Recently diagnosed with gout
Posted , 8 users are following.
Hi I'm 41 years old and have just been diagnosed with gout. Can any gout sufferers advise me on diet and what not to do? Thanks in advance.
1 like, 64 replies
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Notes on Recently diagnosed with gout
jeff5518 paul6676
Posted
I tried the diet thing can't do it. I like meat. And beer my first gout attack was 4 months ago lasted 60 days. Tried the diet . I gave into the meds. 300 mg. Of allopurinol daily. Eat and drink what I want. In moderation
knowmeknowyou paul6676
Posted
Hi. I had two 'attacks' last summer and have been relatively trouble free since. Here's my tips:
Drink plenty of water: Dehydration is a bug trigger for most people, certainly was for me. Other fluids count too but try and drink water on its own too.
Apple Cider Vinegar: read this worked for some people so gave it a go. I have 2 table spoons in a pint of water in the morning and the same when I get home after work. Get the Cider Vinegar that says 'with mother'. Good way to remember to drink water too.
Cut back on alcohol: This isn't something most are over the moon about (myself included) but most doctors say the same. I don't binge anymore and tend to have wine more so then beer. All things in moderation etc.
General food: I eat a fair bit of celery and cherries when I can too. There's some dark cherry juice I get at the health food shop about once a week, meant to help too.
People will have anecdotal evidence for all sorts of diet adaptations, the truth is that different things may very well work for different people (taking into account other factors). I'd say the most important tip however is to drink more water
Hope this helps
BettyE paul6676
Posted
The NHS website gives a list which I seem to remember includes mushrooms, shellfish,orange juice, asparagus and Marmite.... all of which, unusually, I'd eaten at least twice in the week before my first and, so far, only attack.
I waited a couple of weeks and then gradually re- introduced them all except, so far, mushrooms but have cut down the frequency. All ok so far.
rustygecko BettyE
Posted
rustygecko paul6676
Posted
Hi Paul
First, how many attacks have you had over what period? Second have you had a blood urate test done *at least 15 days after an attack*, and what was the result.
Third, what's your weight to height like, are you in good health, do you take any medication, do you have heart disease in the family, do you drink much alcohol?
Do you have other gout symptoms e.g. Tophus?
paul6676 rustygecko
Posted
Hi rustygecko
I've had approx 6 attacks over 2 years. Ive had the blood test and my Dr says high levels of Uric acid are showing. He did say they're not the highest he's seen but are above normal I think he mentioned 400 or 500. I'm 5'11 and 14.5 stone. I'm 1 stone over my ideal weight as I'm quite muscular my ideal would be 13.5. I don't take any regular meds, apart from a little overweight I'm active fitness wise. It's just harder to move the stubborn weight when you reach 40. There's no heart disease in my family that I know off and I drink alcohol at weekends more white wine than anything else. Sorry not sure what tophus is.
rustygecko paul6676
Posted
I have sympathy with your weight comment (I'm same height and weight).
High blood urate not only causes gout but it also causes heart disease (10 years down the line).
Consider allopurinol.
paul6676 rustygecko
Posted
jeff5518 paul6676
Posted
I didn't have any side effects. . But it will bring on a small gout attack at first. My Dr. Started me off with 100 mg. Two weeks later 200 mg them 300 mg. To limit the attack. It's kinda like getting a flu shot. Some get a small amount of the flu after the shot. But I'm telling you. I can eat anything. I got my life back.
rustygecko paul6676
Posted
Paul
I didnt have any side effects of allopurinol except:
a) for a time, after couple of months, it seemed to upset my stomch - I took to taking it wrapped in banana which stopped it... but now I take it just with water, no problem;
b) for the first month it made me incredibly tired - I then took it last thing at night - gave me the best nights sleep of my life - would wake up clear as a bell... unfortunatly that side effect stopped;
c) my cholesterol is strongly down;
d) had a few gout flares as the allopurinol flushed out the stored monosoddium urate crystals. That was kept under control by the occasional use of colchecine.
I would NOT say your condition is quite bad. I'd say its completely boringly normal. Something like 4% of men over the age of 40 have gout (increases with age), you are at the lower end; I didnt get any symptoms till into my 50s. Your youngish age is perhaps making you a bit less boring. I would say you are just a mundane case, which will be sorted by your GP by putting you on allopurinol and monitoring your blood once every six months or so (maybe a bit more in the first six months)....after that you will just forget about it. If you ask around youll find out there s a lot more people on allopurinol than you think. They dont advertise it - its just a non enent. As incurable illnesses go - its probably the one to go for.
rustygecko jeff5518
Posted
paul6676
Posted
Thanks everyone for the advice. I'll hold off on the medication for now and try and make the diet work. Regarding diet I'm still very confused as to what is good and what's not. Various websites contradict each other and the only 1 thing that all agree is to drink plenty of water. I enjoy water and always thought that I drank enough but I'll up my intake to 3 litres per day as of yesterday. I'm still feeling stiffness in my big toe which doesn't seem to be moving, is there anything I can try to get rid of this? This current attack is the longest 1 of all (2weeks). The pain has gone almost just the stiff toe remains and feels like it doesn't want to bend so I'm still walking with a limp. Should I still be taking ibuprofen? I'm not taking anything at the moment.
jeff5518 paul6676
Posted
It's your decision on the meds. With my gout all animal protein was bad. No booze no sugar. I wasn't going to live like that. As far as food goes we are all different. Only use the on line list as a guide line. Only you will know what you can eat or not. I had gout 60 days. In that time I found I could eat eggs, meatless pizza and grilled cheese. And all the white bread I wanted. Good luck
rustygecko paul6676
Posted
I'd take Ibufren.
A two week attack is *nothing*. Much longer is quiote common.
As for the diet - try it - however, it almost certainly wont work. Gout is triggered by purines. Most purines are made by our own bodies breaking down our cells every day, as they are replaced. For a 85kg person, the amount we prodcue each day is the same as eating 1.5 kilos of meat a day. But as I said - go for it, give the dietary changes a go.
paul6676
Posted
Afternoon all. Its been nearly 3 weeks and my toe is still really stiff. Ive now got some apple cider vinegar (Braggs organic) and im taking 25ml with water both morning and night. Is this the correct dose? The lady in the health shop was urging me to buy the cherry juice, has anybody tries this and does it work. The lady must of had shares in the product by the way she was trying to persuade me to buy it. If it works though il definitely buy some. Im still against the meds so im looking at alternatives.
rustygecko paul6676
Posted
If you had type I diabetes would you look for alternatives or take the insulin?
paul6676 rustygecko
Posted
Rustygecko I understand what your saying but from the responses I've received on this forum it seems I have a mild form of gout. This is my longest attack which has lasted 3 weeks. If i have an attack like this every 6 months and this has been my most painful attack, I'm happy to persevere and try the diet route. I'm against being on meds for the rest of my life. If it's comes to a point when I can't stand the pain or the attacks become more frequent then I may have to consider medication. For now I want to try different things in the hope that I can somehow help myself without meds. Your opinion is valued as you seem to be very knowledgeable in this subject.
Is there anyone on here that deals with gout through diet alone?
knowmeknowyou paul6676
Posted
I've had one extremely painful attack May 2016 and a second one, where my foot swelled but without the pain on the July of the same year. These two (a year ago) were the significant ones. After this I had a smaller flair up Sept 2016 and then the very occasional ache. I now can't think of the last time I had an issue. I too wasn't keen on meds for life if not strictly necessary. I've adapted my lifestyle; I don't binge drink anymore (no 'big nights out' as it were) and I drink significantly more water on a daily basis. I also put a couple tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar in a pint of water twice a day. I'd say the first two actions have probably been the biggest changes and as far as I can see it's working. Several doctors have also said that they're pleased with the results, no more attacks and a uric acid 'score' of around 4.98. A doctor at the hospital who has seen me a few times now has told me to " keep doing what your doing" as it's working. My best advice? More water, less alcohol and to just talk to your doctor. They can help and most I've seen seem to know what they are on about (the very first guy I saw wasn't great but you can see others). Hope this ramble helps
paul6676 knowmeknowyou
Posted
knowmeknowyou paul6676
Posted
rustygecko paul6676
Posted
Paul
I am going to say this only once because I'm bored of telling people. It's your life so you can of course do what you like.
Gout is not a disease. Gout is a symptom of another disease: hyperuricemia, i.e. abnormally high levels of monosodium irate in the blood.
You •may•be able to stop the gout attacks by diet. Take note that gout attacks are generally infrequent anyway. But, you won't stop the high blood urate because the problem is your kidneys not working 100%. High blood urate is what you should be worried about, not a silly pain in your foot. High blood urate damages arteries and veins long term. It insidiously causes inflammation which leads to your body's immune system silently attacking you. Ten years or so down the line you untreated high blood urate contributes to very high heart attack rates. That is the problem, not your foot. Some doctors don't focus on it because they just want you out of the surgery. Gout is a bit of a joke illness, associated with portly middle-aged men who are going to die anyway. If you are in your eighties - then ignore this advice. If you are in your fifties then you could be looking at another 30 years of life, so it's worthwhile taking seriously. Also bringing your blood urate down to under 7 will be enough to stop the toes pain. It won't be enough to stop further complications in 2027. You need to get your blood urate down to about 3, to the level it was when you were 19. You can read online the guidance given to doctors by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). Many doctors are very overworked and don't have the time to constantly read the weekly NICE updates on hundreds of illnesses, and fall back on what they learnt at university in....1984....how old is your GP?
I sincerely wish you good health. I'm out of this thread.
knowmeknowyou paul6676
Posted
Just wanted to say as well that I have had one kidney since being 8 years old so wider concerns about high levels of uric acid were a big concern for me. That and being a genuinely anxious person. I can tell you that I've seen a number of GPs and a specialist at the hospital (after I had specific questions regarding my kidney- was I safe? Etc) and have been told that I am I indeed fine. They continue to monitor my uric acid (a test every 6 months or so) and if it goes past a certain level medication will be more likely. Make it clear to your GP that it is a concern for you (as it definitely was for me) and insist on seeing relevant specialists if you need other answers (as I did)
knowmeknowyou paul6676
Posted
Oh and last thing. I've had numerous blood tests including liver and kidney function that the GPs suggested. Worth having for peace of mind.
rustygecko knowmeknowyou
Posted
In some coutries the first thing tehy do when you have gout is to see a cardiologist. The reason is that if the patient has signs of any heart issues (or family heart issues) on a stress test, then the gouit is to be taken more seriously for the cardiac risk.