My campaign for better uric acid blood test procedures is taking shape now suspended.
I’m driven by recent forum discussions and my own experiences. Clearly, there are some issues with getting blood tests at the right time, and getting the results interpreted correctly. Therefore the early stages of my campaign will focus on preparing proper information to fight the campaign.
I need your help whilst I gather my information into easy-to-read campaign material and prepare the campaign website. I need to build a picture of the state of uric acid testing as it stands today, all around the world. I need you to share your uric acid blood test results.
To do this, I have prepared a poll and a couple of surveys. Before you submit your information, please take a moment to read my gout poll guidelines that are part of my extended gout discussion guidelines. For completeness, I should also have survey guidelines, but does such a simple form filling exercise need guidelines? Only your participation and feedback can tell me.
I would like information from all actual or suspected gout sufferers. The essence of the uric acid blood test poll is that you tell me if you have lab-based uric acid tests from medical professionals or if you test yourself at home (with options for both and neither). After you have voted, I would like you to complete a short survey about lab tests, home tests, or both.
There are features in the poll to add comments, but please keep these strictly to voting issues. If you are not sure, please add your comments below. The comments box here is also for any questions, experiences or theories you may have about uric acid blood tests.
I have written my own views on uric acid testing, and I would appreciate it if you read those first to get a better understanding of the importance of testing and the issues involved.
Please complete the uric acid blood test poll. The poll has links to the survey(s) I would like you to complete after voting. Poll and surveys closed.
I’ll kick the debate off with a concern that I have.
I want the poll and surveys to be completed by as many people as possible, but I fear that restricting them to registered users might reduce the chances of them being completed.
Do the benefits of better survey participants outweigh the drawbacks of fewer results?
Of course, you can make this issue meaningless by persuading all your gouty associates to complete the polls and surveys!
I will join or complete pole. I says make them register for legitiment results.
I am in Northern Italy on vacation and supposed to be in Venice. Can’t walk, swollen right foot Goutie like symptoms. Third attack.
I am male 66, poster boy for gout. Two blood tests 5.2 & 5.7(7 mos. ago) Take diuretics. Web site is valuable. Just bought crutches. On couch emailing you insteard of Venice. So it goes.
Robert a Phillips
Burnsville, NC 28714
The poll was just a “taster” to try and guage interest in starting a full-blown campaign for better uric acid testing. There has been so little interest, I have decided to put the campaign on hold, so, as I note below, the poll is closed.
I may restart the campaign in future, if anyone is interested in joining, but I will probably just do UK only as this is where I have most contacts. Of course, if anyone is interested in USA, any other country, or a global campaign, I’m happy to help.
Keith, your fear should be that not all participants are giving you honest answers.
Only honest (believable) results are meaningful.
See my other comments on the forum
The poll and surveys are now closed, but this discussion about the need to improve uric acid testing remains.
I have suspended the campaign to improve uric acid testing for gout patients. If anyone with good campaign experience, or the time to learn, wishes to take up the campaign, or start a similar one, I am happy to provide a website, or other on-line resources to help with that campaign.
Keith i have been taking allopurinal and colchicine since june 2011. My starting uric acid level was 8.3. I have had 2 blood tests for uric acid levels. One in august it was 5.2 then one recently in september it was 5.4.It is the end of september I am still having muscle pain and slight joint pain. Am i at a low enough level to dissovle the crystals? Is the discomfort normal/ How long will it last? It seems to float around knee one several days later muscles next week toe.
Hi Dan,
Whilst 5.2-5.4 is low enough to dissolve crystals, it is better to get down to 5. Levels fluctuate, and 5 gives you a better safety margin to ensure you never get new crystals forming. Personally, I have opted for a few months around 3 to speed the rate which old crystals dissolve, using 900mg allopurinol per day. I have finally found a supportive doctor, and after a 4 month adjustment period monitoring dose increases every 4 weeks, I am now on an 8 week review cycle.
How long will it last? Short answer is 12-18 months, but besides reducing this time by increasing allopurinol dose, the time to dissolve uric acid crystals depends on the duration of gout.
Thanks for allowing me to post. I was diagnosed with gout February of 2011. It was not a very pleasant experience. Pain to the max never had or felt before. After consulting with my doctor and reading a few comments on this site, I decided to tackle my problem immediately by purchasing a uric acid tester from EUROPE and balancing my ph . I was diagnosed at the start with a reading of 9.2. My average reading now hovers between 3.2 to 4.7. Yes I am taking 300mg of allopurinol daily also. I do take celery seed, tart cherry capsules as supplements. So far so good and I’m sticking to this routine as no more attacks since April 2011 since I lowered my uric acid.
That’s a perfect outcome, Art. I’m pleased for you.
It’s nice to see positive experiences, and I hope you will encourage less fortunate gout sufferers to follow your example. A uric acid blood test is certainly the first step to gout freedom.
Thanks again for your site. It is what motivated me to pursue every way possible to handle my gout situation. From the food listing the acidic and alkaline levels to your balancing of what you eat made perfect sense to me. I now eat what and when to eat anything, of course with moderation. Cherry juice did not work for me even tho fresh cherries and frozen cherries did. Thank You