[fatdom]

I'll be honest I never even considered weight loss to be a contributory factor….makes perfect sense now though.  I can cope with the pain as long as I know there will be light at the end of the tunnel, however lately I have been assuming it will never get better as over 4 months did seem (to me anyway) a long time for crystal deposition breakdown to be causing flare-ups.  However now I understand that other variables such as weight loss could be playing a role it helps me focus.  

I'll get regular blood test (will also probably get a reader myself) over the next couple of months to check I am headed in the right direction and keep up with the allopurinol.  Also do many people regularly take >300mg doses?  Is this something I should discuss with my GP during discussion of the blood test results.

Thanks all for your advice, helps a lot.

Dominic.

[fatdom]

Hello All,

thanks for the replies and words of encouragement.  Regarding the questions that arose:

UA numbers I am getting tested on Thursday, plan is to wait a month again and then get another. It's not really my GPs fault about the lack of a test, he did attempt to organise them but I travel regularly with work and didn't persevere with getting them organised.

Regarding the weight; “fatdom” is now historical; I've lost ~3 stone, since I gave up/cut down the ale, to a fairly healthy 12.5 stone for a 5'11″ male.  I also have a very good diet and excellent fluid intake.  I have got myself fit (joint dependent though).  It just seems that since I embarked on this lifestyle change I have found myself in more and more pain as well as managing to get myself into a mildly depressed state but also a very anxious state.  I'm not an anxious person, never have been and have also always been quite the opposite of depressed.  I do think there is a correlation with the Indomethacin and the depression (I don't know about allopurinol side effects but probably it would be secondary because of the increased pain I associate with it).  With the Indomethacin I suffer from virtually all of the CNS side effects that can occur when I take them; one of these is also depression.  I was taking the Indo alot during my early allopurinol regime and became more and more depressed/anxious.  Also, post christmas I decided to have some more Indo as I indulged as was having more twinges – my anxiety/depression immediately increased for 10 days until I stopped the Indo.  Next day I was much better mentally.  The only problem is is that the Naproxen doesn't seem to touch it; in fact I feel in more pain than I did yesterday after taking two doses (the Indo would already be working it's magic by now!).

My plan is to keep on the Allopurinol and see how my numbers are over a Month (or would a two week period be better?).  I guess I will just have to live with the pain , I will try the BBB though.  Also I am convinced that I have gout in one of my vertebrae as the pain in it mirrors that in my right toe and right knee which are all my worst affected joints.  If the pain in these dies down then so does the vertebrae pain; also likewise for an increase in pain.  I have had an x-ray and there were no issues; GP doesn't seem to think Gout can occur in the back; however I have read a paper on this very subject.  I just wondered what the general consensus on here was regarding back pain and gout?

Once again thanks for all of your support,

Regards

Dominic.

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