I think I got the gout :/

I was warned...turned 40 last year. My Mom, Dad, and older brother have all dealt with it.

I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like my big toe was broken, and hardly slept the rest of the night. 

Any suggestions? Do any of the snake-oil supplements help? 

I know someone here who deals with it. Hopefully he sees this thread and responds. I don't really know anything about personally.

I used to get it a lot. When you first get a feeling that it is coming on, take naproxen sodium (the big, full, first dose) and cut back on the greasy, cheesy pizza and beer, and red meat.

Go look up the gout tech thread over on corner carvers. I have suffered with it for years. It is a bitch. See a doc get the meds and live a normal gout free life. 

Link to thread

http://www.corner-carvers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33915&highlight=Gout

Oh are you over weight?  And I mean by say 30-40 lbs?  Gout can be nature’s way of saying lay off the bon-bons. 

In reply to dean1484 :

Cool. Thanks. Maybe slightly overweight? I’m 6’ tall 200lbs.

I definitely don’t drink enough water. Chugging now.

I haven’t had any of the common “trigger” foods recently, so I’m thinking dehydration is likely the culprit.

So.. I figured out I needed meds for this back in December or so..   Look for my "Man up" thread.  It's a pain..   But the meds are slowly winning.  I realized I've been fighting it for over 10 years without being diagnosed.  Everyones triggers are completely different and they change as you get older.

The big ones are:

1: limit all forms of alcohol

2: reduce weight

3: reduce intake of animal proteins

4: get meds

It's bad, but the pain is worse..  Mine had gotten to the point where my knee locked up for 2 months.. the pain was incredible.  don't be like me.

I've had it for years.  I take Allopurinol and that controls it.  I was pissed off when I got diagnosed and my Doc handed me the sheet of "no go" foods.  I read it and thought, I don't eat that stuff now, why do I have gout?!  Micro-brew in particular sets mine off.  I can drink as much macro-brew as I want tho...

Brown orthopedic shoes. Maybe switch gigs to a elementary school lunch counter.

Appleseed said:

Brown orthopedic shoes. Maybe switch gigs to a elementary school lunch counter.

the shoes are a good suggestion, but the OP isn't allowed within 1000 ft of an elementary school.

AngryCorvair said:

Appleseed said:

Brown orthopedic shoes. Maybe switch gigs to a elementary school lunch counter.

the shoes are a good suggestion, but the OP isn't allowed within 1000 ft of an elementary school.

...OR the shoe store. Don’t ask.

Welcome to the club that we all don't want to be a member off.

First, get a blood test done and make sure that the gout indicators are actually there (like elevated uric acid levels and all that jazz). Then get some real meds to knock down the attack, not the snake oil stuff.

There is a lot of snake oil out there, and I'd avoid it. The big ones are trying to reduce the amount of foods you're not really supposed to eat (most fish/shell fish, red meat, sweet stuff, some other stuff high in purine), add more fiber and drink a lot (water/tea, not sugary soda or beer - wine is less bad for you, beer is supposed to be really bad).

I'm currently trying to knock down my uric acid levels a lot closer to normal with some success as the alternative is essentially to take meds for controlling uric acid and with those you're supposedly stuck with them more or less for life.

Don't mess around with this condition. Get a diagnosis and go on medication if it's indicated. Gout can cause permanent joint damage . I have had gout for many years and it took a long time to be diagnosed. I am lucky to walk as well as I do, but there are times when using the clutch or brake is painful. 

Try Omega 3 supplements or fish oil with at least 400mg of EPA and 250mg of DHA or higher. Also works for some types of arthritis. Also to pre-answer the question, yes fish causes gout, fish oil does not.

When you get gout,there is no think about it.  It will let you know.

I don't know if my gluten free diet is the reason that I have not had an attack in years. 

Diet, hydration and weight all play a role.  Certain medications can make you more likely to have an attack, diuretics for example.  Tart cherry juice can help in an acute attack.

Diet limitations in gout

In addition to your medicine, you can help yourself avoid future attacks of gout by sticking as closely as possible to the following diet guide-lines. 

1. Eliminate the following foods from your diet. You won't find it hard to do and it's important!

Liver            Gravies
Sweetbreads        Mussels
Brains            Wine        
Fish roes        Anchovies        
Beer            Meat extracts,consomme
Kidney         Heart
Sardines         Herring

2.Cut down on these foods. No More than one serving a day!

Meats            Spinach
Peas            Whole grain cereals
Cauliflower        Fowl
Lentils            Fish (except as noted above)
Yeast            Other sea foods
Beans
Asparagus
Mushrooms

3. Eat all you want of the following foods. 

Vegetables (except as noted above)
Fruits
Milk
Cheese
Eggs
Spices and Condiments, Including salt and vinegar
Refined Cereals and cereal products
Butter and fats (in moderation)
Sugars and sweets
Vegetable soups (Clear)
Nuts 

Some say magnesium can help.  Have you had magnesium levels checked during a blood test?  If you need it, use one that is absorbed through the skin.   The oral stuff can wreak havoc on the digestive system.  I use Mg12.  

Toebra said

Liver            Gravies
Sweetbreads        Mussels
Brains            Wine        
Fish roes        Anchovies        
Beer            Meat extracts,consomme
Kidney         Heart
Sardines         Herring

What, no thymus, pancrease, heart, kidney, brains or liver?  ZOMG, are you trying to kill us?  I mean, what's left?  The thyroid gland? 

I have had it for a couple of years. I got serious prescription drugs for all out attacks, but find cherries and cherry juice make the meds only a once in a while thing. Of course, cherry juice gives me the runs, but it beats being crippled. Hang in there.

wheelsmithy said:

I have had it for a couple of years. I got serious prescription drugs for all out attacks, but find cherries and cherry juice make the meds only a once in a while thing. Of course, cherry juice gives me the runs, but it beats being crippled. Hang in there.

 

My dad swears by tart cherry juice (he says it has to be the tart kind) and hasn’t had a flare up for years. 

And leeches...

Thanks, all. I took it easy yesterday and drank a metric berkeleyton of water. I’m back on my feet & workin today. Not too bad as long as I don’t put pressure on the big toe. Driving in sucked.

Two things I noticed:

My toe was a magnet for chair legs, kids’ feet, etc. yesterday. 

Also, with shellfish and “organ meat” being a no-no, I suddenly got a hankerin for bacon-wrapped chicken livers and fried shrimp heads :/

In reply to ShawnG :

I've seen leeches used in a hospital.  Kinda interesting. What's old is new again.

In reply to Dr. Hess :

Used for removing excess blood when reattaching fingers from what I understand.