Gout, have you had it ? where ?

[flossy]

   OH is laid up with a ''  sprained ankle ''  , he has had it before in big toes  -- definitely Gout,

    as he had medication for it  --  long time , care of cups of tea and ' embrecation '  ,

    This time , he has insisted that ' this is not GOUT '  --   he didn't ' twist ' it. 'turn it '  or

     fall over !            I have just heard him hop skip and jump into the kitchen for his tot

     of sun down whisky .     now , he has had a triple bypass and a tot or two  keeps thing

     energised ! -- fact,     

     Do sympathise, but can you get Gout in an ankle joint ?    I think so !!

     He won't have it !     

     floss xxx

   

[saddad]

Theoretically the crystals can form in any joint... but they tend to go for the toes as the blood flow is more sluggish there... 

[shirlton]

When we go all inclusive my Tone always gets gout in his big toe  joint. We put it down to eating a lot more meat and of course the alcohol (but we don't mention that) Tomatoes are supposed to bring it on but I am not an expert.Tone takes endomyacin when he gets it. Don't know if I've spelt it right

[flossy]

  Thanks shirlton,  gonna scour the streets for it !

   What I thought saddad, but perapse it got there quicker this time ? ! 

   Those in need , are friends indeed !

   floss xxx

[valmarg]

Memory, from when I was a medical secretary, is that gout is a result of a surplus of uric acid in the blood, and it can affect any joint.

Sorry flossy, but he needs to see his GP and get tested and treatment, if only to be 'on the safe side'.

Drag him down there.

valmarg

[lewic]

Suggest taking him to a nutritional therapist. Dont know where you live, but these places should be able to point you in the right direction

http://www.ion.ac.uk/  Institute of Optimum Nutrition

http://www.bant.org.uk - British Association Nutritional Therapists

Gout is associated with acidity in the body http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gout and nutritional therapy would aim to alkalise the system generally, not just through avoiding alcohol. Traditional Chinese Medicine may also help - a macrobiotic diet would probably be ideal. http://www.atcm.co.uk/


 

[hopalong]

Valmarg is right.  You must get tested for build up of uric acid, which crystalizes in the joints - usually the extremities (toes and fingers) but maybe ankles too, although I've never heard of that.

If you've got gout, as I have, you'll certainly know about it.  It's agony.  Even a light breeze or the touch of a bedsheet on the affected area can have you crying with pain.  If you've got it, you've got it for life. However, there is medication that control it.  I take a pill called allopurinol, prescribed by my GP, every day and this keeps it well under control.  I can eat and drink what I like but I try to avoid shellfish - especially mussels - and an excess of red meat.

I first discovered I'd got it after running the London Marathon.  I thought I'd stubbed my toes running, but it just got worse and worse until I could barely walk.  It certainly wasn't because I had been drinking too much port and eating too much venison!

[flossy]

  Lewie, thanks so much, it is a bit of a battle as OH has an answer for everything !  Thank you for your advice

  - will look into it  ,   Stuborn he is !

   Valma,  thank you   ...   Offered a firemans lift so he could have his ciggy - ''wild child '' !

   It's Friday so will have to wait 'till Monday ... don't know if we will both survive the weekend !

    Tired,

     floss xxx

  

[rosebud]

Flossy, get him to see a GP, my husband gets it from time to time & he has medication which works well. All the best.

[flossy]

   Thanks rosebud,   bribery and corruption usually works to get him to the docs'

   floss xxx

[telboy]

Floss,
I had my first 'attack' this January. Although never before affected, I suspected what it was.
Hobbled to the docs. & it was confirmed. I asked if I would be on lifetime medication & the reply was 'nah, not until after 6 attacks'.
I don't want another but googling diet shows that just about everything affects the potential.
I understand mussels etc. should be minimised but mushrooms/beer/redmeat?
Should I book myself into a Cave for the rest of my life? Not bl**dy likely!

[hopalong]

See my earlier posting. There are lots of myths about gout. 20 years of suffering has caused me to look into this quite thoroughly!

Controlling your diet can certainly help, but if you are prone to acute attacks it really does make sense to see your GP, get a blood test and if appropriate get prescribed for allopurinol.  A pill a day and you can eat and drink what you like in moderation. These drugs are remarkably safe.

You need to avoid extremes - e.g. starvation diets, high protein diets or sudden bouts of vigorous exercise.

Purine rich foods that can aggravate gout include game, sweetbreads, kidneys and shellfish, especially when combined with alcohol.

Foods that are supposed to be good for gout sufferers are said to include sour dairy products (yoghurt, cottage cheese, sour cream), honey, cherries, strawberries, sweet potatoes,  bananas, brown rice, fresh almonds, baked potatoes, asparagus and sweetcorn. There is evidence that cherries are certainly good for gout sufferers. Tumeric is a strong anti-inflammatory.

There is a clear and useful explanation on the Arthritis Research Campaign website.  Here's the link:
http://www.arc.org.uk/arthinfo/patpubs/6015/6015.asp

[Paulines7]

I used to get gout in my middle toes but it has stayed away since I have been on Allopurinal.

My son gets it in his knee.  He plays a pedal steel guitar in a band and they were due to play live on Radio Solent when he had an attack.  There was no way he could play his instrument with his gout as he needed to use his knees.  In the end the radio station interviewed him about it and then played their CD.

I am sorry your OH has gout Flossy but agree with Valmarg that he should see his GP who will test his uric acid levels.

[flossy]

  telboy,  sorry you have been afflicted too  --  apparently very painful,

  OH goes pale when ever I pass by his foot stool  !    wondering what the doc will say Monday,

  he takes five pills a day now so they will have to be compatable if he prescribes him anything.

  Thanks hopolong, valuable info there,   I think OH can avoid 2 out of 3 of the extremes needed to

  be avoided  --  he does like his protien ,       [ honestly, I do feel sorry for him ]     

   omg, 20 yrs,  poor you  --  hope you keep painfree now.

  Paulines7,  hoping your son has had no trouble since  --  and you too, thanks so much for your help,

  Think it has sunk in now that it's not a sprained ankle !   actualy his foot is quit hot and swollen now

  so will see if there's a Saturday clinic anywhere this morning.

  floss xxx

 

[telboy]

Thanks Floss, & thanks for the info hopalong - all good stuff.
Apparently 1 in 4 males suffer at some time.
Us poor b***ers can't win.
 

[hopalong]

Thanks Floss, & thanks for the info hopalong - all good stuff.
Apparently 1 in 4 males suffer at some time.
Us poor b***ers can't win.
 

Women don't seem to suffer anything like as often.  Not fair!

[Hyacinth]

Women don't seem to suffer anything like as often.  Not fair!

True! BUT....we wimmen bear the child youz men 'give' us (quote from my mother here ) and tho you've gotta pain in the toe, whatever,  which can be ameliorated by taking a pill, we've gotta pain in the neck,  potentially,  forever   And you know what? We keep on smilin'

Seriously, thank so much for the concise info you've posted

[hopalong]

Women don't seem to suffer anything like as often.  Not fair!

True! BUT....we wimmen bear the child youz men 'give' us (quote from my mother here ) and tho you've gotta pain in the toe, whatever,  which can be ameliorated by taking a pill, we've gotta pain in the neck,  potentially,  forever   And you know what? We keep on smilin'

Seriously, thank so much for the concise info you've posted

 

[Busby]

I suffered from gout, mainly in the big toe, knee and ankle for ten years. Terribly painful and made me lose time off work. Naturally I then took medicaments (but not constantly because of the undoubted but unknown effects) and assumed everything was OK. However the day came when I realized that the sensible thing would be to find a cure and so I did a lot of investigating.

Here's my tips: only one beer per day; keep alcohol intake down; avoid bought fruit juices (fructose); only one coffee per day; no pork; little meat; no smoked ham; no goose,duck, or crab; avoid all smoked foodstuffs; no tripe; no chicken skin; no fish skin; only a half portion of beans (without juice) and peas; no grapefruit; no concentrated meat sauces; no liver; no lentils; no bouillons; no mushrooms; an apple a day; plenty of berries; plenty of greens and potatoes; no aspirin; lose weight; don't go on a strict diet. 
Don't drink or eat anything between say 8pm and 8 am - allow the body time to cleanse itself. After breakfast don't eat anything or drink anything except water until lunch time.

It works - a further ten years have gone and I've been free of gout.

I love tomatoes, have at least 25 plants in the garden in summer and have never noticed that they do me any harm.

By the way, a cold can lead to an attack if the cold reduces the efficiency of the kidneys.

[flossy]

  Hi Busby,  thanks so much for all your help  --   have to admire your self discipline, I take

  my hat off to you.   

  Did you really miss some of the foods and did it take long to adjust to a new your way of life ?

  I wouldn't miss some a lot of what you have listed, but  liver and mushrooms  oooh dear   

  Glad that you are gout free and hope it stays that way,

  floss xxx