View Full Version : What the gout, is there a doctor in the house?
Yesterday I was fine. Last night my ankle was a little sore, something I thought a couple Ibuprofen would take care of. Today I can barely walk! :mad::mad::mad::mad:
I didn't do anything to my left ankle that I can remember, no twists or falls but it's extremely sensitive and wont hold any weight. I have shopping to do, chilis to make, Rucks to go to and trails to hike!
Suggestions... What the gout?
Lone Wolf
01-10-2007, 10:28
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gout
Been reading it. I can't think of anything else it could be.
Gout is the body attempting to tell you that you are messing up. It feels like someone injected glass into a joint on your body. The best thing is that there is a drug called Colchicine that fixes you right up. It's a dervative of some Crocus plant.
Gout is triggered by changes in diet, either bad or good. It hits me at Lent every year when I give up Coke and alcohol.
Lone Wolf
01-10-2007, 10:34
Too much alcohol, red meat and rich foods.
Too much alcohol, red meat and rich foods.
Not really, and not lately. I hope it gets somewhat better by tomorrow or I'm screwed. So are you, outta chili.... :p
Is Colchicine a OTC drug?
Is Colchicine a OTC drug?
no you need an Rx for it
My husband has gout for years and just dealt with the pain. Probably explains the reason that he just doesn't enjoy hiking or backpacking. It starts out with having one or two episodes a year. But if you ignore it, as did he, it becomes increasingly worse.
I suggest going to the doctor and getting a blood test that measures the uric acid in your system. The normal rate is 4.5. If that is significantly increased, you probably have gout. It is extremely painful and starts in your joints. It is the uric acid crystalizing in your joints, but if not cared for can also start crystalizing in your ligaments and kidneys. I read an article put out by the Mayo Clinic, stating that diet doesn't significantly improve the symptoms. A perscription drug by the name of allopurinol, which is reasonabl cheap if you don't have insurance. It is a life-time diease and it does tend to be hereditary. Here is the link:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gout/DS00090/DSECTION=1
Good luck to you.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
01-10-2007, 11:31
Sly, until you can get to a doc, try drinking 6 to 8 8 oz glasses of water a day with about 1/2 oz of lemon juice in each (a spoonful of sugar will make this medicine go down, but will also irritate the problem... use Splenda which is not absorbed by the body.) Slow down coffee and soda consumption. This helps the body get rid of the uric acid that causes gout.
Not clear from Sly's original post that gout is what he's got. Could be a torn tendon, for example. My dad walked for weeks with a torn Achilles tendon, until one day... he couldn't. After that, surgery, a cast for a couple of months, and eventually it was "all better." Not to say that's Sly's problem either. Sly, go see a doctor.
Not really, and not lately. I hope it gets somewhat better by tomorrow or I'm screwed. So are you, outta chili.... :p
I've had gout several times, first on the trail approaching Rainbow Springs. The emergency room doc in Franklin said it was a staff infection in my big toe, but identical symptoms since have been diagnosed as gout. There is a prescription painkiller that works almost immediately.
Aleve also works, but it takes eight or so pills immediately and then a lesser dose. I found the directions on the internet one weekend when I couldn't reach my doctor. I don't remember the details, but a google search on Aleve, gout might find them.
There are many causes both known and unknown. I certainly hadn't had much red meat and wine, either the first time or since. It does have something to do with uric acid building up in the joint.
Good luck.
Weary
Kevin A. Boyce
01-10-2007, 11:46
I was in the ER on my 26th birthday with a wicked bad case of gout... I had to crawl to my brother's car so he could drive me to the hospital where the smug triage nurse said, gout! I had been experiencing it off and on for years, never really thought much about it. The day after the ER visit in a followup my doc said, yep, it's gout... I had a series of tests done to prove this, lots of poking and prodding with sharp implements.
Yes it is diet related, and it is genetic as well...
You would be surprised what foods will cause it as well, including lots of different beans, and veggies, not just the tasty stuff like red meats and seafoods. Part of what causes gout is your bodies ability to handle and process the protein called purine, and ridding your body of uric acid...
That said, you should think about chatting with your doctor about it, have some test done to make sure it is not something else. Those with gout are also prone to things like kidney stones, something else that is not a walk in the park.
Personally, I watch my diet, drink plenty of water to keep the ol' system flushed and cleaned out, and if I start getting a gout attack, I start swigging slugs of black cherry juice concentrate... Something about the enzymes in the juice really do help, I am not a scientist and not sure what it does, but I know I can reduce the severity of an attack by drinking this and popping a few Vit-I's... Make sure you get the concentrate not just the juice, it can be found in most health food stores, it is in a smaller bottle, 8oz.
There are also some other herb teas and the like that some say help, I have tried a few combinations, and they did, I just like the black cherry myself better.
Just go see a doctor to make sure it is not something worse...
my dad has bouts of gout now and then... Dr's are $$, so we tried some "natural" remedies... We found that dried cherries (in the section with the other dried fruit) work great, just eat a handful a day. Also, dried cherry tablets from the health food store and also a cherry juice concentrate, also from the health food store. Not sure what it is about the cherries, but found a research study from the U of Mich that promoted it, so we tried it and it seemed to work for dad...
Kevin A. Boyce
01-10-2007, 11:54
D'oh.. I forgot to mention the Aleve... My father was prescribed a larger then OTC level Naproxen Sodium... or something along that line... Samething as Aleve, you just would need to take a few more. Vit I works good, but Aleve works better, but the downside is that Aleve can do a little more liver damage according to some reports, so I try to use it only as needed.
superman
01-10-2007, 12:00
I have a big bottle of colchicine. I haven't had it since I gave up sea food and beer. Good luck
I have a big bottle of colchicine. I haven't had it since I gave up sea food and beer. Good luck
You taking it? If not, I'll buy it!
my dad has bouts of gout now and then... Dr's are $$, so we tried some "natural" remedies... We found that dried cherries (in the section with the other dried fruit) work great, just eat a handful a day. Also, dried cherry tablets from the health food store and also a cherry juice concentrate, also from the health food store. Not sure what it is about the cherries, but found a research study from the U of Mich that promoted it, so we tried it and it seemed to work for dad...
Thanks. Yeah, that's what I like, natural remedies. Since my problem is in my ankle, I can barely hobble around. In a couple hours after the Ibuprofen wears off, I'll take a couple prescription strength naproxen and try to get to the store.
I don't know what is about these Rucks but I always seem to have a ailment come Ruck time.
On the cherries, make sure they are the ones from the dried fruit aisle! Do not use the ones (like marischinos) for cooking or drinks.
Sly, Sorry to be an alarmist, but you need to go to a doctor ASAP. My brother had a similar unexplained pain in his right foot. At first the MD told him to get some new workboots. Within 3 days his toes turned black and he had to have half of his foot amputated. Turns out that he had a blocked artery in his leg which prevented circulation to his foot. An MD can simply check and compare the pulse in your feet to rule this out.
Sly boi,
Go see a Doctor...maybe it's Achilles tendinitis or something else.
I have an air cast I can lend ya. When my achilles flared up I could walk one day and hobbled the next, IB was useless.
I found this thread so very interesting. I never knew about the medicinal uses of colchicine for gout. I always thought it was extremely poisonous.
We grow daylilies and have used colchicine to change diploids into tetraploids, a sort of mutation from the parent plant. Colchicine, which comes from the bulb of an Autumn Crocus, which we also grow, will double the number of chromosomes. Wonder what it does to the body....interesting stuff....
Master Gardener MrsG
the goat
01-10-2007, 13:08
When my achilles flared up I could walk one day and hobbled the next, IB was useless.
ditto on that, mine did too. i could run trails one day, and the next i would need to hold onto things just to walk.
get it checked out dude, 'cause ya never know.
If the gout wasn't bad enough, his thread is making me sick to my stomach!
Footslogger
01-10-2007, 13:49
If the gout wasn't bad enough, his thread is making me sick to my stomach!
==========================
Me too ...c'mon out Sly. I think all you need is some fresh air and some hikin !!
'Slogger
4eyedbuzzard
01-10-2007, 13:50
One thing's for sure, sitting at a computer getting advice from all us armchair physicians isn't going to make it better. Ya really oughta see a doctor. If you're in that much pain they'll usually see you right away.
One thing's for sure, sitting at a computer getting advice from all us armchair physicians isn't going to make it better. Ya really oughta see a doctor. If you're in that much pain they'll usually see you right away.
Yup, I called the clinic. I'll probably hobble down there this afternoon. Thanks.
If the gout wasn't bad enough, his thread is making me sick to my stomach!
Waddya want, dude.... comin' to White Blaze looking for medical advice? I'm sure it's worth every penny you paid for it. ;)
otterman
01-10-2007, 14:13
I had similar synptoms several years ago. The quack doctor misdiagnosed it as gout. It turned out to be cellulitis which is very serious. Heavy doses of antibiotics took care of it once it was poperly diagnosed by a good doctor. You really need to get to a doctor!
Hey, not for nothing.... I wondering. I fell asleep for awhile with my Tevas on. When I woke up I think that's when I oringally noticed the inflamation. And it does seem to be located on the top of my foot. :-?
4eyedbuzzard
01-10-2007, 14:37
One should be very careful in the choice of their sleeping partners.:rolleyes:
Dances with Mice
01-10-2007, 14:44
Do get diagnosed - many other things may have the same symptoms.
I'm a gout sufferer - and boy, is that ever the right word. Sometimes it feels like a steamroller ran over my foot. Getting dehydrated will trigger a gout attack.
Minor flair-ups I deal with by overdosing on water, hot soaks, and ibuprofen.
I also have dietary triggers. I had a real bad gout attack and went to the doc who checked my file and said "Funny, you were here last year on the first week of June with gout, too." Last week of May is when the English peas come in from the garden and we used to have feasts of bowls of fresh buttered peas & cornbread. That's how I learned that legumes are one of my triggers. Liver and shellfish are others. I don't miss liver. I eat shrimp until I just start to limp a little.
Trust me, when you have a full flare-up, limping doesn't even happen. You'll crawl on your back with your toe in the air. You can't even stand the weight of a bedsheet on it.
moondoggy
01-10-2007, 17:09
I get an flare up of gout once in awhile.....I take Alleve and eat the dried cherries.....It takes a few days but it usually goes away.....
I've always heard shellfish can cause gout....and I love my shellfish.
Trust me, when you have a full flare-up, limping doesn't even happen. You'll crawl on your back with your toe in the air. You can't even stand the weight of a bedsheet on it.
Yeah, my BIL was just telling me, relaying the info from his uncle. I'm more convinced it was leaving my Tevas on that caused my problem. My instep is still sore, but nothing like earlier today.
CaptChaos
01-10-2007, 18:02
As for someone how has suffered for years with random gout attacks I can tell you that you need to alter your diet.
Coke, meat, beans, etc., have purines and you are having problems in removing these with your kidneys. Hence your uric acid level is up and when you get enough in your system it turns into a crystal and it feels like glass. Gout can happen to any joint but in men it usually happens to the big toe joint, ie. the term gout.
The drug that was talked about does work and you take it until you get the trots and then you will stop. It takes care of the problem but the drug is almost as bad as what you are trying to cure. I know, I carry it on my person when I am away from home just in case.
Capt. Chaos
Fannypack
01-10-2007, 18:41
Sly, thx for starting this thread.
I have been having excruiating pain in my knee that started about a month ago, i took aspirin and it got no better...
Just for the heck of it i am going to treat it as if it is caused by gout and see if the pain subsides...
I believe i could also have some cartilage problem but I see how the gout treatment goes first... I know one thing I definitely need to drink more water...
Hoping all other hikers will make sure they increase their water intake for the month before starting a thru or section hike...
TIDE-HSV
01-11-2007, 01:02
While gout can hit any joint in the body, it's most common in the right big toe joint, where the blood slows down the most and allows the excess uric acid to precipitate out in needle-sharp crystals. My first attack, my wife and I were in a motel in Etowah, TN, preparatory to starting a pack the next day. I tried to explain to her that the pain was too much to bear - as one poster said above, the sheet was too heavy. My mother struggled with it her whole life, so I knew what I had. I've only had one other episode, although I have an enlarged right big toe joint. The crusty precipitates which settle in the joint are called "tophi." Any sharp joint pain outside the big toe really needs to be dxed by an orthopedist, as these are much rarer than the toe joint and there are too many other nasty things which give the same symptoms...
PS: My worst enemy is dehydration and I battle it all the time - particularly on the trail...
Sly, I take it you recovered from your problem with your foot? If it wasn't gout, be thankful. Gout is a bitter pill for an avid hiker to take.
Nightwalker
01-19-2007, 21:10
Not really, and not lately. I hope it gets somewhat better by tomorrow or I'm screwed. So are you, outta chili.... :p
Was that big pot of chili yours? DUDE, but that was good!