Posted on 08/25/2009 9:05:40 PM PDT by Global2010
OK Guys/Gals.
I have not had an attack in years but after attending a couple of Brewfests and relizing how good Ale is (I quit drinking beer do to gout years ago) and forgetting how crippling and excrutiating an attack of gout is well I have a whole foot invovled.
As a careprovider I have to get up (I have an old wheelchair to use the pain is that bad).
I dont want to go to the Doc and thought I would try some home flushing of the uric acid.
Right now I have a combo in one ice pitcher of Orange/cherry/apple juice and V-8 and Lemon in the other ice pitcher drinking both at a steady pace with lots of water.
We have a cherry stand down the road so tommarrow I will drive over if I can stand/walk to my rig and buy those to start eating.
Time is of the essense to get back on my feet.
I also drank some viniger (did not have Apple cider viniger on hand).
Will also try the epsom salt foot bath tommarrow when help comes in.
So any other suggestions for a quick reduction in the uric acid levels?
My husband takes cherry extract and it seems to keep it at bay. I was going to suggest the cherry route but it looks like you’ve got that already covered. You are avoiding beef, chicken, etc.?
I find loading up on naproxyn (aleve) helps me, also lots of water. Good luck.
cherries are supposed to help google it and herbs like Red clover are supposed to help too.
Am Clueless but found: http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/gout.html
My BIL suffers from gout. Evidently cherries (or better yet cherry juice) and strawberries help. Also the Rx drug they give him is a strong NSAID (indomethacin), so I’d imagine OTC ibuprophen or naproxsen would help since they, too, are NSAIDs.
Yes.
Started on a fruit/veggie juice diet only today.
Just go to an urgent care clinic or EM and get an Rx for colchicine. Nothing else actually dissolves the crystals.
I take allopurinol to regulate the uric acid level and prevent attacks in the first place.
Sour cherry juice - make sure it hasn’t been sweetened - helps me literally overnight.
I previously would use Capzasin on the joint affected (usually the big toe) before I got the prescriptions. NSAIDs didn’t do a thing that I could detect. Some people have good results with celery seed extract. But again, colchicine is what removes the crystals that are causing the problem.
One thing I learned NOT to do. I learned DO NOT RUB MY TOE! That only made it worse. I imagine because it only pushes the spikey uric acid crystals deeper into the surrounding flesh.
I have a Flector Patch (NSAID/Aleve) on my foot.
http://www.walgreens.com/store/productlist.jsp?CATID=100071&selectedBrand=2117
Go to nearest Walgreens - Solonpas small patches (from Japan) use two or three over / around inflamed area - can use 8 hrs at a time
Takes away much of the pain
Suggest you drop the orange juice - too much vit C can make it worse
You're a glutton for punishment.
Most people don't realize the pain involved in a full fledged gout attack.
Ibuprofen works a little bit.(4 times the usual dose)
Indomethacin (prescription) works much better.
I now take Allopurinol (prescription) once a day to keep the uric acid in balance. It works very well.
Go get some indometacin and be done with it.
Yeah I wondered about the whole rubbing the foot thing.
The urge to rub is strong but I agree with you it seemed to get worse.
Going to get cherries and real cherry juice when my respite care relief comes in to help out in the morning.
I had a gout attack after surgery, it went away but then came back several months later. I was on vacation, and couldn’t go see my doctor. In desparation, I tried drinking a solution of 1/2 teaspoon in a glass of water over the period of a day, for a total of 4 teaspoons per day. I had relief within 24 hours. Not sure if it was the baking soda, or if that was just coincidence. I had found that “remedy” on the internet at various sources. There can be side effects, like diarrhea, and blood pressure increases due to the high sodium content.
Let me rephrase that.
Doc is not open for instant appts. and tommarrow is the only day I have this week to not pack up the quad son IOW if I dont feel better in the A.M. with these home remedies I will go to Urgent Care.
But I have to be able to walk enough to drive to urgent care.
Me and the quad son share a room so he is just steps away for care.
As you well know gout is the creepy guy that you wake up with it doesnt usually give much window of warning.
Life Extension Foundation Recommendations
Gout is a metabolic disorder that is often associated with controllable factors such as diet and weight. Researchers have shown that dietary modification is effective in reducing gout (Pascual E et al. 2004). Based on scientific studies, Life Extension suggests that gout patients:
* Avoid high-purine foods (Emmerson BT 1996).
* Avoid alcoholic beverages (Emmerson BT 1996).
* Lose excess weight (Choi HK et al 2005b).
* Increase consumption of foods from plant sources, especially fruits (such as cherries) and vegetables that reduce the risk of gout development (Lyu LC et al 2003). Because dietary fiber is beneficial for intestinal motility and has a potential role in binding uric acid in the gut for excretion, increasing one’s fiber intake has been suggested to lower the risk of gout (Lyu LC et al. 2003). Soluble fiber supplements are also available.
* Drink plenty of fluids and reduce salt intake (Benecke M 2003).
* Vitamin C—1000 milligrams (mg) daily.
* Cherry extract—follow label directions.
* Grape seed extract—100 mg daily.
* Avoid the use of niacin (Crouse JR 1996), vitamin A in high doses (Mawson AR et al 1991), and low-dose aspirin (Caspi D et al 2000) unless approved by a qualified physician.
Gout Safety Caveats
An aggressive program of dietary supplementation should not be launched without the supervision of a qualified physician. Several of the nutrients suggested in this protocol may have adverse effects. These include:
Vitamin C
* Do not take vitamin C if you have a history of kidney stones or of kidney insufficiency (defined as having a serum creatine level greater than 2 milligrams per deciliter and/or a creatinine clearance less than 30 milliliters per minute.
* Consult your doctor before taking large amounts of vitamin C if you have hemochromatosis, thalassemia, sideroblastic anemia, sickle cell anemia, or erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. You can experience iron overload if you have one of these conditions and use large amounts of vitamin C.
From: http://www.lef.org/protocols/immune_connective_joint/gout_01.htm
Naproxin Sodium also helps. The trick is to do all of the above ASAP. You don't need to suffer. If you try to suffer through it you will end up with calcium deposits on joints and bones that won't go away. After the gout attack subsides then start to exercise (walk) and lose weight. If you do the gout will go away. It's been 3 years now without any symptoms at all.
You need to go to the doctor. I tried the home remedies and they were virtually worthless. This is really controllable.
Swedish Bitters....buy it at a health food store it’s by Natures Works. It brings the body back in balance. It’s herb extract...I mix it with a little water...take about 1/2 jigger...if it doesn’t ease within an hour take another 1/2 jigger...with a little water...
I had a real tough time getting to the doctor also -- especially driving a stick shift with the almost unusable foot. Had to cut the side out of a perfectly good shoe so I could get my foot into it. Get colchicine. If you were here I'd take some over to ya.
I am just getting over the worst gout attack of my life. Only one thing works for sure - indomethacin. Get some now.
Indomethacin works only against the pain and inflammation though, albeit in a sophisticated way. It doesn’t directly dissolve the crystals.
BTTT Gout.
In the hospital it was always colchicine for acute attacks that landed someone in the hospital...(colchicine is made from dried colchicine bugs) Its also a good dye for fibers, but I know you don’t give a dam about that bit of trivia...extremely painful, good luck :O(
After this attack is over I would recommend requesting Allopurinol from your doc. (Taking Allopurinol during an attack can make it worse.)
I can now drink a fair amount of beer, eat brats, eat steak, and eat my wife’s bananna bread without causing an attack. I used to have to closely watch what I ate and still always felt like I was on the verge of a gout attack.
Yeah I read about the soda mixture thing too.
The emerg. pantry stock of veggie/fruit juices of all kinds is really awesome.
This is my first couple of years of stocking dog food/med supplies/food ect...for an emerg.
Well as you well know gout is an emerg. Esp. living in the countryside alone with a medically dependant loved one who is a quad.
Changed my diet years ago and cured all the agiing issues but this summer I have been taking the quad son to allot of events and not eating right then I took some time off alone and enjoyed that Brewfest. Was soooo much fun, at the time.
Not having a gout attack in years the old one lil brewfest week end and ALL those wonderful Ales we have here in the PNW got the best of my human nature.
It a dangerous poison too.
That works I fell off the diet this summer after many years of obediance.
If I dont get some relief by morning I will go to urgent care and get the two RXs you suggested.
I will be going in the morning as soon as the respite relief person comes in to take over my sons care needs for the day so I can go get help.
He (my son) has been waiting years for Gaither/Mark Lowry to cometo our state and that happens Sunday.
He is so limited as he ages to getting out to events I dont want to dissapoint him by not going.
I WILL go get Urgent Care in the A.M.
Hah the Beer and Brats is what did me in.
I can live without ‘em have so for years.
As the old rock song goes It aint funny but it sure was fun.
Global,
Refrain from eating beans i.e., refried beans, strings beans and any vegies that has beans in it. Also refrain from easting nuts, except almonds.
For sure.
I can do dry bean soup in the winter.
Yeah but not the canned pre cooked ones.
Also shrimp for me is another trigger.
EVERYTHING in Moderation is the key and not all the trigger foods together.
Grout (gout as it feels like grout) this episode is fer sure my bad.
Get indomethecin, a "super aspirin." It gets the pain under control quite fast. Then look into long-term prevention, usually diet, allopurinol -- and no beer. I've tried all the home remedies and they may work for others but not for me. Meanwhile, we who suffer from this curse sympathize with your horrible pain!
I have had all the drugs, colchecine, indicin, and tried all the home remedies. My advice would be to get your kidneys checked. Only prednisone helped the pain but the side affects from steroids are just as bad.
The worse my kidneys got the more gout occurrences I had. Eventually I needed a transplant due to PKD but since then NO Gout. I pray this isn’t the case for you but, please just check the beans.
Colchicine works. It’s nasty stuff (in fact, it’s poison!), but it will fix your gout. It’s Rx only, but once you have a bottle you can stretch it to last a long time.
I only have attacks every now and then. The culprit is usually beer and red meat. I used to drink 2-3 pints of beer per week, but now I drink a pint per month or less. I still enjoy red meat from time to time, but most of my diet is fresh vegetables these days.
I hope you feel better soon. Gout is no fun.
Just had kidneys checked.
If I had to pinpoint this grout attack it was Ale and Brats again that I removed from my diet years ago but had a vacation (rare) for a few days and went to a dog freindly/no kids Beerfest.
Went so I could take the wiener dog for a freindly day outing but succumbed to the Ale and Brats.
All my health issues are tested every few months and they have all been in regression for years but the uric acid was up after the indulgence.
So I know the trigger but just forgot how bad the consequenses are.
btt gout
Treat gout
I have had gout for years; finally, after three years, got smart and got it diagnosed. They have me indomethicin (sp?) and it worked within hours.
You can also try “Tart Cherry” — wife bought it at some health foods store. Worked just as well as the indomethicin did, meaning it worked within HOURS. It was a miracle.
The Tart Cherry came in capsules; there is also some cherry concentrate that I mixed with water, and I took them both. Again, worked within hours. Have relied on it three times, and it’s worked each time. It’s a Godsend.
I keep the prescription just in case.
Don’t suffer like I did—I have a bony knob on the left foot because I was too proud to see a doctor and deal with it. I was on crutches for the first time in my life.
TART Cherry. Not the sweet kind (don’t know if it works).
Allopurinol is cheaper but according to my doctor more patients have problems with it than probenecid. Most likely it is a matter of preference or experience of your doctor. I did really well on probenecid and had no ill effects.
Most important is to get to the doctor ASAP. If you get a full gout attack it is amazingly painful. You can not describe how painful it is. It’s so bad that if you even look at it funny it almost hurts. I just got back from a 3.5 mile walk so I still exercise. I still haven’t had an attack in years. It hurts me to know how much it hurts you.
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My father has severe attacks maybe once or twice a year and Indomethacin knocks it out pretty quickly, but it is prescription.
Last winter my mom thought she was having a gout attack (her doctor confirmed gout) and it turned out she had an infection that started in her big toe - around the nail. It took a couple of months for the infection to become obvious.
After months more of oral antibiotic treatments, (didn’t work) the doctor finally tried an antifungal medication. *That* did the trick.
I’m just saying... ;-)
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