Gout Pal Interactive

Yippee, its worked. Please feel free to delete the posts above as I'm going to repeat myself.

It's now over 8 weeks since my initial attack. The slight tenderness in the toe remains, but I now also have tingling in both knees. I wouldn't say that things are particularly painful, but they are a constant reminder and worry. I phoned my Doctor to ask him about the knees and he felt that it may be just that my gait has changed slightly which may have caused this. I confess I'm pretty doubtful about that.

I see the Doc again in a couple of days time to get the results of my 2nd blood test, so we'll see what that says. However, I am concerned that the lingering effects from the initial attack is taking so long to clear. Are new crystals being formed hence the lingering ? Or is it just taking its time to recover, which it will do slowly but surely.

My trip to SE Asia is coming up fast, only just over 5 weeks to go. I'll be out of the country for 4 months.  If a decision is made for me to start on allipurinol, will that give enough time for things to stabilise and be monitored properly ?

Wow,

I don't get to say this often but I am in your doctor's camp. Trying to avoid putting pressure on a part of the foot, even if slight, can put a stress on a different set of knee ligaments then ususal soon they start to complain in the only way they can…pain. Often replacing a pair of sneakers can do the trick.

It is quite possible that knees problems can be gouty but it's better than 50-50 that they are not. I for one have frequent knee problems, back problems, and rotator cuff problems…and it's often tempting for me to think gout but I think ABUSE is more likely.

If you are going to start allopurinol, please do so TODAY if you want to be sure of some stability on that trip. But then who knows, doctors in Asia might be far better than ours in dealing with so old a disease that probably gets pooh-poohed at Harvard Med and Johns Hopkins. Remember, if you have an attack on that trip, one word: colchicine.

Hi, all. I'm curious about what you thought of my second set of results.

I rather thought I may get replies questioning the stats, that it isn't possible to reduce uric acid levels that much that quickly.

Also, what would you do in my position ? Obviously I would prefer to keep a my levels below 6mg/dl (as they are now) without taking allipurinol. But, in reality, do you think that can be done ? Inevitably, the longer gout is held at bay, the more I will get back to eating those high purine foods – prawns sound good to me. Plus a cold Singha beer, of course.

I'm pretty sure that if I have another attack in the shortish term, then its allipurinol for me. Its just this stage of waiting and seeing that bothers me a little – kind of russian roulette with a prawn as the gun.

By the way, I continue to improve. I went to my podiatrist this week. I wear orthotics in my shoes due to an episode of plantar fasciitis a few years ago. I went partially to have the orthotics checked out (I needed new ones, the old ones were cracked). He knew quite a bit about gout; he checked out my toe which still had a little lingering pain. He felt this was no longer due to any gout in it, just taking its time to get better. At one point he grabbed hold of the toe and pulled it quite hard outwards and then upwards. It was something I never would have done myself, but he gave me this as an exercise, plus some knee excercises. I have definitely found further improvement since doing this. (all to do with improving mobility apparently. Knee exercises to strengthen muscles around the knee).

@ Nokka – “Hopeful I can avoid making the same 'mistake' again”

Don't be 'hopeful'-  with your progress,  'be CERTAIN '  – to maintain that position.

If you're a Gouty, prawns etc. will find you out , and you will have to sprinkle some AP on them! ;) -and you will NOT be happy , twice over !