Posted on 08/25/2009 9:05:40 PM PDT by Global2010
OK Guys/Gals.
I have not had an attack in years but after attending a couple of Brewfests and relizing how good Ale is (I quit drinking beer do to gout years ago) and forgetting how crippling and excrutiating an attack of gout is well I have a whole foot invovled.
As a careprovider I have to get up (I have an old wheelchair to use the pain is that bad).
I dont want to go to the Doc and thought I would try some home flushing of the uric acid.
Right now I have a combo in one ice pitcher of Orange/cherry/apple juice and V-8 and Lemon in the other ice pitcher drinking both at a steady pace with lots of water.
We have a cherry stand down the road so tommarrow I will drive over if I can stand/walk to my rig and buy those to start eating.
Time is of the essense to get back on my feet.
I also drank some viniger (did not have Apple cider viniger on hand).
Will also try the epsom salt foot bath tommarrow when help comes in.
So any other suggestions for a quick reduction in the uric acid levels?
I have had all the drugs, colchecine, indicin, and tried all the home remedies. My advice would be to get your kidneys checked. Only prednisone helped the pain but the side affects from steroids are just as bad.
The worse my kidneys got the more gout occurrences I had. Eventually I needed a transplant due to PKD but since then NO Gout. I pray this isn’t the case for you but, please just check the beans.
Colchicine works. It’s nasty stuff (in fact, it’s poison!), but it will fix your gout. It’s Rx only, but once you have a bottle you can stretch it to last a long time.
I only have attacks every now and then. The culprit is usually beer and red meat. I used to drink 2-3 pints of beer per week, but now I drink a pint per month or less. I still enjoy red meat from time to time, but most of my diet is fresh vegetables these days.
I hope you feel better soon. Gout is no fun.
Just had kidneys checked.
If I had to pinpoint this grout attack it was Ale and Brats again that I removed from my diet years ago but had a vacation (rare) for a few days and went to a dog freindly/no kids Beerfest.
Went so I could take the wiener dog for a freindly day outing but succumbed to the Ale and Brats.
All my health issues are tested every few months and they have all been in regression for years but the uric acid was up after the indulgence.
So I know the trigger but just forgot how bad the consequenses are.
btt gout
Treat gout
I have had gout for years; finally, after three years, got smart and got it diagnosed. They have me indomethicin (sp?) and it worked within hours.
You can also try “Tart Cherry” — wife bought it at some health foods store. Worked just as well as the indomethicin did, meaning it worked within HOURS. It was a miracle.
The Tart Cherry came in capsules; there is also some cherry concentrate that I mixed with water, and I took them both. Again, worked within hours. Have relied on it three times, and it’s worked each time. It’s a Godsend.
I keep the prescription just in case.
Don’t suffer like I did—I have a bony knob on the left foot because I was too proud to see a doctor and deal with it. I was on crutches for the first time in my life.
TART Cherry. Not the sweet kind (don’t know if it works).
Allopurinol is cheaper but according to my doctor more patients have problems with it than probenecid. Most likely it is a matter of preference or experience of your doctor. I did really well on probenecid and had no ill effects.
Most important is to get to the doctor ASAP. If you get a full gout attack it is amazingly painful. You can not describe how painful it is. It’s so bad that if you even look at it funny it almost hurts. I just got back from a 3.5 mile walk so I still exercise. I still haven’t had an attack in years. It hurts me to know how much it hurts you.
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My father has severe attacks maybe once or twice a year and Indomethacin knocks it out pretty quickly, but it is prescription.
Last winter my mom thought she was having a gout attack (her doctor confirmed gout) and it turned out she had an infection that started in her big toe - around the nail. It took a couple of months for the infection to become obvious.
After months more of oral antibiotic treatments, (didn’t work) the doctor finally tried an antifungal medication. *That* did the trick.
I’m just saying... ;-)
Colchicine is the only thing that works.
My husband gets gout secondary to his BP medication.He just got over the worst attack of his life, which lasted 2 weeks in the acute phase (no Allipurinol) and another 10 days to totally recover. The attacks are not just caused by food. When the body does work, first you sweat, which can dehydrate you and then the body has to deal with the cell repair and flushing of cell by-products, which increases uric acid. Flexing the forefoot (bike riding, ladder-climbing) can also aggravate the toe joint and forefoot pain, prior to an attack.
As I understand it, the BP meds reduce fluid retention, which concentrates the uric acid. He has to balance his intake of the ACE, diuretic and Allipurinol and has discovered the Allipurinol also reduces BP. Indimethicin actually doesn’t help him as much as Aleve.
The cherry juice is good as an anti-inflammatory during an attack. We use a concentrate and he makes it strong.
A high concentration of anthrocyanins (the anti-inflammatory substance found in all blue and red fruits) is in the skin of Black Turtle Beans, the small, shiny ones found in the Spanish shops and Latino food section of the grocery store. The beans themselves are full of purines, however. The way to get the bean broth is to take 1 cup of black turtle beans, boil in 2 1/2 liters of water, covered, for 90 minutes. Drain, give the beans to someone else, and drink the broth. I cup of the broth 2x a day hot or cold or use the broth as a base for a tomato vegetable soup, making sure not to include any of the high purine green vegetables. My husband takes this in addition to the cherry juice, cherries, blueberries and strawberries.
Alcohol is diuretic and dehydrating. Once you are controlled with Allipurinol, small, infrequent alcohol intake, followed by a glass of water seems to be tolerated.
Beer is bad because of the high B-vitamin content.
Vinegar and honey or maple syrup works over time. Use Bragg’s organic vinegar, with the mother. 1 Tbs vinegar, 1 Tbs honey, 1 Tbs water 2x day. IMO, this is a cumulative treatment.
Devils Claw seems to work for the pain. We found an herb tea called Yogi Tea-Joint Comfort. One of the main ingredients is Devils Claw. He says it is the most effective pain reliever. I brew it strong. He says it works almost immediately.
Keep the affected foot elevated. Keep it warm. Either wrap in a warm towel, make a warm pack with rice, or soak the foot in hot water. Using a hot tub gave my husband a lot of relief. Ice did not help him.
Keeping the Allipurinol in your system is important. He will stop Allipurinol after being pain free for months, because it has its own side effects and can aggravate uric stone formation in the kidneys. If you don’t get a rash from the Allipurinol, use it as directed. You cannot use it during an attack, as it flushes uric acid which accumulates in the foot. Once an acute attack ends, the Allipurinol will kick in after about a week or less and you can bring back some purine-containing foods. We avoid dark meat of chicken and have to limit the intake of venison to once every few months. Ditto shrimp/lobster, legumes (peanut butter doesn’t seem to bother him, though)and anything containing B-3 (Niacin). I do use a small amount of barley in vegetable soups, for body, but it does contain niacin. Dark green anything is limited. I use iceberg or red leaf lettuce. Celery and celery seed are diuretic, so I am not comfortable adding much of that to his diet or using celery seed tea.
A pair of sandals with adjustable straps over the forefoot can help. Strangely, I cannot recall him ever having an attack in the winter. Hydration as a preventative and to flush the uric acid crystals during an attack can help.
He has never taken colchinine. It is poisonous, has terrible side effects and the other things mentioned help the pain enough that he isn’t even tempted.
Horrid condition and full of Catch-22s for the sufferer if they have high blood pressure and are on medication for that and are stone formers, along with working/being active in the summer. Keep that foot elevated at night. As you know, it will come on overnight, as the body clears out the days cellular debris and the by-products of work. I wonder if not having the foot elevated at night has anything to do with it.
You have my sympathy.
All very good ideas.
Last night I hit what was in the pantry. Orange/Apple/Cherry juice in one iced pitcher and V-8 and Lemon Juice in the other pitcher and a liter of water.
The NSAID patch was not working so I switched to Tylonal (rarely touch that but luckily had some in the emerg kit).
Woke up this morning with no overnight pain (lotsa potty runs during the night : ) )
Pain is down 50% this A.M. and gone from the heel end of the foot.
So I can walk without chronic pain on my heel.
Lotsa popping in the foot too I suppose the inflamation going down is allowing cartiledge/bone to re align.
Going to repeat last nights liqued therapy and go get some cherries today.
And you are right about the excercise bringing it on that is what I thought at first living in an all sloped/uneven property as our deck (all flat) was being refurbished (dog poop area was closed) I had to spend the last few weeks walking around the property for dog duty.
So it very well could of been a big toe grout mixed with upper foot strain.
My foot fit into the shoe this morning too. I have worn Birks for 30yrs due to the nature of my work as a careprovider and relief from low back. Having duck feet too. Size 5/6 triple wide not so easy to find in a comfortable shoe when on the feet as a careprovider.
Some of the care needs I require dont get done so I cut corners and do my best. I am one person taking care of two so my son comes first and his care needs are immeadiate for survival.
Which is pretty typical of us single Moms with severely medically handicapped sons/daughters.
We have our medical respite provider coming in today so that will be some help in assisting while I get both feet up and running again.
And my Son is a good prayer warrior who also has two events coming up this week end so I have to get back on my toes. : )
It is excruciating.
Somewhere I read one does not feel like eating during an acute attack.
Well no duh, first you cant get to food and second the pain is so bad it turns off the hunger mode.
Raw apples contain malic acid which may have some effect on dissolving the uric acid concentrations. (just have seen this suggested and have no verification). We made sure my husband had something containing potassium each day, usually a single orange or a banana, since the hydration/urination can mess with electrolytes and he must limit sodium. He added a bit more sodium than usual, too, usually in the form of a homegrown tomato or some commercial processed product he usually avoids.
My husband has had 3 severe attacks that I recall and several *twinges*. The twinges resolved with cherry juice almost instantly, but the major attacks came after either bike riding or roofing. He is active and unfortunately, works standing up, neither of which help and has a 45-minute commute 3x/week, as well. Swimming would be good, but the cool water and the motion needed by his foot are uncomfortable. He is a sailor and the uneven postures demanded on a sailboat were also not only uncomfortable, but made him feel insecure on deck, so he had to limit that. He sailed with others so he could enjoy it without the risk and discomfort.
As a medical massage therapist, he does, later in the attack when things are somewhat less painful, do a slow, superficial massage motion towards the heart. Very slow and very superficial. He says he can feel the fluid/crystals move when he does this.
This last attack was the first time he needed a cane. We have hired a helper so he can get the roof repair finished with as little strain as possible. He will supervise and he sets up flat support boards on which to stand, but he will be spending less time on sloped surfaces.
Be careful this winter about keeping your feet warm and dry. I didn’t make the connection at the time, but last winter, for the first time, my husband got chilblains after snow blowing and walks because he insisted on cotton socks which got wet and kept his feet cold. Chilblains happen when the blood vessels in the feet constrict in the cold and then warm up too fast. I bought him some thick, warm polyester/wool blend socks and got him to change immediately into a fresh pair and sheepskin slippers when he came inside and that helped a lot. I am now wondering if the gout has impaired the capillaries in his toes. There may be no connection, but I would rather err on the safer side.
I have done quad care in the past (13 years worth) and it must be even more difficult with gout. Could the respite folks give you more relief until your gout subsides? I know how difficult all that is, but you do have to take care of yourself, for your son’s sake as well as your own.
If you can avoid the tophi (deposits of synovial fluid and crystals that form lumps on the joints)and deformation of the first big toe joint and it doesn’t spread to other joints, at least you know this is a limited acute phase attack. Allipurinol will help, once the acute stage is passed.
I have made my living as a fiber craftsperson for over 35 years. Right now, I am thinking about making some sort of wrap around sock with a sole that would fit even at the height of an attack. The postures/gait required when you have a sore and swollen foot just play havoc with legs and back and even, eventually, the neck, bringing on secondary discomfort and disability. I am just at the thinking stage, but it would be nice if I could figure out something that could be warmed in the microwave for heat relief without being heavy and lumpy against the sore points. We found some similar items at Footsmart.com, but they were not wide enough or had too small an opening or had too much toe constriction. I imagine having flat feet that turn outward makes the necessary foot position with gout even more extreme.
Oh, and a vehicle without a clutch is helpful, if it is your left foot.
Glad to hear it is resolving quickly!
Hooked on Phonics FAIL.
At first I thought it said “Goat Attack.” Sorry I don’t know anything about gout...or goats, actually.
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Good info.
I can relate allot to your husbands issues.
I almost went to urgent care today but it is getting better.
Spent too much time up today on the foot but have a liter of water and ice Cherry juice to drink bedside while I rest tonight.
Thanks for relaying your husbands events as it has been a support for what I am going through now.
Come here a little closer and let me put a vice grip on your humblegunners and see how well your phonics work.
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