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Thank you Keith for your responses. I was beginning to wonder if this forum/website was no longer active. I completely understand that you are running this on your own and I think that is truly amazing. You are to be commended for not only sharing your wisdom and experiences, but giving so much of your time to help others like me who are in dire need of advice.
I did see my doc yesterday although only just now reading your posts. Her opinion was that we should wait for the gout “attack” to go away before beginning the Allopurinol. I reminded her that my “attack” has been going non-stop since July and that I had done some research about starting Allopurinol right away to bring uric acid levels down. So she asked me if I wanted an rx for Allopurinol and I said YES, definitely. She wrote an rx for 300mg once a day. I am not of any Asian descent you mentioned. She told me to continue taking the 50mg indomethacin “as needed”, but if I go longer than 4-6 hours without taking it, the sharp shooting/stabbing pains come back. So I am still taking it 3 times a day. She did mention that I could try colchicine at some later date if the indomethacin stopped working. I’d previously been taking max doses of ibuprofen (2400mg) daily for degenerative arthritis, for at least 7 years, but the ibuprofen gave me absolutely no pain relief for the gout. Have used Naproxen in the past but doesn’t seem to work at all for me for any type of pain. I do occasionally take Tylenol for break through pain, although my doc said that while I’m taking indomethacin I should NOT take any other type of NSAID. Should I ignore her warning about other NSAIDS and perhaps take some Tylenol in between the indomethacin doses?
Yes, the VA (Veteran’s Health Administration) here in the USA is still using health information, policies and equipment from the 1960’s. They are so behind the times because Congress will not give them the proper funding. They’d rather spend trillions on wars we should never have started, drones, fancy new military fighter jets and private contractors with their hit squads, torture and prisons. I am ashamed to be an American, while the current soldiers come back to the states with missing limbs, brain injuries and PTSD, and have to fight the VA to get proper treatment.
I was in the Navy way back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. To me, as an 18 year old fresh out of high school, I joined because I wanted to travel, get an education and get paid while I was doing it. I also wanted to get the heck out of my small town where I grew up and leave my dysfunctional family. I was not the typical “gung-ho, let’s go kill some Arabs” (or Nicaraguans or whomever). I had no desire to carry a gun, go fight in some foreign land, nothing like that. I worked in an office at a base in California, did my 4 years then left the military. Looking back, I would NEVER encourage anyone to join the military, especially these days. But my time in the Navy did qualify me for free medical care at the VA, and since I can’t afford to get medical care any other way (yeah, we REALLY need universal or single-payer health care here in the USA, like pretty much all other countries in Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and even some in Asia, Africa and South America have). But I don’t see that happening in my lifetime, especially with the current brand of conservative Republicans in complete control of Congress.
Thank you so much for all your advice. Now that I am taking the Allopurinol, hopefully things will start to improve.
Not sure if I will be able to “arrange” for blood testing in 2 weeks as I am totally at the mercy of the VA’s decisions and scheduling. If they deem it unnecessary then there is no way for me to have the tests done. I will talk with my doc but she is only allowed to do what the VA says she can do. They will cut costs in any and all ways possible. And my problems are so low on the totem pole compared to newly returning vets with missing limbs, brain injuries and PTSD.Gawd, I wish I could move to another country. ANY country other than here seems better at this point in time.
Already replied to this about 10 days ago. Don’t know why is did not post to the forum but will give it another try.
I’m still having terrible pain since July 2014. Constant left ankle pain, feels like it’s sprained. Very swollen, like 3 times the size of my right ankle. It is NOT red, purple, hot or inflamed. Cannot bear any weight on it when I first get out of bed, and then in the late afternoon/evening gets really bad again (probably from working all day). Doc wanted to do x-rays first in September, which were negative, THEN she did uric acid blood test which was 7.5. This was early October. Did not receive ANY treatment plan. I had to beg for pain relief. Finally got an rx for indocin on Oct 23, 50mg 3 times a day. Around the middle of October I started getting sharp shooting/stabbing pains that felt like someone was poking me with a sharp knife or what I could imagine an electric shock would feel like, only 100 times worse. The indocin did help greatly with the shooting/stabbing pains but the swelling and constant “sprained ankle” pain is still present. Having some side effects from the indocin including diarrhea, gas, bloating, and some occasional lower right quadrant cramping.
I have an appt on Monday Dec 8, but that is mainly for GYN issues. I am 54 and thought I was menopausal (15 months since my last period but then I had another one middle of November). My hormones are way out of whack…feeling every emotion from rage, anger, crying, manic, which I have no control over. I feel like I am out of control but unable to do anything about it. I will certainly be discussing the gout along with everything else. I’m an emotional wreck, in constant pain, work 7 days a week to survive, so stress level is very high.
So my gout “attack” has been going on since July…almost 5 months. Is this normal? My doc gave me a gout “diet”, but I rarely, if ever, eat any of the foods high in purines. I do not drink. I hate seafood of any kind, do not eat organ meats, tripe, liver, sweetbreads or wild game. In the past I might have eaten red meat or bacon 1-2 times a month. I have stopped eating all red meat. I have chicken maybe once a week. Do not eat gravies or sauces made with meat. Drink 80-100 oz of water a day, low sugar juice, diet soda, an occasional sugar free ice tea. I do not care for/eat asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, mushrooms, peas, beans or lentils. I pay very close attention to food labels and will not buy anything with high fructose corn syrup. So basically I’m eating low sugar cereals, bread, pasta, rice, low fat dairy (milk, yogurt, cottage cheese), apples, grapes, salads, eggs, peanut butter, popcorn, carrots, corn, green beans, almonds and granola bars.
Any advice/experiences would be greatly appreciated. About at my wits end here if I can’t get any help from my doctor, and I don’t have the money or ability to go to a different doc. I’m stuck in the VA (Veteran’s Health Administration) and hating it more and more every day.
