Gout Pal Interactive

That's great news about getting the kit. Now you need to be a bit more scientific.

The meter gives a very accurate digital reading in your choice of the two most common uric acid measuring scales (mg/dL or the other one - sorry I'm not near my monitor at the moment, and can't remember the exact scale). 'Low' is just an interpretation - and I can't interpret an interpretation.

For any meaningful analysis of these results the two most significant figures are the exact reading from the uric acid meter and exact dosage of any medications, or supplements. I know you are trying to avoid allopurinol - do you take anything else?

If 'Low' means below 6mg/dL, uric acid crystals (urate) will dissolve, but can take many months - depending how long you've had gout for, and how serious it is. Do you have any tophi?

Finally, the best interpretations involve time - tracking uric acid level, medications affecting uric acid, weight and tophi assessment on a regular basis is vital.

Total diet is important, so I will bring news of a free food diary
tomorrow that also allows you to track the other variables mentioned.

As you see, rarely a short answer with me, but I would advise:

1. what do I do now - measure as regularly as you can - daily, weekly or whatever suits you.
2. if they do? - yes gout pain disappears when all your urate has dissolved, usually 6 to 18 months, depending on all the above.
3. Wiil I have to live so strictly - by monitoring your uric acid, you are giving yourself the best chance to see exactly what effects foods that you like are having on your body.

It may take some time to test everything, but you may well find that red meat and alcohol in a well balanced diet, supported by adequate hydration, do not affect your uric acid as badly as you thought. My own experiments are not conclusive enough to share, but then I know that I need to lose weight before I can expect any meaningful results.