Advice for newly diagnosed
Posted , 5 users are following.
Hi all, I was recently diagnosed with acute gout (primary gout) just this past Thursday and am quite terrified so I've been reading as much of the academic literature as possible over the past couple of days mainly searching for justification of my current eating habits and psychological feeling that my world isn't ending i.e. support and advice. I'm 30 years old, had a history of asthma as an adolescent including bouts of pneumonia, rectal fistula (colon cancer is a genetic hereditary illness along with diabetes and increased odds for heart attack (my father died of it at a young age). No familMy current eating habits consist of eating large amounts of chicken, rice, vegetables every lunch and dinner with soda during the day for caffeine (19 mg vs 91 mg in average cup of coffee). I'm also twenty pounds overweight, though as I currently live in a city with easy walking distance to everything, my weight has been going down steadily. I was prescribed colchine which worked wonderfully and is in line with my understanding that this is indeed gout. I will be following up with my provider during this coming week as well as a rheumatologist to confirm my diagnosis. My general diet consists of a glass of water in the morning with dry cereal, chicken and rice for lunch and dinner with some vegetables, indian snacks or fruits for snack time and very occasionally ice-cream (about once per quarter) as well as a can of Coke during working days for caffeine. Since my diagnosis, following extant literature, I've quit soda (I had been meaning to anyway), added a 500 mg Vitamin C tablet everyday and soon hope to switch to coffee as it has a relative risk score of .46 compared to soda's 1.86 and chicken's 1.21). My goal is to get more exercise by getting a bike and biking to work but for now just walking everywhere (it is a major city after all). I don't eat beef, touch alcohol very sparingly (I had half a beer a month ago and threw it out because it tasted terrible, not the worst $9 spent but still), rarer still eat fish (very very picky about where it's sourced and how it's cooked), and don't smoke. My boss, a physician, thinks it's unlikely that I have gout given my age and habits but still I'm fairly certain it is given that Colchine worked relatively effectively. Given all of this and it is a lot, would you kind folks have any advice on how to proceed? My mom's already offered to take me to get homeopathy medicine (it's not scientific and likely worse for me) and truth be told, I'm scared that this is a lifelong thing that is essentially an early death sentence.
0 likes, 30 replies
Guest ResPsychDude
Posted
You sound like you may be a monk. One thing is for certain, you diet certainly wasn't responsible for the gout. I take Allupirinol, eat what I wan't, and drink what I want. What confuses me is that you like Soda but no beer, VERY STRANGE
ResPsychDude Guest
Posted
rustygecko ResPsychDude
Posted
Sochima822 Guest
Posted
Funny, as I'd pick soda over beer on any given day. Beer gives me migraines and tastes nasty compared to soda.
ResPsychDude Sochima822
Posted
Alcohol just tastes nasty by itself unless it's a quality chocolate martini made with real chocolate. Vodka and whiskey are fun to drink every once in a while but I can count on one hand how often I've had alcohol this year, none to the point of being drunk. Alcohol is also expensive in bars so even on social occasions, it's just better to spend the money eating and enjoying rather than the booze, at least for me.
Sochima822 ResPsychDude
Posted
Guest ResPsychDude
Posted
ResPsychDude Guest
Posted
I'm happy that you like beer and thank you for your advice. I have yet to see a rheumatologist (next month) and once I do, I'll be sure to take my medicine. I currently live in a city (there are several bars a block away) so there are ample opportunities to drink lots of beer. Thank you!
rustygecko ResPsychDude
Posted
My experience too is that allopurinol works. I'm not however convinced that ones masculinity is in any way related to beer consumption. Alcoholism on the other hand is, and so are other levels of ill health if not consumed in moderation.
ResPsychDude rustygecko
Posted
I don't drink very often, enough to be considered with my friend who can't do it for religious reasons in my group of friends, as the non-drinker in the group. We're the only two of us in the group where our friends when ordering, do not assume we want to drink. I don't like to drink very often but my friends do and I have no quarrel with them for it. Thank you again for all your support! Allopurinol does work, and the main problem with gout is medication adherence, most often because people are often embarrassed about it, which is why forums like this and folks including yourself are so wonderful and beneficial because y'all are so knowledgeable and accepting. Again, thank you.
rustygecko ResPsychDude
Posted
"...gout is medication adherence, most often because people are often embarrassed about it..."
I'm interest that you think there's some embarrassment about embarrassment about allopurinol (or are you talking of gout? I must say that I think gout is considered as a bit of a joke. Perhaps renaming gout "arthritic gout" could help).
Adherence to any uric acid reduction treatment is poor I think because a) initially it will cause gout symptoms b) patients (and doctors?) don't take the risk of non-treatment seriously because the consequences are 10 years down the line; the patients don't know, and the docs probably think - he might be dead before them anyway!
I'd be interested in your view and others, about the social acceptability of gout and allopurinol.
ResPsychDude rustygecko
Posted
It's not that I think that at all. Please don't mind me, I certainly do not ever intend to offend in the slightest and do most sincerely apologize if I have to everyone for the offense. There's just some literature I was reading that said adherence was a big problem with gout and one of the biggest reasons for that was embarrassment of having gout. You are right that the other factors include increase in initial gout symptoms, failure to take the consequences of non treatment seriously and possibly mortality. As as been said before, it's fairly common in men and less so in women. I don't think there's anything to be embarrassed about it in the slightest but I also work in the mental health field where most illnesses including the biggest ones and the smallest ones have unfortunate social connotations. It's increasingly thought of as an autoimmune disease and with novel treatments on the horizon, we may be able to come very close to a mostly functioning cure once we fully understand the mechanisms of action involved. As I have been very busy with work, I haven't had a chance in a few weeks to review the scientific literature more deeply but will provide you with my conclusions once I do. I've been telling my friends that I have it along with my boss and my mom so I'm not embarrassed by it, just astounded that adherence is such a big problem with it from the literature.
rustygecko ResPsychDude
Posted
I'm not at all offended. I was just fascinated that I in any way should be embarrassed about gout; and I'm surprised that anyone might be. I'm rather the contrary. I suffer from robust good health, while many of my age have ailments. My gout gives me a certain legitimacy when listening to others medical problems! Without it I'd be like a virgin in a brothel :-D
ResPsychDude rustygecko
Posted
You shouldn't be, no one should be but evidence suggests that plenty of folks are leading to poor adherence and thus poorer outcomes which is something that should be remedied. Congrats and good luck to the robust health!