gout

[blacktail]

Ouch! I recently learned I have it. I always thought the mild discomfort I've had off and on in the ball of my right foot was just some kind of sprain or maybe an old undiagnosed sports injury getting aggravated. It never slowed me down until friday when it ballooned up so bad I could barely get a shoe on. Looking around online and talking to a few people made me suspect it may be gout. When a doctor looked at it saturday he confirmed it.
There's A TON of conflicting information online about this. Even seemingly reputable sources have contradicting info on diet. Red meat and beer are two of the few things all agree on. I've had a lot of both in my diet so hopefully reducing my venison intake and eliminating beer will keep me from having this again in the future.
Anyone have any success with some of the home remedies? I tried apple cider vinegar last night and I think it made it worse despite many people claiming that it solves the problem.

 

[bubbasdad]

I might have that. My brother does. No beer.... very disturbing.

 

[Jack Straw]

I was under the impression that it was caused by eating processed meat, aka deli meat and in general a poor diet. I do know it's caused by a build up of uriatic acid in your foot.

 

[granpajohn]

Any alcohol, I think. I don't recall anything about red meat though.
It's supposed to start in the big toe most cases.
Friend/coworker of mine had a pretty bad case. Was a significant hardship for him. He didn't drive so had to walk a fair bit. On bad days it would get up into his elbow too. He had some medication that helps, but it conflicted with his BP meds, and he was overweight too. Way over; and smoked too. When nothing else worked, strong painkillers did the trick.

Lived a hard life for a while there. He died of a stroke in his early 40s. We were all pretty sad. I mention his name in prayer every week.

Sorry to bring that up; but don't get heavy, and if you smoke; quit. Please.

 

[BrotherBart]

I only know of two drinks Dad had in his 84 years and he had bad gout as far back as I can remember.

 

[Gary_602z]

I only know of two drinks Dad had in his 84 years and he had bad gout as far back as I can remember.

That would be a interesting story to hear! A Baptist preacher(I think?) and and the devils potion!

Gary

 

[BrotherBart]

That would be a interesting story to hear! A Baptist preacher(I think?) and and the devils potion!

Gary

One beer with me one day and a glass of champagne at our wedding reception.

 

[Hearth Mistress]

Are you diabetic? Do you get kidney stones? Did you dr run blood work, i.e. uric acid serum, or have concerns about your kidney functions?

As I'm sure you know, gout is caused by high uric acid levels in you blood that crystalize and settle in the joints, usually your feet but can be any joint. Not that you have to be diabetic but it can be an underlying symptom of a kidney disorder since your kidneys remove uric acid from your blood.

Gout also usually follows a pattern triggered 1- by fasting, extreme vigorous exercise or crash dieting 2-underlying kidney disease 3-recent increase of foods high in purines (oatmeal, sardines, cauliflower, mushrooms, most beans/lentils to name a few)

Google high purine foods, avoid those during flare ups because as soon as you eat them, they metabolize into uric acid, and you don't need to purposely add more to your system.

Sorry but alcohol WILL make it worse.

Ask your doctor about benzoic acid, a natural remedy we used for years to treat my grandfather's gout flare ups. He would rather just take the medicine than give up his steak and beer

Good luck!

 

[mrjohneel]

Blacktail, I have gout and have had it for a few years. Flare ups can be extraordinarily painful and once they hit, they can last for weeks. The triggers for it vary by the person, but for me it is beer. Other things high in purines don't bother me. I'm in good shape, work out regularly and eat right but my kidneys just produce excess uric acid. So here's my advice: f home cures, whether they consist of cherry juice or any other such concoction. We live in an advanced medical society; take advantage of it. Ask your doctor about alopurinol, a relatively inexpensive daily medicine. Take it and if you do get a flare up (because after all, sometimes I may drink too much beer) I take a heavy duty anti-inflamatory like suldinac to knock the attack back before it takes hold. Good luck, good health.

 

[blacktail]

If I had to guess what brought this on, I'd say it's from a high protein diet and beer. I'm not overweight and have never had health problems. But, I have been adding muscle mass in the last 10 months or so. I've greatly reduced the protein in my diet this week and completely cut beer out.
The doctor said it's best to do blood work and check uric acid when I'm NOT having a flareup. From my symptoms he's 99% sure it's gout.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

I use to get gout in my big toes in the summertime when I would work in the hot sun all day. It started in one toe and, like you, I at first thought I had sprained my toe somehow, but didn't remember injuring it. Then it spread to the big toe on the other foot and I realized it wasn't caused by an injury. I can't remember how I put it together, but somehow I came to the realization that it was gout. For me it was simply a mater of letting myself get dehydrated. In those days I use to go all day without drinking water. The cure was to start drinking large quantities of water. I started filling up a 2 liter bottle of water, taking it with me to work and making sure I drank it all before I came home from work. When I started doing that the gout went away and never came back. I still, to this day, always take a minimum of 2 liters of water with me to work every day.

How much water do you drink in a day?

 

[Eatonpcat]

No Beer??? Shoot me now!!

 

[blacktail]

Maybe I don't drink as much water as I should this time of year. During spring, summer, and fall, I probably drink a gallon a day. I think I drink more beer this time of year too, which makes things worse.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Isn't gout a form of arthritis? And old Aurthur can rear his ugly head sometimes practically overnight and is not your friend.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

The way I understand it, gout is caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood. The uric acid crystallizes, and tend to deposit in lower joints, and tendons, mostly the feet. Drinking lots of water helps to flush excess uric acid out of the body.
There may be other underlying factors involved for some people, but in my case all I needed was to drink more water. I've never drank much beer, so I can't say how that might play into it.

 

[Defiant]

No Beer??? Shoot me now!!

Okay (broken image removed)