Very scared.

[clayover]

I am a 25 year old female. I weigh 142 lbs. I was diagnosed with gout yesterday after both my knees suddenly swelled and were very painful. I am scared. Everything I have read about young people with gout seems to be involved with kidney failure. My Dr didnt seem very concerned. I am a anxious person anyways and this is pushing me over the edge. Any advice or help is appreciated. TIA

[JohnnyBrew]

Clay, I am curious as to how you were diagnosed with gout?

What is your uric acid level?

Gout I'm learning and dealing with now for just over a year is managable and I too am young not as young as you but interms of gout I am at 34 meaning I was 33 when diagnosed.

I would not sweat the kidney thing unless the Dr runs all the tests to prove that there is a problem.

Good luck and you'll love this forum as there are a lot of well educated people to help.

Keep your spirits up,

JohnnyBrew

[clayover]

Johnny,

When the swelling appeared on Monday morning I went to my ortho doc and he drew fluid off of my knee. He called me yesterday and told me crystals were present and that it was gout.

Im glad to see your young as well. Im just very nervous about my kidneys being a contributing factor.

[cjeezy]

Hi Clay,

Welcome to the board!  You certainly don't fit the typically profile for someone who has gout…but then again, anyone could get it and I'm seeing more and more “young people” diagnosed with it lately!  You'll find all kinds of useful information here! I was diagnosed with gout last summer at the age of 30! I was in your boat and was very scared at the time.  Once you read up on this disease and learn that the key to managing it is “controlling your uric acid levels” and NOT managing pain you will find things much easier.  Without going into tons and tons of information that may or may not overload you I give you my cliff notes version to your concerns:

Gout is not always due to kidney failure/issues as it can be hereditary…hence your kidneys simply are overproducing or underexcreting uric acid.  On a side note, though having high UA levels can harm your kidneys in the long-term.  The potent levels of this acid turn into solids/crystals and your body “tries” to fight it off causing extreme pain.  So you can see, managing UA to a low level is the KEY to avoiding this pain.  Now with that being said, YOU MUST KNOW YOUR UA LEVELS! Either from a lab or from a home test (do a search for the home test kit if needed).  Anything above a 6.4 is creating new crystals in your body…even if you are not in pain.  High UA is also linkind to other disorders.     

Next is choosing how you want to manage your UA levels (not pain levels)? You have some choices:

1. Diet & Exercise- This will probably only drop you 1-2 points

2. Medication (ie: Allopurinol, Probenecid, Uloric, etc).  MOST EFFECTIVE! But you will need to take them for life, as there is no cure for gout…yet 🙁

I chose the Allopurinol method (this drug has been aroud for a VERY long time with little side effects) after 2 1/2 months of extreme pain and now I am finding my life returning to somewhat normal! 🙂

Remember you are not alone and we're all here to help you!  GOUT DOESN'T HAVE TO CONTROL YOUR YOU! CONTROL UA AND YOU CAN EXPECT TO LIVE A LONG, HEALTHY LIFE!!!

Hopefully this helps! Holler with any other questions

[clayover]

thank you cjeezy. that does help me. google can be a scary place when you are unsure.

[NateA]

Clayover ~ My gout problems started when I was 21.  I am now going on 36.  When I got my first attack, I was a very healthy and active person, eating little meat and drinking little alcohol.  I also don't have any family members that suffer from gout, so the hereditary thing can be taken out of the equation too.  It wasn't until two years that I learned I was born with only one kidney.  I don't know how that escaped doctors all this time, but it did.  This is probably a contributing factor to me being stricken with this disease.  I make sure to have my kidney functions tested each time I get my Uric Acid levels tested.  So far, my kidney is fine and there have been no abnormal results from any of the tests.

I just started a strict regiment of Allopurinol about four months ago.  Since I've suffered with gout for some time, it's taking a while for the Allopurinol to get rid of the excess uric acid crystals in my joints.  It's been a painful process, but I'm staying positive and looking forward to the day when things get under control and I can resume a normal life.

By the way – I frequently get attacks in my knees and it SUCKS!  Best of luck to you!

[Keith Taylor (GoutPal Admin)]

Hi clayover,

All I can add to the excellent advice already given is to ask for a 24 hour urine test. This will determine if your high uric acid is due to under-excretion or over-production. Allopurinol or febuxostat work for both, but if you are an underexcreter, probenecid is another choice.

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