putting the stuff clear of joints , nature  not expecting the age extension of modern times to allow even more problems in tissues etc. to arise.

The idea is to keep running, whenever possible!.

I had a Sri Lankan lodger a few years back who gave me some ointment to try and it actually drew yellow deposition through the skin during a bad attack. Never knew the name of the gel.

Lost contact now.

[odo]

I actually think this might be the way to go with tophi: poultices or herbal plasters that have a drawing out action. I'll try and research this and post if I find anything (bit snowed under with work and studies at the 'mo).

[trev]

Like many interesting discoveries , this was accidental.

I put the cream on and covered the right foot with wet [cold] kitchen roll to ease the pain.

When later it had dried somewhat I was surprised to see quite dark yellow speckles on the tissue and I think it diid help the discomfort too.

At the time I wasn't quite so much on pinning down this curse, so let the event pass by

[Richard Bell]

The large tophi on my toe is now a third of what it was just three months ago but I’m not sure if the credit lies with the Uloric I’m taking or with the fact that it had developed a large hole that drained for weeks.

[zip2play]

I'll go with the hole, Richard.

[Richard Bell]

zip2play said:

I?ll go with the hole, Richard.

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Your probably right, Zip.

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