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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Arthritis / August 2006Is This Normal With a Gout Attack?
I have been dealing with my first gout attack since last Tuesday, and there are no signs of improvement. Although I have not been officially diagnosed through testing, my doctor was certain that it was gout, and I have all the classic signs. The frustrating thing is my foot seems to be improving one part of the day, then starts swelling up bad again. Some times, I can walk almost pain free, then other times, I can barely put pressure on it. I've been taking a lot of Advil, rest, hot baths, and started on cherries and cherry drink tonite. It swelled up again, and is back to being red and shiny on the big toe joint. Is it normal to have this up and down effect with an attack, or should I be progressively getting better? >I have been dealing with my first gout attack since last Tuesday, and > there are no signs of improvement. Although I have not been officially [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > and down effect with an attack, or should I be progressively getting > better? Diet has a great deal with controlling Gout and you get that from the same doctor that is going to give you a prescription to control your gout. Harv > I have been dealing with my first gout attack since last Tuesday, and > there are no signs of improvement. Although I have not been officially [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > and down effect with an attack, or should I be progressively getting > better? This is not normal with gout if you have a doctor that is properly treating you. You should be on a powerful anti-inflammatory for ten days, off the foot with it raised for two or three days to take care of the current attack. If your uric acid is high, you should be put on medication to control it and also learn what foods to avoid. I've been living with gout for 35 years with little problem except when caused by eating liver or by trauma to the foot. Regards Lee Hi Lee, I was given some prescriptions for anti-inflammatory. I haven't filled it yet because I read that the condition will go away on its own without treatment. However, it's been over a week now with absolutely no signs of improvement. Are you saying that anytime I walk, I am making the condition worse? I don't want to miss work because of this, but if it is the only way to fix the problem, I will. > > I have been dealing with my first gout attack since last Tuesday, and > > there are no signs of improvement. Although I have not been officially [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Regards > Lee > Hi Lee, > > I was given some prescriptions for anti-inflammatory. I haven't filled > it yet because I read that the condition will go away on its own > without treatment. The SYMPTOM will go away but the condition will never go away without treatment. However, it's been over a week now with absolutely > no signs of improvement. Are you saying that anytime I walk, I am > making the condition worse? I don't want to miss work because of this, > but if it is the only way to fix the problem, I will. You have uric acid, a thick liquid built up in your toe joint. Left alone, it will crystallize into what looks like chunks of rock salt. It will erode your toe/foot joints by abrasion, destroying first the cartilage and then the bone. The prescription you were given will reduce the inflammation and the swelling, and keeping the foot up will allow the body to flush out the uric acid. Progressive attacks will usually be less painful, but will be doing more damage, so this is not something to ignore. Destruction of the toe joints can result in amputation of the toe and/or the front of the foot! Once your current attack is over, your doctor should test your uric acid level (a simple blood test) and you should go on preventative meds. Gout is caused by either the body over manufacturing uric acid or the kidneys under excreting it. Drink lots of water! BTW, uric acid is normal in the body and is caused by building new cells. Preventative meds are of two types to cover the two conditions that I mentioned. Only way to see what your problem is with trial and error of the two classes of meds. Gout is NOT to be taken lightly! Learn about it because you will have it the rest of your life. Hint on foods; don't let the diet mongers scare you too much. With meds, you can eat just about anything except foods very high in purine. I stay away from liver, heart, but eat shellfish on occasion. And be prepared for the idiots that will say you are eating too much rich foods (you will even hear this from some of the older doctors as well). Gout is mainly found in societies who historically have been large consumers of red meat. Have a look at: > http://www.arthritis.ca/types%20of%20arthritis/gout/default.asp?s=1 Regards Lee in Toronto Thanks for the good advice. Unfortunately, my gout seems to be spreading as now both of my ankles get stiff, ache and burn. Should I see a regular physician, or would a podiatrist be more beneficial? > > Hi Lee, > > [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > Regards > Lee in Toronto > Thanks for the good advice. Unfortunately, my gout seems to be > spreading as now both of my ankles get stiff, ache and burn. > > Should I see a regular physician, or would a podiatrist be more > beneficial? Any good GP should be able to help you with gout. Also, time is of the essence as it will take a bunch of it to get to a specialist. A podiatrist is the last doctor you should see for this. Regards Lee > Thanks for the good advice. Unfortunately, my gout seems to be > spreading as now both of my ankles get stiff, ache and burn. > > Should I see a regular physician, or would a podiatrist be more > beneficial? See a Rheumatologist.... an arthritis doctor. Harv > Thanks for the good advice. Unfortunately, my gout seems to be > spreading as now both of my ankles get stiff, ache and burn. > > Should I see a regular physician, or would a podiatrist be more > beneficial? A podiatrist is a foot doctor. You have one of the 100+ forms of arthritis. You should see a rheumatologist (RD or rheumy) - a specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis. Until you can make an appointment with with the RD, your current regular doctor would be better than a podiatirst. ... Chocolate: The next best thing to.....(well, you know.) Could you possible be suffering psuedogout....and if you are...then your diet will not help at all...The test for that is to drain the fluid from your joint and have it tested. It will show calcium crystals in your joint instead of uric acid... But the meds are the same..Cochlicine I believe is the name...psuedogout is just as painful, but seems to hit your larger joints...like ankles and knees...The doctor drains the fluid from my joints and injects them with steroids...The magic shot....this reallly helps... Hope that you feel better soon. Hugs Cindy So maybe you can see a rhuematologist and have them run the test...I know without money or insurance...that is hard... > Thanks for the good advice. Unfortunately, my gout seems to be > spreading as now both of my ankles get stiff, ache and burn. [quoted text clipped - 55 lines] > > Regards > > Lee in Toronto > I have been dealing with my first gout attack since last Tuesday, and > there are no signs of improvement. Although I have not been officially > diagnosed through testing, my doctor was certain that it was gout, and > I have all the classic signs. Has that doctor run through the blood tests to detect the level of uric acid in your system? > Is it normal to have this up and down effect with an attack, or should I be progressively > getting better? Many (most) with gout experience up and down effects until it's properly diagnosed and the patient is on a correct diet. Have you scanned past posts in this group re: gout? Have you visited the Arthritis Foundation's site for clues/hints? ... Chocolate: The other major food group. > > I have been dealing with my first gout attack since last Tuesday, and > > there are no signs of improvement. Although I have not been officially [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Has that doctor run through the blood tests to detect the level of > uric acid in your system? No not yet. My health insurance doesn't kick in until Aug. 15 so I am trying to wait till then, but this pain has been extremely miserable. > > Is it normal to have this up and down effect with an attack, or should I be progressively > getting better? > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Have you scanned past posts in this group re: gout? Have you visited > the Arthritis Foundation's site for clues/hints? I've read several posts and websites, and I really don't see any consistent information. Some sites state that diet has little effect on the disease. I just tried a new tactic of bending the joint back and forth to break up the crystals. Probably a bad idea. > ... Chocolate: The other major food group. |
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