Gout Pal Interactive

Hi, ya'll! I've been diagnosed with the gout and discovered this site after returning from ER. My primary care guy closed his clinic in town and moved to Othello, Wa. Don't worry, one of these times, someone will turn him over and he'll come back. ANYWAY… I've only had the introductory visit with only doctor in the area accepting patients, all the rest are accepting with the doctor's agreement, and it seems, that anyone with health problems aren't on their wish list. I got a change of pain medications for my 1) neck and arm nerve damage that surgery didn't fix, and 2)nerve and leg damage (both sides) for a series of surgeries targeting the L4/L5 disc in mt lower back. I was using piroxicam and Tylenol w/codine, she changed it to Neurontin because of my heart.

I felt a stiffness on Mon, Nov22, The neurontin was moving twinges around my body for two weeks, and this just felt like a new loci. I am a heavy beer drinker, so self medication has been my modis for several years. I just ignored it. Then by morning, it went to the level of a sprain and centered itself squarely on the big toe on my right foot. I was thinkin' that I couldn't have sprained it, as I'm very seditary with my back problems, but it was beginnning to feel like a broken bone in my instep.

Wednesday morning, I put on a boot my wife had for her broke foot a few years ago. It was getting REAl painful and Nancy, my wife said I need to see someone. I didn't think my new dr. would set bones as she had said she was not going to work outside of her specialties, and would send me to more qualified doctors, rather than throw pills at any problems she wasn't up on. So, With that, I thought, if it IS broken bone, she'd just send me to ER to get it set. Why pay her a $30 copay, then ER, too. And I told Nancy That with Thanksgiving tomorrow, I'll wait and go Friday, if it doesn't get better. My son volunteered to drive the 20 miles there and back. After Thanksgiving dinner, I took my tryptophaned butt to my chair and napped. Later, Travis and I were discussing the long day in the ER, 'cause this was gonna be a reall back-burner case and we're gonna be sitting it out. I casually mentioned that we're both gonna be up late, 'cause tomorrow's a day off for all of us, and we could go now (near 2am) and beat the rush. A broken bone does require a lot of expertise.

I was flattened when the doctor came back and said no broken bone, that it was classic Gout. Absolutely Gob-smacked! I thought that went out with polio…really. Not that I'm denigrating everyone's pain here, but I never really paid that much attention to the disease. Well, the disease brough me up to speed in a hurry 'cause, by now, I was feeling it! The hospital gave me a handout about it and a quick disertation, spiced liberally with advice to search the web for more.

I surfed the web diligently. But, man!, it was confusing! I'm a layman electrician, and don't really understand and don't wanna understand these drugs. Make me well, and I'll try to keep it that way. So all this stuff about gout was wargarbbl that meant very little to a guy who just discovered the world of Gout. This site, at least, talked words of doing, not words of that would not stick to trees, let alone someone's mind.

By 7am, Friday, the 27th, I had a plan. They had prescribed Metrol, and Indicine, but I had read the blurb on here about cherries. We were at the end of the month (Being disabled,both of us, is not gonna get ya rich), so groceries were gonna wait, but Nancy went to get the 'scripts filled and brought home some a couple of cans of Bing cherries. I thanked her for the cherries and said she could've got the regular 'cause I really didn't need the Bling.

I took the drugs, first time, along with most of the can of cherries around 1pm. 4 hours later, the pain and swelling had both gone down by three quarters, at Least. It was miraculous! I was never happier at finding relief so quickly. I want to thank all you posters for just letting your experience drift across the forum. It does make a difference to someone grasping at straws and trying to make sense of a world never seen before!

I know this is verbose, and I tend to prattle, But I wanted to have a message that, maybe, could help. And if somewhere in here, someone gets a grip on this disease and get comfort from it. I'll be thrilled.

Mik,

Gosh, that doctor system in your area sounds so PRIMITIVE.

My feeling is strongly in favor of urate lowering drug treatment with allourinol if possible, or probenecid if necessary. Both can be gotten without insurance at any Target for $10 for a 3 month supply. Treatment requires blood tests to keep your uric acid below 6.0, thus both require a doctor. If you are both disabled is it to the point of being on Medicare or Medicaid…that makes regular blood tests easier.

To treat gout WITHOUT using drugs a REAL requirement will be ending the daily beer drinking. I almost NEVER have anything remotely like gout pain (long time on meds) but Thanksgiving and about 10 bottles of super-hoppy “boutioque” type beers are twinging my feet pretty good. First colchicine required in several months but 2 tabs, and no beer since T'giving, seemed to do the trick by this morning.

Seems they are using neurontin off label for EVERYTHING these days. Is it available generically (gabapentin) yet? It's been around for about 15 years

(I like your writing style…especially the “tryptophaned butt.”)