Getting Rid Of Gout

Following on from my recent post about the importance of consulting a rheumatologist for gout treatment. I just got another message that pulls at the heartstrings for a different reason.

I’ll remove the personal references and tell you the story. It’s about a wife’s concern for her husband’s gout treatment

The message to me was:

My husband has been suffering from gout for over 12 years, however most recently has had a severe attack and been hospitalized for 8 days. He had been taking all of the medications you can imagine, but still developed this horrible case of gout possibly brought on by a car accident?? However, since being released from the hospital he continues with daily flare ups in different locations, feet, knees, hands elbows, along with the tophi on fingers and feet.

We are frustrated beyond belief at what we can do to help him. He has not had any alcohol, red meat or foods which are high in purines for at least 4 months, however he continues having attacks. We have most recently started him on natural vitamin supplements in an attempt to try something else, in addition to the medications prescribed by his doctor, we would love any suggestions you might have in order to help.

My reply about gout treatment was:

The most important thing he can do now is to see a rheumatologist. There is a list at: (listing of rheumatologists)

Perhaps I should explain why.

During the 12 years, uric acid crystals have been building up in and around the joints. This is not always noticeable - you only get the pain when your body reacts to the crystals.

Pain relief will help get rid of the pain, but it does nothing about the crystals. An accident can certainly trigger a gout attack, but the real issue is that you need to get rid of the crystals.

You need medications to treat the pain, and different medications to get rid of the uric acid.

A rheumatologist can monitor the uric acid level to make sure that any medications get the level low enough to dissolve all the crystals in the tophi and in the joints.

Now some more bad news. When the crystals dissolve, it can trigger a painful gout flare. This is because the crystals were hidden, but as they start dissolving the immune system sees them again and starts fighting - much like it does with an infection such as flu. Gout is one of the few diseases I can think of where it hurts more when you are getting better.

A rheumatologist will understand this, and prescribe something to deal with the pain.

As your husband has had a 12 year buildup of crystals, it can take some time to get rid of them. 3 or 4 years is not uncommon. I know this sounds bad, but if you don’t do it now, it will get worse, and the joints can be seriously damaged.

During the time it takes to get rid of the crystals, there are a few things your husband can do to help the medications along.

1. Drink plenty of water. All day.
2. Take regular gentle exercise. He’ll get some from all the extra trips to the bathroom caused by drinking all that water. In addition, walking, or better still, swimming, will help. But do not exercise vigorously - exertion can trigger a gout flare.
3. Eat sensibly. Diet has a small effect compared to uric acid lowering medications, so you can eat most foods. Fruit and vegetables should be 70-80% of the diet. Avoid rapid weight gain or weight loss. Small regular meals are best.
4. Keep warm. Exposing the joints to cold can trigger a gout attack. Surprisingly, during an attack, ice can help reduce swelling and pain. If you do this, only do so for about 10 minutes, then wrap the joint in warm clothing afterwards.

If you’ve been in this situation, please share your gout treatment experience. You can comment below, or send me a private message on my Contact Form.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 27th, 2007 at 1:17 pm and is filed under Gout.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.