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i just had my second major attack of gout. the first was in my big toe joint in november this one was in my ankle. has anyone gone for a long time without attacks? i'm 41 and 6'1 190 lbs. i surf and stay pretty active. i'm freakin out.. can you lead a active life with this. my doctor said i was borderline uric acid level. should i try to start lowering my uric acid levels with medication. i'm lost..
Hi aaron,
I got my first gout attack 11 years back and was gout free for 10 years after that attack. I led total normal life and have acutally even forgotten about gout, until I fractured my toe a year back, which triggered another gout attack.
I was able to live gout free for 10 years without any medication. So, my guess, you can live normal life though it is very subjective and can vary from person to person.
Uric acid reduction is very critical part of gout management and makes a lot of sense to reduce SUA under control. Borderline high is too high for those who suffer from gout.
The SUA control can be brought in by SUA reducing medicines like Allopurinol and proper diet control. You can start with diet control and if that fails, jump onto the wagon of medications. Other approach could be to start with medication and also try to do diet control at the same time. After you have adjusted to diet control, you can reduce the medication and rely more on diet if that would work for you.
aaron,
When it is time to start the meds, YOU'LL KNOW.
A minot attack once a year can probably be ignored or treated with diet. Two or three might be cause for concern. If to one of these scenarios is added the annual attack that is totally crippling, incredibly painful, and goes on for weeks then you KNOW it's time.
If you have been able to walk in the two attacks you've had, I'd watch and wait a bit longer.
What was your last uric acid reading?
i really don't remember the actual number, the doctor said i had been borderline for years but all my other tests looked good. i'm in the process of making another appointment to get the numbers and try to pay attention to exactly whats going on. i'm already watching my diet, this scared the heck out of me.
aaron,
it's good you're getting on top of this now! Stay with it – or you'll end up like me! It took 14 years for me to receive a positive diagnosis regarding my gout. There were many reasons for this that would take way too long to explain. Right now, I'm tyring my best to treat my gout so that I can eventually begin leading an active lifestyle again.
A short anecdote regarding surfing. When I lived in Japan, my gout was getting severe. I still surfed whenever I could, often through excruciating pain. The cold salt water did seem to help the pain quite a bit while sitting on the board, but when popping up, I'd just have to grit my teeth and ignore the pain in my big toes. Now, I used to never have a problem dragging my toes when popping up. However, as my gout became worse and the state of big toe joints deteriorated, I did start to drag my back foot when getting up. It was just too painful to pop and directly plant, so I kind of had to ease my way up and dragging my foot helped. After a few months of this, I started getting a nice crater in the top of my right big toe (I surf regular foot). It was from constantly dragging my big toe across the top of the board and from all of the small rocks and sand stuck in the wax. I started taping and bandaging the hole up, but I'm sure as you know, the tape didn't last long while out in the water. Anyway, I still have a nice scar where that hole was, approximately 1/2 the circumfrence of a dime.
I'm keeping a blog of my effort to get back on the slopes, out in the water and on my bike. I'm in too bad of shape right now, from gout, to do much beyond sitting on the couch. Hopefully I'll be able to regain somewhat of my old ways again soon. Just keep on top of your emerging gout and hopefully you will never have to go through what I, and many others on this site, have.
Aaron- you have the right advice here on the broad management to gout.
Getting 'wised up' on your SUA test levels or even getting a meter to self test is helpful and gives you feedback on your chosen approach. It's not painfull- just a pinprick, but not cheap.
One thing NEVER to forget, and it gets harder with increasing age, is keeping hydrated.
When you're sick of drinking water you probably could do with more.. nearly everyone struggles on this, I reckon- but it is a absolutely necessary part of gout prevention.
Don't go mad, though- and overdo it. An 'extra to normal' litre a day will help, even.
Diuretic meds are quoted as contributing to gout for their very aim of ridding the body [inc.blood] of fluid volume. They triggered my episodes , I'm sure.
thanks for all the info…. i' m still sore after almost three weeks. lots of good (and confusing) issues.
Well Aaron- don't stay confused on here. If we can't help right away someone will start digging and a surprise comment may pop up weeks later, that is helpful.
Keep a flagged watch [see box below post screen,when logged in] on your own thread like this one- and a prompt will get notified later.
Meanwhile, whatever the lack of accurate or professional data- it still helps to share when the pain gets you down.
We've all been 'in the pits' over this cruel illness.
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