Gout and colchicine

I'm 58. I too wondered if I was running a fever as I feel so rough so I took my temperature and it was normal. The hot flushes I have are very mild, I just come over really hot, throw off the fleece blanket I always have over me when I'm sitting and within less than a minute I'm cold and reaching for the blanket again. 

  But when I'm active I overheat so much the sweat pours off me and and need a fan to help me cool down. For example just hoovering one room is enough to do this, the sweat drips off me. 

PS I meant to add that I've had the hot flushes for years and guessed they were hormonal. As to whether the overheating when active is too I don't know. That has been happening for quite a while, maybe a couple of years but I'm sure it's gotten worse lately. 

If it's been happening for a couple of years it's probably nothing to worry about.

I'm afraid the nurse doesn't know what she is talking about. It takes a lot of experience for doctors to learn how to palpate the lymph nodes. You'd only notice if they were very swollen.

If I were you I would go to the doctor and mention the sweats. They are however a symptom of pseudogout in some people.

I'm inclined to agree with you about the nurse as she also said you can find out from a blood test if it's gout! 

  I'm going to see the doctor but I need to wait until the blood results are back as they are also checking my kidney function again. I'll ask the doctor about pseudogout too. There has to be a reason for the night sweats as I've never had them before, still have my summer duvet on my bed yet they're happening every night. 

I have seen (quote) "drenching night sweats" as the start of pseudogout in at least two cases (one of which is discussed on this site). If you do have pseudogout I don't think the blood test will show it as they'd be looking for monosodium urate. Pseudogout is properly called Calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) crystal deposition disease. The characteristic symptoms are:

Several joints involved (but not always)

AND

It has an effect on the ligaments which gives a feeling that the ligament which tightens the ligament - this is the feeling that you have - you want to stretch your foot.

I think you've probably got pseudogout.

You have a virus.

I just looked up how to stop pop ups on chrome and it says to tap MORE at the right hand side at the top. But there is no MORE on my iPad! Have checked in my settings and block pop ups is turned on for safari but this site uses chrome when it sends me here from my gmail notifications. I've never had a virus before so am about to check that out next. But why haven't I got MORE on chrome?

Have just installed an app called Adblock after watching a video on YouTube. Supposed to work to block all pop ups on all browsers so I'll let you know ok. 

  What makes you say I've got a virus rustygecko? Not checked that yet.

The only problem that I get is that when I write, a pop up comes which asks me to sign up. I then have to hit "done" and ignore it, and I can then carry on. It's a bit of a pain. I use IOS. Apart from that it works okay.

I thought I was sorted as I spent ages reading posts on here after I installed Adblock and no pop ups. But I just got that same win an iPhone one just now! 😤Back to the drawing board! I too am on iOS and the first site I went to said it's not possible to get a virus on iOS. But then others say it is! 

The pop up I get is them trying to get me to sign up to their newsletter. I hit done and don't sign me up, and it closes. It may happen 2 or 3 times.

I'm looking at it on my iPhone using iOS btw.

Thought I'd do a quick update to let you know my foot hasn't improved regarding the swelling and redness although it's not as painful now. It's painful to walk on it and I get excruciating stabbing pains occasionally that  thankfully only last a few minutes. The swelling was slowly going down but after three weeks of staying off it doing only essential household chores I did a few extra jobs yesterday and also prepared and cooked a cabbage and some potatoes to make bubble and squeak and by time I'd finished my foot had swollen right up again! There is also a big white patch covering the toe joint. It's not dry skin peeling off that I've read can happen so I don't know what it is. Will do another post in case I get the aw snap again.

Glad I posted that last one as started the next and got the aw snap pop up! I checked and my blood results are back so I've made an appointment with the dr for Thursday afternoon. Btw the night sweats stopped three nights ago. My feelings are this isn't gout as gout doesn't last this long but I'll ask the dr on Thursday about pseudogout. I just want my life back as I'm sick of having to be inactive day in day out. 

Wow Kay. You really are having the attack from hell. I must say that my experience of gout - although I had the tophi which grew very quickly, I never had toe pain that couldn't be dealt with by Ibuphren, although when it entered my hands it was very unpleasant - and the swelling of the thumb joints was awful. It was all eventually sorted out by allopurinol.

Keep us informed about what is your eventual diagnosis. Good luck on Thursday.

When you get snapped by the pop up, I just hit "done" then "don't show me this again", and it then gives a few more minutes.

It is irritating as hell thought I'll agree.

I just reread the app called Adblock I installed and realised it says I'd get no pop up ads if I use safari so I'm giving it a try. 

  Have you any idea what the white patches are on my toe joint? I don't have a clue and can find nothing on the net either. I wish there was an attachment on here so I could upload a photo to show you. The white only appeared yesterday but I think it's spread slightly since then. 

  I actually feel much better in myself now as for almost three weeks I felt quite ill, this improvement also coincides with the night sweats stopping but that could just be coincidence. I think having the grandkids over the weekend helped as it took my mind off it. 

  The pain is bearable most of the time so I'm still not taking any painkillers. When the bad pain hits it takes my breath away, it feels like my foot is being stabbed with a red hot sharp knife. Thankfully each time only lasts a few minutes though so painkillers would be useless for that. Does this sound like the pain you've had with gout? 

The worst pain I've had with gout has been like a sharp pointed needle being rammed from the tip of my big toe down the bone in the toe - it's excruciating but just for a few seconds. The white patches you see under the skin *could* be crystalised acid crystals. Good news that the night sweats have receded but certainly mention this to the doctor. Good luck!

The white patches are on the skin not under it. I spoke too soon about the pain being bearable as tonight it's been anything but! Yesterday I collected my ADHD meds and needed shopping from three different shops (two of which had moved everything around preventing me finding anything!) and I was out for almost two hours. The foot had swelled up huge again and the pain has been coming every few minutes since the early hours of this morning, sleeping is impossible and ice hasn't helped. Desperation led me to take two nuromol which have yet to relieve it. I knew there would be no point taking the co codamol as they wouldn't touch this level of pain, when I had a pulled upper back muscle nuromol were the only painkiller that helped as that pain was evil. I know I shouldn't take them with my kidney problems but when the pain is beyond bearable I have no choice. I took them almost an hour ago but the pain is still coming in waves, I don't think even they are strong enough to deal with it! Hhhhhhheeeeeellllllllppppppp! 

Hopefully, you thought to call your doctor for some indomethacin? Take it with food. It will relieve gout pain within a few hours.

The problem with prescribing indomethacin is that it severely interferes with kidney function. Unfortunately Kay already has reduced kidney function and is taking several drugs, some of which *may* need high level of kidney action for them to be safe.

I think your suggestion is a good one, but there may be a reason the doctor didn't go down that route.

Having little faith in any of the GPs at my practice (although the male one that prescribed the Colchicine seems to be the best of the bunch and is the one I'm seeing tomorrow) I can't help worrying when I'm prescribed yet another drug on top of the ones I already take. GPs make a big fuss about patients attending medication reviews every few months but they're a waste of time as no one has ever picked up on what you did, that both serequel and avorstatin are not suitable for me with the health issues I have! Nor have they ever reduced or stopped the statin despite my cholesterol lowering! Since being told my cholesterol was lower I've been gradually reducing the statin myself and I've now stopped taking it. Hopefully my improved diet will help keep my cholesterol lower. Gotta go, Tesco are here!

Taking a statin will of course reduce cholesterol. Reducing it will probably lead to cholesterol increasing. Exercise and weight control will help cholesterol too.

One thing to be aware of - one of the side effects of allopurinol (one of the main anti gout drugs), is that it reduces cholesterol.

Clearly the doctors wouldn't go down that route.  I didn't realize she was going through so much already. Thanks.