Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-24-2017, 01:14 PM   #21
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 8,332
I've had gout for over 45 years. Had it so bad that I once investigated having my toe amputated at the joint (I was dead serious but Dr. strongly discouraged that move saying it would only move elsewhere).

Dehydration can bring it on but for me it was even small amounts of spinach, asparagus or overdoing it on beer or red wine. Some fish (mackeral) will do it too. Other people have different triggers.

Immediate meds are Indomethcin (a super strong NSAID) which reduces swelling and helps with pain.
Longer term there is Alopurinol...but CAUTION! Initially it can often 'give' you gout as it flushes the purines hiding in your system. For me, it also made my entire body stiff and I felt like an 80 year old. So I don't take it.

I'm sure there are newer meds out there, but ...no, gout it not pleasant.

Good luck!
__________________
Living well is the best revenge!
Retired @ 52 in 2005
marko is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 05-24-2017, 01:27 PM   #22
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Fedup's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Southern Cal
Posts: 4,032
I avoid vegetables that are high in oxalis acids like spinach, Swiss chard, I don't think they are good for gout.
Fedup is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2017, 01:36 PM   #23
Full time employment: Posting here.
Christine's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 669
Quote:
Originally Posted by W2R View Post
An interesting quote from this article is this: [/FONT]

Quote:
Not surprisingly, gout attacks have been seen more frequently since the popularity of high protein diets (Atkins, South Beach, etc.).3 The foods recommended by these low-carbohydrate diets are very high in purines. Second, these diets cause rapid weight loss and thereby facilitate the release of uric acid from the body fat. Lastly, these diets cause dehydration and place added stress on the kidneys, which might make people more sensitive to the rise in uric acid.
I had no idea!
I'm no medical expert in any way - but my experience is the exact opposite.

And I know that these diets are NOT high protein diets. So that is false. You eat the same amount of proteines you eat in other recommended diets. But you swap out carbs for fat. Only keep the healthy carbs in vegetables.

So IMHO the author of the article don't know what he is talking about.
Christine is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2017, 02:21 PM   #24
Gone but not forgotten
imoldernu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Peru
Posts: 6,335
Gout is/was the torment of kings...

A little history... about the disease, and the way the cost for treatment went from $15 to $1400+. Link from 2011:

Colchicine price increase: how drug companies are taking advantage of the FDA's Unapproved Drugs Initiative.


The way I understand it, the drug company realized that Colchicine, which has been used as a cure for more than a century, (actually some records go back to the year 1200AC. ) ... had never been approved by the Government, and volunteered to do a safety study. This then allowed the company to claim drug "patent" rights for a period of time. About 7 years ago, I bought the colchicine pills for $.05 each. When the company received rights, the pill price went from $.05 to $5.00.
The drug is now called Colcrys.

Feel free to revise what I think happened, but no matter the reason, the price went up!

Purines... cause high uric acid content. Booze , meats and especially shellfish and other seafoods. Allopurinal is the ongoing drug against gout. The pain comes from uric acid crystals... tiny, tiny needlepoint pieces of crushed glass that roam around inside the flesh.

First attack was 10 years ago... second about five years ago, then more often... bit by bit. Worse than root canal w/o anaesthesia.

My favorite health website ... this time on gout. Suggested medicines.
http://www.webmd.com/arthritis/under...gout-treatment
Attached Images
File Type: jpg gput.jpg (625.6 KB, 17 views)
imoldernu is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2017, 03:48 PM   #25
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Duluth
Posts: 136
Gout can be a symptom of lead poisoning. Gout Linked to Low Levels of Lead This may not seem very helpful, but it's possible to chelate lead from your system.

Fructose can be metabolized into uric acid. Fructose and Gout: What’s the Link? - Gout The article doesn't mention it, but sucrose (table sugar) is 50% fructose. It's best to minimize all sweets.

A few years ago, I had gout in my hip joints. If I twisted my hip in the wrong direction, it would pinch on a crystal and feel like a knife poking me. That eventually faded, and now it's just in my big toe. My toe will flare-up if I eat candy and ice cream for a few days in a row.
msieweke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2017, 03:58 PM   #26
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: the prairies
Posts: 5,021
Gout seems to have different trigger factors and effective treatments for each person. I get it from too much red meat and beer, but can fix it in a couple days with over the counter naproxen and minor diet adjustments. One of my friends drinks maybe 2 beer a month and eats almost no red meat and still gets it...he has tried a couple different prescribed medications, yet his symptoms often last for a week or more with no relief in sight.
Music Lover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2017, 04:07 PM   #27
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
MRG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 11,078
Quote:
Originally Posted by msieweke View Post
Gout can be a symptom of lead poisoning. Gout Linked to Low Levels of Lead This may not seem very helpful, but it's possible to chelate lead from your system.

Fructose can be metabolized into uric acid. Fructose and Gout: What’s the Link? - Gout The article doesn't mention it, but sucrose (table sugar) is 50% fructose. It's best to minimize all sweets.

A few years ago, I had gout in my hip joints. If I twisted my hip in the wrong direction, it would pinch on a crystal and feel like a knife poking me. That eventually faded, and now it's just in my big toe. My toe will flare-up if I eat candy and ice cream for a few days in a row.
Actually the lead thing is helpful. I had symptoms of lead poisoning and sure enough my lead levels were off the top of the charts.

I was shooting indoors every weekend and reloading my ammunition. Doc talked about chelation, but before that he wanted me to change some of our routine(more outdoor, immediately showering after the weapons were cleaned, tumbling brass outside). Leveled off by my next bloodwork.
MRG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2017, 04:08 PM   #28
Moderator
braumeister's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Flyover country
Posts: 25,155
Quote:
Originally Posted by W2R View Post
I haven't known anyone with gout for decades, and thought it was one of those old time conditions that afflicted "The Greatest Generation" fifty or more years ago, but that people just don't get any more.
Never had it myself, but a good friend has suffered greatly with gout for decades. He is now in his early fifties. Has always eaten an enormous amount of wild game, because he is an avid hunter and everything he shoots winds up on his table. He also consumes a prodigious quantity of strong home-brewed beer.

When it gets painful enough, he modifies his diet for as long as it takes for the symptoms to diminish, then goes back to normal.
__________________
I thought growing old would take longer.
braumeister is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2017, 04:11 PM   #29
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Twin Cities
Posts: 55
Quote:
Originally Posted by msieweke View Post
Gout can be a symptom of lead poisoning. Gout Linked to Low Levels of Lead This may not seem very helpful, but it's possible to chelate lead from your system.
Thank you for that reference. I wanted to mention studies showing the correlation of gout with lead levels but it seems too conspiracy-ish.

When I felt the onset of gout this spring I switched to a no-carb diet and distilled water, and my symptoms went away. Maybe just lucky, but there you go.
manerac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2017, 05:12 PM   #30
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Sunset's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Spending the Kids Inheritance and living in Chicago
Posts: 16,973
Quote:
Originally Posted by MRG View Post
Actually the lead thing is helpful. I had symptoms of lead poisoning and sure enough my lead levels were off the top of the charts.

I was shooting indoors every weekend and reloading my ammunition. .....
I have always avoided indoor ranges because I felt breathing in lead dust might be an issue, yet at the same time, I'd kick myself as it really cut down on shooting time especially in the winter.
We had one near us that didn't have exhaust fans, so I'm sure that was the worst.

At least now I can feel better that possibly it is good to avoid.
Sunset is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2017, 05:38 PM   #31
Moderator
Aerides's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 13,846
DH has gout from (likely culprit) several years of strict Atkins. For him it was triggered mostly from shellfish (surf and turf = attack). It took him years of subtle symptoms before holy-hell-i-need-the-ER to finally get diagnosed.

Since then, he's been on allopurinol, mentioned upthread, for years and it manages things to where he can eat what he likes with hardly ever a hint of an attack.

For non-medical intervention, he got some relief by ofc avoiding the bad foods, and eating cherries, as they seem to help counteract the specific acid.
Aerides is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2017, 06:03 PM   #32
Dryer sheet wannabe
 
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Hangzhou
Posts: 15
Thanks for all the support.
Last night it moved from big toe to ankle. less pain but can barely stand up.
Still drinking water.
JG in Hangzhou is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2017, 06:26 PM   #33
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Beaverton
Posts: 1,382
I have gout. Haven't had a flare up for almost a year. I was on vacation last year in the Caribbean and got it so bad I couldn't move without crutches. Lasted more than three months. My family has a history. I also was a huge meat and veggie guy. Drank lots of beer and did not hydrate enough. Now on Allopurinol and drink tons of water a day. Cut down on beer and beef. I will never process Uric acid without help. Will be on drugs the rest of my life. Also had a history of kidney stones so I've run the gambit on this issue for sure.
__________________
Jump in, the water's warm.
Bir48die is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2017, 06:29 PM   #34
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Fedup's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Southern Cal
Posts: 4,032
I eat a lot of fruits and hence the same as fructose, but no problem with gout. I have hip arthritis but maybe I get used to the pain and don't notice the pain so much except when it's starting to rain. But I also love to eat cherries. My husband eats all kind of berries, maybe they are helping him because he eats red meat.
Fedup is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2017, 08:20 PM   #35
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Duluth
Posts: 136
Fruit is not as much of a problem. For example it's not unusual for someone to drink 3 cans of Coke per day. To get the same amount of sugar, you would have to eat 2.5 pounds of apples. How many pounds of fruit do you eat?

Also, it appears the fiber in fruit changes the way it is digested and absorbed. In studies where soft drinks were replaced by fruit with equivalent sugar, kids lost weight. So it's more complicated than you might think.
msieweke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2017, 08:27 PM   #36
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Fedup's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Southern Cal
Posts: 4,032
I say a lot, but it depends on the fruit. I might have a large cherymoya for dinner, it's an Asian fruit. I have half of bowl of cherries after dinner for desert. An occasional banana here and there, same with apple or orange. I drink coconut juice straight out of the young coconut. I mean I eat more fruits than vegetables, the opposite of my husband. Maybe less than 2 lbs a day.
Fedup is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2017, 06:43 AM   #37
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
street's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 9,373
I don't have it but was talking to a couple of guys yesterday and they both get gout. It sounds very painful and puts a person out of commission for a while when it appears.
street is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2017, 07:03 AM   #38
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Cottage Grove
Posts: 212
I am hopefully on the backside of a nasty gout attack. It got worse when I put ice on my toe and the surrounding area. It then moved into the surrounding area (metatarsal bone) where it's at now. The big toe joint seems fine now.

My youngest brother gets it way worse than me. I usually only have an attack once a year or so at the most but it has been getting worse and has been lasting longer. My weight is up too and I'm sure that doesn't help.
Johanson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2017, 07:57 AM   #39
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Red Badger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Hog Mountian
Posts: 2,077
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aerides View Post
DH has gout from (likely culprit) several years of strict Atkins. For him it was triggered mostly from shellfish (surf and turf = attack). It took him years of subtle symptoms before holy-hell-i-need-the-ER to finally get diagnosed.

Since then, he's been on allopurinol, mentioned upthread, for years and it manages things to where he can eat what he likes with hardly ever a hint of an attack.

For non-medical intervention, he got some relief by ofc avoiding the bad foods, and eating cherries, as they seem to help counteract the specific acid.
+1
As with earlier post, after getting tore up from gout attacks, I got on the allopurinol as a maintenance med. No side effects from the daily med and no gout flareups in 6+ years. Darn they hurt!
__________________
Never let yesterday use up too much of today.
W. Rogers
Red Badger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2017, 08:46 AM   #40
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
NYEXPAT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Miraflores,Peru
Posts: 1,992
Gout runs in my family as well. I stopped experiencing it when I left the USA. I do however have periodic incidents of "false gout" in my knees, elbows,ankle. I take 1 painkiller (under the tongue) and 800 mg of a anti-inflamatory. The pain is mostly gone in an hour and I stay on the antinflamatories for three days. I have never had a incident last more than 4-5 days.
NYEXPAT is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Anyone had or know anyone with the All-on-four dental procedure? Dreamer Health and Early Retirement 29 10-31-2016 06:18 PM
Anyone here still own Intel? Anyone considering selling now? Mulligan Active Investing, Market Strategies & Alternative Assets 42 03-30-2015 05:39 AM
Gout - Who has it and how are you treating it. Disappointed Health and Early Retirement 14 10-28-2012 12:36 PM
Dried fruit, Anyone? Anyone? redduck Health and Early Retirement 16 06-17-2010 01:22 AM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:31 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.