Heartland

It would seem I have been struck down by an attack of......gout! Gout fer chrissake, I eat neither stilton or any cheese and I'm not the biggest drinker (I SAID DON'T LAUGH) in the world, yeah I suppose if push came to shove I'm carryng a tad too much 'excess baggage' BUT GOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me tell you the pain has been indescribable and it's totally floored me. Most people have been rubbish when I've told them, been totally unsympathetic and generally guffawed uncontrollably....all I'll say is we've been doing Buddhism this term at school and I'm totally up for this here 'karma' mularky.

Which 17th century disease have you had?

Debaser wrote: Which 17th century disease have you had?

Syphilis...

I'm due to go stark raving delirious bonkers in about two years..

Ness that illustration equals my feet 24/7 for the last 10 years, troub is, my hands have started joining in the fun

I have some new drug that calms it but, of course it has side effects

getting old sucks

James Blast wrote:Ness that illustration equals my feet 24/7 for the last 10 years, troub is, my hands have started joining in the fun

I have some new drug that calms it but, of course it has side effects

getting old sucks

There's always "The Arthur Dunger Way to Keeping Fit"

My Dad has gout, it's not funny. *hugs Ness*

Debaser wrote:It would seem I have been struck down by an attack of......gout!

My doctor advised me to take 2 Ibuprofen tablets every 4 hours for the pain and to continue to do so for up to a day after the pain has subsided. A search on the Interweb will give you a list of stuff to avoid and what helps alleviate the symtoms. The only way to combat it is to change your diet and try not to ingest foods with high uric acid levels, turkey is quite bad. It always astounds me that people can't comprehend how painful it is until it happens to them and then carry on doing all the same things that causes the build up of uric acid in the first place. Hope this helps.

Ouch! Been there Vanessa.

First time I just thought it was "one of those transient things as you get old". Second time, "Mmm, what is this ...as it f**king hurts!?"

I did my websearch and remembered what I'd eaten (infrequently) and narrowed it down to ...prawns.

And, as a glutton for punishment, I deliberately ate prawns again with the same result.

As Jande says, check out what's high in uric acid. All seafood is. I haven't eaten any seafood since and it's never happened again.

Maybe it's something that happens with age and changes in the metabolism but when you can't even put on socks because it hurts so much, it's time to change your diet. Or at least omit things.

Think of what you ate recently Ness; the reaction normally happens within 48hrs.

Hope you get better soon Ness

Awww....ouch Ness!!! That doesn't sound pleasant at all.

Huge hugs and sending you healing vibes.

xxx

Stuff for Ness (and boring for anyone else) and not for the faint hearted or veggies, so stop reading now:

Top Ten Foods High in Uric Acid According to Some Random Internet Link I Found so it must be True
1. Theobromine
2. Yeast, Brewer's
3. Neck sweet bread, Calf's
4. Sprat, smoked
5. Sheep's spleen
6. Yeast, Baker's
7. Ox liver
8. Pig's heart
9. Pig's spleen
10. Pig's liver

Full list here <--- clicky

Theobromine? It threw me as well. Apparently, it's in chocolate and other cocoa products. Even I've learnt something from my post.

I've had this before and it does hurt!!! The doc told me to drink lots of water and use anti-inflammatories like neurofen.

aww ness, that's horrid. you take care, now, and demand some proper looking after.

Johnny Rev 7.0 wrote:Stuff for Ness (and boring for anyone else) and not for the faint hearted or veggies, so stop reading now:



Full list here <--- clicky

Must've been that pike I ate To be honest I scoured said list and can't really think of anything on it that might have caused it....old and fat seems to be the probable cause Pain seems to have subsided quite a lot in comparison to last Friday's onslaught but I still couldn't fly across a classroom to 'help' a child.

Can I just say thatnks for all the fabulous advise and kind regards to everyone who's replied but am saving my hugest thanks to Mr Johnny R who came out of retirement just to help...awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww fanqueue.

Debaser wrote: I scoured said list and can't really think of anything on it that might have caused it....old and fat seems to be the probable cause

I know there is a lot of food stuff on my site - gouties tend to be obsessed with it - but it is rarely as important as is made out.

The odd food item does not cause gout, though total diet might contribute.

Gout comes from excess uric acid which crystallises in the joints and other body tissues. Our immune system attacks these crystals, but cannot kill them so they just get hidden by white blood cells, gradually building up into a crippling timebomb of feverish pain and misery.

Far from being a 17th century disease, gout is very much of today. Obesity contributes, but maybe not as much as excess iron. Our 17th century ancestors had a penchant for lead poisoning. These days we prefer iron abuse.

Outside of food issues, there are a huge number of gout sufferers who simply had the bad luck to be born to gout-prone parents. Others fall foul of kidney problems or gout inducing medicines (diuretics for blood pressure are doing a fine job of keeping gout more popular than it has ever been)

Its complex.

To help reduce some complexities, I have a very useful gout forum near to the less useful food list you studied (also, I'm currently overhauling GoutPal.com to make key information easier to find).

The simple solution - and absolute must if you ever want to be pain free in future - is to lower your uric acid. Always know your number, and never let it rise above .35 mmol/L (that's the common UK scale - elsewhere it is 6mg/dL). To get rid of the uric acid crystals that are already hiding in and around your joints, you need to aim much lower for at least 6 months.

GoutPal

GoutPal wrote:
Gout comes from excess uric acid which crystallises in the joints and other body tissues. Our immune system attacks these crystals, but cannot kill them so they just get hidden by white blood cells, gradually building up into a crippling timebomb of feverish pain and misery.


GoutPal

The doc thinks, knowing my family history, it's more likely to be pseudogout (too much calcium) - which I'm rather fancying - he knows there's a pseudopseudogout but knows nowt about that one

I must say I'm bowled over that you'd joined this place just to let me know - thank you very much.

That old heartland effect

Shall I stop eating those rusty nails?

*waves at GoutPal*

blimey

Ness, I haven't forgotten the rule for tonight "five feet and lean"

The Heartland Effect: Do NOT Consult In a Real Medical Emergency!

Debaser wrote:
The doc thinks, knowing my family history, it's more likely to be pseudogout (too much calcium) - which I'm rather fancying - he knows there's a pseudopseudogout but knows nowt about that one

Joint fluid analysis will tell, but best done by a rheumatologist unless your GP has had lots of practice on other people.

Debaser wrote: I must say I'm bowled over that you'd joined this place just to let me know - thank you very much.

That old heartland effect

'Twas the photo that did it. That old "cutsie profile pic, reminds me of my granddaughter, except she doesn't have gout" effect.