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Oh and I just turned 30 and am not overweight at all. Probably underweight in fact. I don’t like exercise but usually walking while playing golf a couple of times a month is about the most strenuous exercise I get. Gout, High BP, and OCD all run in my family, but as far as I know gout is the only one that no one takes medicine for.
Doctor called me back and said a year ago the acid level was 9.0, which is really high based on my research this morning. He did not seem concerned at the time until/unless the gout came back. Now it has come back so I think it?s time to revisit the issue. I also have high blood pressure which is odd because I only seem to get it in the doctor?s office. I don?t get as high readings at home, but the doctor still insists I take a small dosage of linisopril. Quite frankly the readings are so mixed in between the two places that doctors aren?t really sure what dosage I should be on if I should be on any at all. I also have moderate OCD but don?t take anything for that.
I don?t eat great, but not really bad either. I do not eat fast food often, maybe once a month. I work from home and usually make sandwiches during lunch and spaghetti/enchiladas or something once a week that I can eat for dinner. I don?t eat a ton of vegetables though if they aren?t in the aforementioned dishes. I eat a lot of macaroni and cheese! I love meat to be in food like enchiladas or sandwiches, but I don?t eat organ meat or seafood very often. It would be hard for me to not eat meat though altogether. How many points can a diet like this really add to your uric acid level?
Beer used to be my alcohol of choice because it?s easy; I never drank wine and rarely liquor. I?ve learned now beer is really really bad for gout, so it looks like I might have to give that up once and for all. I probably drank more beer than I should for a gout sufferer too since I?m still young and my friends like to go out on the weekend. It looks like I?m going to have to make a switch to wine and limit my intake moving forward. How many points can beer really add to your uric acid level?
I?m starting to wonder if my uric acid level is high enough that I need to be on Allopurinol after all? I don?t see how diet alone and cutting out beer can reduce it to a normal level, but I?m not doctor and even if I were there is no guarantee I would know anything anyway, ha. My foot is still a little swollen and tender from last week?s attack, but I don?t think I?m in the gout attack phase anymore since I feel normal and it really doesn?t hurt unless poked around with. If I should be taking medicine, should I start taking it immediately or wait until the pain subsides completely? Thanks again for your concern and input. Gout seems to be a black hole in the medical field?every website and doctor I see has a different opinion.
Last question is after changing diet/eliminating beer, how long before those changes affect uric acid level? 1 week? 2 weeks? 6 months? I am just wondering if I should give my body a chance to reset with some dietary changes before I get my uric acid readings again, that way the doctor can make an assessment of just how much uric acid medicine I need.
First of all I appreciate you taking out time to write very detailed responses. That being said, I think I’m confused about the concern. I had 2 attacks (1 mild) in 2 years, and my doctor specifically said the most recent (third) bout was due to injuring my toe, and had I not injured the toe, I would not have gotten a gout infection. So I’m just lost as to why I should all of a sudden be concerned for my organs and life? It seems pretty evident that high uric acid level is not the cause of the most recent attack, and being concerned for my organs and life seems a little dire since not everyone who gets gout dies from uric acid poisoning. I’ve seen several doctors regarding gout (internist, podiatrist, primary care) and they’ve all said be careful about your diet but it’s not necessary to take any medication for your gout just yet. Your posts just make my situation sound very extreme so that’s what makes me a little cautious. BTW I left a message for my doctor as to the level. He told me the level but I forget the number.
So what’s the solution? Can you reduce uric acid levels in any way other than taking medicine? I’ve been doing a baking soda treatment, drink black cherry juice daily, and soak my foot in epsom salt/apple cider vinegar 1-2 times a day. From what I’ve read eliminating beer and liver is good but otherwise diet only makes a minor impact to your gout/uric acid level. And also as I recall my doctors have frowned upon me taking things like Allupurinol with my level of uric acid/gout because they believe the side effects to outweigh the pros at this stage. That’s not to say my situation does get more dire in the future, but at the present none of them have made that recommendation.
Thanks for the help. I’ve had my uric acid tested three times in the last 2 years, all coming back mostly normal. All of the doctors have said it’s not high enough to be concerned, the gout could be hereditary. Up until the injury all of my attacks have been pretty insignificant, and the injury (my doc told me) is what caused the most recent attack, not an unbelievably elevated uric acid level.
So, I’m not sure I’m at a huge risk yet? It sounds like the injury alone is really what led to this incredibly painful attack.
After over a week, I’m just now starting to come back to life though.
