Discussion
Did a search on Gout, but couldn't find any threads.
Anyone else here suffer from it? I had my first attack about 15 years ago (I'm now 46). Mostly in my big toe but this week have had an attack in the middle toe of my right foot.
I just cannot figure out what triggers it. I don't drink beer, eat every little red meat etc but every now and then (maybe four times per year), it gets me...
Anyone else here suffer from it? I had my first attack about 15 years ago (I'm now 46). Mostly in my big toe but this week have had an attack in the middle toe of my right foot.
I just cannot figure out what triggers it. I don't drink beer, eat every little red meat etc but every now and then (maybe four times per year), it gets me...
Started to get mild symptoms of it in my big toe.
I did drink a fair amount of red wine which probably triggered it but have cut back a lot recently and havent had any more symptoms.
Brother in law and a colleague suffer really badly with it to the extent of turning up to work in slippers because they cant get their shoes on.
I did drink a fair amount of red wine which probably triggered it but have cut back a lot recently and havent had any more symptoms.
Brother in law and a colleague suffer really badly with it to the extent of turning up to work in slippers because they cant get their shoes on.
there are a few other causes of acute gout flare-ups other than food/drink. i'm sure you're aware of what gout actually is, but not sure whether you'll know food intake only accounts for approximately 1/2 of uric acid daily.
emotional stress, fatigue, infection/being ill can also cause flare ups. having a low purine diet can help too.
emotional stress, fatigue, infection/being ill can also cause flare ups. having a low purine diet can help too.
Yes, whilst I can trace a few of mine to dehydration/wine/diet, most occurred seemingly at random. I know a teetotal vegetarian with gout !
Worth bearing in mind that along with the pain (yes, excruciating) you are also getting joint damage too. Which over time isn't good, considering you are fairly young.
Worth bearing in mind that along with the pain (yes, excruciating) you are also getting joint damage too. Which over time isn't good, considering you are fairly young.
I fear the effects of lifestlye choices are appearing.
I am diabetic, have been for 22 years type 2 well controlled.
Was 25+ stone when I developed Diabetes in 1990.
The consultant who interviewed me warned me that I could not continue to be 25 stone and diabetic. He said essentially something will fail.
I decided to listen to his warning.
Lost ten stones over the next year and have remnained at or below 15 stones ever since.
Gout is a different disease. But the warnings are the same.
Change your lifestyle. Or face the consequences.
Not pleasant not easy but possible. If you enjoy life that is my recommendation
I am diabetic, have been for 22 years type 2 well controlled.
Was 25+ stone when I developed Diabetes in 1990.
The consultant who interviewed me warned me that I could not continue to be 25 stone and diabetic. He said essentially something will fail.
I decided to listen to his warning.
Lost ten stones over the next year and have remnained at or below 15 stones ever since.
Gout is a different disease. But the warnings are the same.
Change your lifestyle. Or face the consequences.
Not pleasant not easy but possible. If you enjoy life that is my recommendation
Change my lifestyle?
I don't smoke (never smoked).
I drink very little (approx one white wine or gin/tonic daily).
I exercise everyday: not a gym workout but walking the dogs.
I do not eat junk food, in fact my diet is generally good.
Weight: about 1.5 stone overweight, but that is coming down slowly.
Not under pressure or stress. I am in a happy relationship and enjoy my job.
There is very little I can change.
I don't smoke (never smoked).
I drink very little (approx one white wine or gin/tonic daily).
I exercise everyday: not a gym workout but walking the dogs.
I do not eat junk food, in fact my diet is generally good.
Weight: about 1.5 stone overweight, but that is coming down slowly.
Not under pressure or stress. I am in a happy relationship and enjoy my job.
There is very little I can change.
insurance_jon said:
High purine foods are a cause, and some of them are quite surprising
Surprised me when I looked at the list. I had been scoffing a lot of the high stuff.Search on food and purines. I found out, for example, olive oil is OK as it is but if you cook with it it is worse for you. The cooking starts to break down the chains in the food and it is enough for your body to do the rest but your body cannot do it with unheated oil.
Also I drink a lot, (not alcohol). Vitamin C tablets (not sure it does anything) approved veg and fruit etc but I do like a steak....
Edit when I say High in purines, the list I have has sytuff like mushrooms and spinach!
JumboBeef said:
Change my lifestyle?
I don't smoke (never smoked).
I drink very little (approx one white wine or gin/tonic daily).
I exercise everyday: not a gym workout but walking the dogs.
I do not eat junk food, in fact my diet is generally good.
Weight: about 1.5 stone overweight, but that is coming down slowly.
Not under pressure or stress. I am in a happy relationship and enjoy my job.
There is very little I can change.
You could drink less and exercise more for a start.I don't smoke (never smoked).
I drink very little (approx one white wine or gin/tonic daily).
I exercise everyday: not a gym workout but walking the dogs.
I do not eat junk food, in fact my diet is generally good.
Weight: about 1.5 stone overweight, but that is coming down slowly.
Not under pressure or stress. I am in a happy relationship and enjoy my job.
There is very little I can change.
JumboBeef said:
Change my lifestyle?
I don't smoke (never smoked).
I drink very little (approx one white wine or gin/tonic daily).
I exercise everyday: not a gym workout but walking the dogs.
I do not eat junk food, in fact my diet is generally good.
Weight: about 1.5 stone overweight, but that is coming down slowly.
Not under pressure or stress. I am in a happy relationship and enjoy my job.
There is very little I can change.
I'm not having a pop, but it's odd that you, me and others think daily consumption of alcohol is fine. I'm sure it's not, maybe a glass or two of wine a week is okay but I'm fairly confident zero would be best, despite what the Sunday Supplements say periodically. I don't smoke (never smoked).
I drink very little (approx one white wine or gin/tonic daily).
I exercise everyday: not a gym workout but walking the dogs.
I do not eat junk food, in fact my diet is generally good.
Weight: about 1.5 stone overweight, but that is coming down slowly.
Not under pressure or stress. I am in a happy relationship and enjoy my job.
There is very little I can change.
I'm not stopping drinking because I enjoy it and am happy to take 'the risk', but accept it would probably be better if I drank less.
Brewers yeast is high on the list along with other alcohol but that is not why I stopped. Also I think there is a difference in what spirits are derived from and red and white wine. My last attack was, I think, due to me going nuts on the mushrooms and spinach and olive oil etc. Bit like a last fling, there was no moderation.
E38Ross said:
Gout is related to the kidneys, you may be very healthy but have some kidney dysfunction I'm afraid.
Whilst I appreciate the intention of this post, when you think about it it is impossible to have kidney dysfunction and be healthy. Just as it is impossible to have liver dysfunction or lung dysfunction and be healthy. If major organs are in trouble, you are not healthy. I was a particularly good example of how a ridiculous lifestyle had consequences on my health.
I was an extreme individual in lifetsyle, attitude, approach and demands. Utterly selfish, totally self centered and impossible to live with. Not good.
Life is not fair, or I would have the looks of Roger Moore and have Einstein's brain. I have neither.
My point is a simple one. You can ignore the warning signs of health concerns.
You can explain away how nothing can be done and it is just the way things are.
Or you can make major changes to you lifestyle.
It may not make a difference. It has for me.
It could for you. Your choice. Your life.
Steffan said:
E38Ross said:
Gout is related to the kidneys, you may be very healthy but have some kidney dysfunction I'm afraid.
Whilst I appreciate the intention of this post, when you think about it it is impossible to have kidney dysfunction and be healthy. Just as it is impossible to have liver dysfunction or lung dysfunction and be healthy. If major organs are in trouble, you are not healthy. I was a particularly good example of how a ridiculous lifestyle had consequences on my health.
I was an extreme individual in lifetsyle, attitude, approach and demands. Utterly selfish, totally self centered and impossible to live with. Not good.
Life is not fair, or I would have the looks of Roger Moore and have Einstein's brain. I have neither.
My point is a simple one. You can ignore the warning signs of health concerns.
You can explain away how nothing can be done and it is just the way things are.
Or you can make major changes to you lifestyle.
It may not make a difference. It has for me.
It could for you. Your choice. Your life.
Thanks.
Jam or anything with too much refined fruit sugar set mine off. Had it once in 2009 after having jam on toast two days on the trot, then got it again last year after having a danish pastry with date preserve on it.
Look up fructose and relation to gout and you'll see what I mean.
Gout is caused by crystalisation of uric acid in the joints. The feet tend to get it worst but it can occur almost anywhere in the body. This can be made worse by being dehydrated. Best treatment I found is to take anti inflamitory drugs such as diclofenac for a few days and look at what you ate over the two or three days before the attack.
I avoid jam now and this seems to have done the trick.
Good luck
Look up fructose and relation to gout and you'll see what I mean.
Gout is caused by crystalisation of uric acid in the joints. The feet tend to get it worst but it can occur almost anywhere in the body. This can be made worse by being dehydrated. Best treatment I found is to take anti inflamitory drugs such as diclofenac for a few days and look at what you ate over the two or three days before the attack.
I avoid jam now and this seems to have done the trick.
Good luck
E38Ross said:
Steffan said:
E38Ross said:
Gout is related to the kidneys, you may be very healthy but have some kidney dysfunction I'm afraid.
Whilst I appreciate the intention of this post, when you think about it it is impossible to have kidney dysfunction and be healthy. Just as it is impossible to have liver dysfunction or lung dysfunction and be healthy. If major organs are in trouble, you are not healthy. I was a particularly good example of how a ridiculous lifestyle had consequences on my health.
I was an extreme individual in lifetsyle, attitude, approach and demands. Utterly selfish, totally self centered and impossible to live with. Not good.
Life is not fair, or I would have the looks of Roger Moore and have Einstein's brain. I have neither.
My point is a simple one. You can ignore the warning signs of health concerns.
You can explain away how nothing can be done and it is just the way things are.
Or you can make major changes to you lifestyle.
It may not make a difference. It has for me.
It could for you. Your choice. Your life.
Thanks.
I am also president of the Pedants association in my spare time. Another failing.
My concern is that the OP and others heed the warnings whilst they can
My Diabetic consultant undoubtedly extended my life by many years. Just a fact.
My family Doctor of the time frequently warned me I would never make old age trying to bring me to my senses. Every Doctor I saw over 20 years said exactly the same thing. I ignored them all happily because, as I said, I am an arse.
I was in the right place at the right time and the advice just caught me right with the Diabetic consultant. He saved me: not my own realisation.
Just pitched his warning right and got through my many selfish barriers.
Others may not be so fortunate.
In fact Gout isn't quite the indicator of a "healthily" lifestyle as people are making out.
The alcohol link is overstated, as alcoholics rarely have gout, very high alcohol consumption tends to dissolve the crystals not cause them via Uric acid build up. But then a few glasses of claret at the weekend could mean a "rich" diet. That coupled with not drinking enough water, being genetically predisposed to gout, and maybe a little overweight....
Conversely a bodybuilder who takes protein supplements and damages their joints from strenuous exercise may get gout despite being "healthy". Read any gout forum (or body building forum) and you will find people incredulous that they have something that is incorrectly (in many cases) attributed to "red wine and roast beef". So yes it is their "lifestyle" that causes the chemical imbalance, maybe coupled with genetics.
Perversely, losing weight quickly can be a trigger factor for gout !
Even more perverse....bloody gout medicine triggers gout unless you are careful. The Uric acid build up isn't the thing that hurts, it is your body's immune system that does that. As you lower your blood Uric acid levels, the crystals that already exist and have been "dealt with" can now dissolve and you get the reaction.
So yes, definitely look at lifestyle changes. But do things gradually and be aware that it may not be just that, and also may not be the unhealthy things. The attack that put me on tablets a year ago was when I wasn't drinking at all and doing lots of exercise and eating healthily. I felt good, but woke up one morning unable to walk
And it very nearly ruined a family holiday.
The alcohol link is overstated, as alcoholics rarely have gout, very high alcohol consumption tends to dissolve the crystals not cause them via Uric acid build up. But then a few glasses of claret at the weekend could mean a "rich" diet. That coupled with not drinking enough water, being genetically predisposed to gout, and maybe a little overweight....
Conversely a bodybuilder who takes protein supplements and damages their joints from strenuous exercise may get gout despite being "healthy". Read any gout forum (or body building forum) and you will find people incredulous that they have something that is incorrectly (in many cases) attributed to "red wine and roast beef". So yes it is their "lifestyle" that causes the chemical imbalance, maybe coupled with genetics.
Perversely, losing weight quickly can be a trigger factor for gout !
Even more perverse....bloody gout medicine triggers gout unless you are careful. The Uric acid build up isn't the thing that hurts, it is your body's immune system that does that. As you lower your blood Uric acid levels, the crystals that already exist and have been "dealt with" can now dissolve and you get the reaction.
So yes, definitely look at lifestyle changes. But do things gradually and be aware that it may not be just that, and also may not be the unhealthy things. The attack that put me on tablets a year ago was when I wasn't drinking at all and doing lots of exercise and eating healthily. I felt good, but woke up one morning unable to walk
And it very nearly ruined a family holiday. As a sufferer, I can confirm there is a lot of b
ks spoken about gout.Drinking lots of water regularly is great,( after all it is effectively a kidney problem)and avoiding foods high in purine. Shellfish can be particularly bad, but not seabass, cod etc generally.The obvious ones like red meat (pork is classified as such) and red wine(and other" dark drinks" like brandy port etc)all contribute to the problem. Too many mushrooms,kidney beans chickpeas etc, anything high in purines if over-done,might kick it off.The other stuff that can kick it off is an injury/trauma in that area, and general stress etc.When I was diagnosed in 2000, the doc wanted to put me on Allopurinol for life, (which I declined)and also gave me anti-flams that made the stomach bleed. I immediately cut out all of the above food/ drink and within a couple of years I was down to a couple of attacks a year. I've gradually over time introduced everything back into my diet in moderation and have been attack free for around 4/5 years.Every now and then I'll get a (very,very slight) twinge in my big toe to let me know I'm over doing it, but loads of water and a couple of Nurofen liquid capsules and it's gone.
I can't stress enough the value of drinking plenty of water through the day,and increasing the quantity when you have an attack .You all have my sympathy!!
Edit: To the poster that said he ws having a drink or so a night,with regards to gout,that really isn't ideal.
ks spoken about gout.Drinking lots of water regularly is great,( after all it is effectively a kidney problem)and avoiding foods high in purine. Shellfish can be particularly bad, but not seabass, cod etc generally.The obvious ones like red meat (pork is classified as such) and red wine(and other" dark drinks" like brandy port etc)all contribute to the problem. Too many mushrooms,kidney beans chickpeas etc, anything high in purines if over-done,might kick it off.The other stuff that can kick it off is an injury/trauma in that area, and general stress etc.When I was diagnosed in 2000, the doc wanted to put me on Allopurinol for life, (which I declined)and also gave me anti-flams that made the stomach bleed. I immediately cut out all of the above food/ drink and within a couple of years I was down to a couple of attacks a year. I've gradually over time introduced everything back into my diet in moderation and have been attack free for around 4/5 years.Every now and then I'll get a (very,very slight) twinge in my big toe to let me know I'm over doing it, but loads of water and a couple of Nurofen liquid capsules and it's gone.I can't stress enough the value of drinking plenty of water through the day,and increasing the quantity when you have an attack .You all have my sympathy!!
Edit: To the poster that said he ws having a drink or so a night,with regards to gout,that really isn't ideal.
Edited by sjc on Thursday 15th March 14:17
Edited by sjc on Tuesday 6th May 18:40
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