Very high levels, still not sure it's Gout...
Posted , 3 users are following.
Please forgive my ignorance, this is all new to me. Woke up yesterday morning with pretty bad knee pain. Slightly swollen, no tenderness, no burning feeling. Howevet the pain was bad enough that I could not walk on it without crutches. Doctor did some blood tests that afternoon. Just around that time the pain began to subside. She diagnosed me with Gout as my levels were at 8.9! Here we are a day later, the knee is a little sore but otherwise okay and I can walk on it. I haven't taken anything yet although she prescribed several things for me. She also said I had some sort of infection in my blood which she gave me antibiotics for.
I had just come off a night of drinking a lot of beer and eating a ton of sushi. Could this have spiked my uric acid levels temporarily and the knee pain is something other than Gout? Thoughts?
0 likes, 10 replies
Sochima822 RyanShark
Posted
rustygecko RyanShark
Posted
Could it have spiked your urate levels? Yes, and No. It probably did spike the levels, which kicked off the gout. However counterintuitively •during• and attack blood urate falls, so the 'real' level is higher. You need to be tested 72 hours+ after all symptoms have gone to get the true level.
For long term health you need to get treatment for the high urate, not just a temporary fix to get you up and about now.
RyanShark
Posted
Thank you for the replies. So I have Gout. I'll have to mentally rap my head around that. I'm 38, not an ounce overweight. I enjoy my beer which I will have to cut out so that is what it is. I also enjoy sushi which I guess I also need to cut out? If I simply eat right can I keep my levels down or must I also take medication? I hear nothing but negative things about medication. I'm already on medication for my Ulcerative Colitis and I'd prefer not to put so much prescription medication in my body.
rustygecko RyanShark
Posted
Look among your cousins and second cousins and grandparents and you'll almost certainly find the cause of your gout - genetics.
Beer is a huge issue for gout ... however it is unrealistic to properly control blood urate levels by controlling what you eat. Firstly it's very restrictive and secondly most of the uric acid comes from your own cells being recycled. You'll reduce your urate by 1 point by diet. You need to reduce it in an ideal world by about 6 points. Your doctor will probably be happy with less than 6; but it's not her that is going to have the health issues 15-20 years down the line.
If it's any consolation gout is one of the most treatable incurable illnesses, and can be very well managed.
Sochima822 RyanShark
Posted
Sushi does not cause gout, like beer. You don't need to give up on Sushi. Drink cherry juice to neutralize some of the uric acid. Did she give you medication for the gout?
rustygecko Sochima822
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Mayo clinic:
"Avoid meats such as liver, kidney and sweetbreads, which have high purine levels and contribute to high blood levels of uric acid. Selected seafood. Avoid the following types of seafood, which are higher in purines than others: anchovies, herring, sardines, mussels, scallops, trout, haddock, mackerel and tuna. Alcohol."
But if you can handle the treatment (and most can), you can live a normal dietary life.
Sochima822 rustygecko
Posted
Rusty, I eat tuna(all the time), mussels, trout and scallops and don't get gout. The only purine that sets off a gout attack is the herring at least in me.
rustygecko Sochima822
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I eat everything too. As long as your tissues aren't flooded with urate probably nothing will trigger the gout. (I do of course keep blood urate at under 3 with allopurinol).
RyanShark
Posted
Feeling better about hearing this is something I can work through with some minor changes. Thank you
rustygecko RyanShark
Posted
With having another illness (colitis) and other meds this is a bit more complex. For example are the drugs you take for the colitis diuretic (make you urinate a lot)? Many of your drug options for colitis could well help the gout eg prednisone is prescribed for both. I have a feeling I read somewhere that allopurinol is used for colitis (it is - just checked). Just maybe, in conjunction with your doc you could find one drug that could kill two birds with one stone?